html_to_pdf

Generate beautiful PDF invoices from HTML using Puppeteer & Handlebars.
Modern, flexible, and easy to use!

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⭐ Features

• Modern rendering: Uses real Chrome engine for pixel-perfect PDFs
• Dynamic templates: Handlebars for easy data binding
• Watermark/stamp support: Add "PAID" or custom stamps with a simple flag
• Full CSS/JS support: Works with modern HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Easy integration: Just a few lines of code to get started

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🚀 Quick Start

1. Install dependencies

   npm install

2. Generate your first PDF

   node example.js

   This will create invoice.pdf in your project folder.

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How It Works

1. Prepare your HTML template (invoice.html)
2. Bind your data using Handlebars
3. Generate PDF with Puppeteer

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Example Usage

index.js

const puppeteer = require("puppeteer");
const handlebars = require("handlebars");

module.exports.html_to_pdf = async ({ templateHtml, dataBinding, options }) => {
  const template = handlebars.compile(templateHtml);
  const finalHtml = encodeURIComponent(template(dataBinding));

  const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
    args: ["--no-sandbox"],
    headless: true,
  });
  const page = await browser.newPage();
  await page.goto(`data:text/html;charset=UTF-8,${finalHtml}`, {
    waitUntil: "networkidle0",
  });
  await page.pdf(options);
  await browser.close();
};

example.js

const fs = require("fs");
const path = require("path");
const { html_to_pdf } = require(".");

(async () => {
  const dataBinding = {
    items: [
      { name: "item 1", price: 100 },
      { name: "item 2", price: 200 },
      { name: "item 3", price: 300 },
    ],
    total: 600,
    isWatermark: true,
  };

  const templateHtml = fs.readFileSync(
    path.join(process.cwd(), "invoice.html"),
    "utf8"
  );

  const options = {
    format: "A4",
    headerTemplate: "<p></p>",
    footerTemplate: "<p></p>",
    displayHeaderFooter: false,
    margin: { top: "40px", bottom: "100px" },
    printBackground: true,
    path: "invoice.pdf",
  };

  await html_to_pdf({ templateHtml, dataBinding, options });

  console.log("Done: invoice.pdf is created!");
})();

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💡 Watermark/Stamp Example

Add a "PAID" stamp using Handlebars:

{{#if isWatermark}}
  <div style="border-width: 6px; border-style: solid; border-color: #008000; border-radius: 8px; color: #008000; opacity:0.6; position: absolute; z-index: 1; left:40%; top:30%; font-size: 60pt; transform: rotate(-45deg); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Helvetica', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
    PAID
  </div>
{{/if}}

Set isWatermark: true in your data and run again!

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🆚 Comparison: Puppeteer vs. wkhtmltopdf vs. dompdf

Feature	Puppeteer (This Project)	wkhtmltopdf	dompdf (PHP)
Language	Node.js	Standalone (CLI, C++)	PHP
Rendering Engine	Headless Chrome	WebKit	PHP-based HTML parser
CSS/JS Support	Full (modern browser)	Limited (older WebKit)	Limited (no JS)
JavaScript Execution	Yes	Partial	No
Template Engine	Handlebars (JS)	None (raw HTML)	None (raw HTML)
Custom Fonts	Yes	Yes	Yes
Page Features	Headers/Footers, Margins	Headers/Footers, Margins	Basic
Watermark/Stamp	Easy (template logic)	Possible (CSS/HTML)	Possible (CSS/HTML)
Installation	npm install puppeteer	Download binary	Composer (PHP)
Platform	Cross-platform	Cross-platform	Cross-platform
Output Format	PDF	PDF	PDF

Pros & Cons

Puppeteer (This Project)

Pros:

• Accurate rendering (uses real Chrome engine)
• Full support for modern CSS and JavaScript
• Highly customizable with Node.js and Handlebars
• Easy watermark/stamp logic
• Active community and frequent updates

Cons:

• Requires Node.js environment
• Larger binary size due to Chromium
• Higher memory usage compared to simpler tools

wkhtmltopdf

Pros:

• Simple CLI usage, easy to integrate in scripts
• No programming language dependency
• Good for static HTML to PDF conversion

Cons:

• Uses outdated WebKit engine (limited CSS/JS support)
• JavaScript support is partial and sometimes buggy
• Less accurate rendering for modern web pages

dompdf

Pros:

• Native PHP solution, easy for PHP projects
• Simple to install via Composer
• Good for basic HTML/CSS to PDF

Cons:

• No JavaScript support
• Limited CSS support (no flexbox, grid, etc.)
• Rendering may differ from browsers

Summary:
Choose Puppeteer if you need modern web features, dynamic templates, or advanced PDF customization. Use wkhtmltopdf for simple CLI-based workflows, or dompdf for basic PHP-based PDF generation.

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🙌 Contributing

Pull requests are welcome! For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

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📣 Spread the Word

If you find this project useful, please ⭐ star the repo and share it with others!

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License

html_to_pdf is available under the MIT license. See the LICENSE file for more info.