Generate a PDF with Puppeteer by loading the page, waiting for the content your application needs, and calling page.pdf() with deliberate print settings. Puppeteer renders using print CSS by default, so page size, margins, backgrounds, colors, and readiness checks can change the result substantially. The reliable approach is to define the PDF’s intended output, then test it with the same Puppeteer and browser versions you will deploy.
Generate a PDF with Puppeteer
Install Puppeteer in your Node.js project, launch its bundled browser, navigate to a page, and call page.pdf(). This complete example writes a Letter-size PDF with margins and background graphics enabled:
import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const url = process.argv[2] ?? 'https://example.com';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: 'networkidle2' });
await page.pdf({
path: 'page.pdf',
format: 'Letter',
printBackground: true,
margin: {
top: '0.5in',
right: '0.5in',
bottom: '0.5in',
left: '0.5in'
}
});
} finally {
await browser.close();
}Run it in a project with Puppeteer installed, for example by saving it as make-pdf.mjs and executing node make-pdf.mjs https://example.com. The navigation option in this example follows Puppeteer’s guide, but network quiet is not proof that your app has finished rendering its own content. For a dashboard, report, or other client-rendered page, wait for a specific element or application signal before calling page.pdf().
Make page readiness explicit
PDF generation can faithfully print a page that is still incomplete. A navigation event only describes browser loading; application data, charts, and lazy-loaded images may have a separate lifecycle. Choose the wait condition that reflects the page you are capturing rather than relying on a generic delay.
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Wait for an application-specific condition
When the page exposes a stable element after rendering, wait for it before printing:
await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
await page.waitForSelector('[data-report-ready="true"]');
await page.pdf({ path: 'report.pdf', format: 'A4' });Replace the selector with an element that your application only exposes when the necessary data is ready. If the page has a known rendering promise or other readiness signal, wait on that instead. Avoid treating networkidle2 as a universal guarantee: some pages keep connections open, while others finish network activity before their visual content is ready.
Wait for fonts
Page.pdf() waits for fonts by default. If PDF generation hangs at font readiness while the page is running in the background, Puppeteer documents bringing the page to the front as a remedy:
await page.bringToFront();
await page.pdf({ path: 'report.pdf' });Use this only where the background-page font wait is relevant; it does not replace application-specific readiness checks.
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Choose print or screen rendering
Puppeteer’s PDF method uses the print media type by default. That means print-specific CSS such as @media print rules can hide navigation, change layout, or alter colors compared with the page in a normal browser window.
- Use print media when the PDF is intended to be a document, report, or printable page. Add and test print CSS for the desired page breaks, visibility, and layout.
- Use screen media when the output should resemble the screen-rendered page. Call
await page.emulateMediaType('screen')beforepage.pdf().
Changing media type changes which CSS rules apply; it does not guarantee an exact visual match across every page or browser. Verify the generated PDF itself.
Set paper size, dimensions, and margins
Do not leave the PDF’s paper contract to defaults if recipients or a downstream print workflow expect a particular format. Puppeteer documents Letter as the default format and no margins by default. Set the format or dimensions and margins explicitly when those defaults are not what you want.
format takes priority over width and height. If your document’s CSS @page rule should determine paper size, set preferCSSPageSize: true; otherwise, that option defaults to false and the API paper-size settings take priority. Choose one authority deliberately to avoid confusing conflicts between CSS and the call’s options.
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await page.pdf({
path: 'report.pdf',
format: 'A4',
landscape: true,
margin: {
top: '12mm',
right: '10mm',
bottom: '12mm',
left: '10mm'
}
});Use the orientation and dimensions appropriate for the document: a wide table may need landscape output, while a standard text report may fit portrait pages. Inspect page breaks, clipping, and whitespace at the selected size rather than assuming that a setting suitable for one page is suitable for another.
Control backgrounds and printed colors
Background graphics are off by default. Set printBackground: true if the PDF needs background fills, colored panels, or other background graphics. Separately, Chromium adjusts PDF colors for printing by default. When exact CSS colors matter, use -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact in the relevant stylesheet and verify the output.
@media print {
.report-highlight {
-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact;
print-color-adjust: exact;
}
}Color adjustment and background rendering are separate concerns: enabling backgrounds does not by itself promise exact colors. Use these options only when they serve the document’s output requirements, and check the result in a PDF viewer and any actual print workflow that matters.
Tune the remaining PDF options
Once the page renders correctly, adjust output options against a representative document. Puppeteer’s PDF options include orientation, scale, page ranges, header and footer templates, and a timeout. In the documentation version 25.12.0, scale is documented from 0.1 to 2 and the default timeout is 30,000 milliseconds. These are versioned option facts, so confirm the reference for the Puppeteer version installed in your project before relying on them.
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- Scale: Use a value within the documented range for your version. Scaling can help fit content, but inspect text size and clipping.
- Page ranges: Request only needed pages for partial exports, and check that the selected ranges match the document’s actual pagination.
- Headers and footers: Add them only when the document needs repeated page information; test their layout with the chosen margins.
- Timeout: Set a value suitable for the page and environment, especially when pages load data or fonts slowly. A longer timeout does not solve a page that never reaches readiness.
- Outline and tagged output: The current reference labels these options experimental. Validate them against your exact deployed version and intended PDF consumers before depending on them.
Use a compatible browser build
Puppeteer guarantees compatibility with its bundled browser. If you configure Puppeteer to use a separately installed Chrome, compatibility is at your own risk, so validate that browser build with your app and PDF options before deploying it. Pinning and testing the combination used in production makes changes to rendering easier to diagnose.
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The PDF is blank or missing data
The page may have navigated successfully while application content was still loading. Replace a generic wait with a selector or other app-specific readiness condition, then verify that the content exists before printing.
The PDF layout differs from the browser
page.pdf() uses print media by default. Check print styles and @page rules. If the intended PDF should use screen CSS, call page.emulateMediaType('screen') before generating it.
Colors or backgrounds are missing
Background graphics are disabled by default, so enable printBackground when required. For exact CSS colors, apply -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact to the relevant print styles and inspect the resulting PDF.
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Text wraps or pages break in unexpected places
Check the selected paper size, orientation, margins, and whether preferCSSPageSize should allow CSS @page sizing to take priority. Then review the print stylesheet for page-break behavior and test with representative long content.
Font waiting does not finish
Puppeteer waits for fonts by default. If the page is in the background, bring it to the foreground with page.bringToFront() and retry. If the delay persists, inspect whether the page’s fonts can load and whether your chosen readiness condition is being reached.
A different Chrome version changes output
Puppeteer’s compatibility guarantee applies to its bundled browser, not an independently installed Chrome. Test the external build you plan to deploy, or use Puppeteer’s bundled browser for the documented compatibility path.
Or skip the browser setup
If you need a PDF from a URL without running Puppeteer yourself, ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API that can return a PDF. For an API call, use the PDF output option supported by the service:
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot"
-d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY
--data-urlencode url=https://example.com
-d format=pdf
-o page.pdfSee the ScreenshotNeo documentation for request options. Cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets are removed before the shot; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. Its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots, and the Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for free.
Operational considerations
PDF work is only as reliable as the page state, rendering environment, and output settings you control. Generate PDFs from representative pages during development, including unusually long reports, pages with charts or images, and layouts sensitive to page breaks. Validate the output in the browser build you will deploy, and make your readiness condition reflect the content rather than an arbitrary wait. Puppeteer’s official documentation establishes the option behavior described here, but it does not establish a universal best setting or comparative performance result: choose based on the PDF contract your application needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Puppeteer generate PDFs using print CSS?
Yes. `page.pdf()` uses the print media type by default; call `page.emulateMediaType(‘screen’)` first if the PDF should use screen media.
What browser does Puppeteer guarantee compatibility with?
Puppeteer guarantees compatibility with its bundled browser. A separately installed Chrome build should be validated with your deployed version and workload.
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