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To control pagination when converting HTML to PDF, use CSS Fragmentation rules: break-before or break-after to force a page boundary, and break-inside to discourage a break within a component. Set paper size and margins separately with @page. These rules guide pagination rather than guaranteeing identical output in every PDF renderer, so inspect the generated PDF using your production renderer, fonts, and assets.

How HTML becomes pages in a PDF

HTML-to-PDF pagination is a form of CSS fragmentation. The renderer lays out content in page boxes and flows it through their page areas. A page boundary is one kind of fragmentation boundary; similar rules also apply to columns and other fragmentation containers. The CSS Fragmentation Module Level 3 defines the break controls, while the CSS Paged Media Module Level 3 describes page boxes and page setup.

Keep the two jobs distinct: @page sets the page dimensions and margins; break properties influence where content moves from one page to another.

Force a page break before or after content

Use break-before: page or break-after: page when a section should begin on a new page or content should end at a page boundary. The older declarations page-break-before: always and page-break-after: always are legacy compatibility aliases; always maps to the modern value page.

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@media print {
  .chapter {
    break-before: page;
    page-break-before: always; /* legacy compatibility */
  }

  .appendix {
    break-after: page;
    page-break-after: always; /* legacy compatibility */
  }
}

Use a class that marks a real content boundary rather than inserting forced breaks indiscriminately. A forced break can produce an unexpected blank-looking area if the preceding content already ended at the page boundary. Check the output in the target renderer.

Keep a component together where possible

Apply break-inside: avoid-page to discourage a page break within a component. Use break-inside: avoid when the intent is to avoid fragmentation more generally. The legacy page-break-inside: avoid maps to break-inside: avoid.

@media print {
  .card,
  figure {
    break-inside: avoid-page;
    page-break-inside: avoid; /* legacy compatibility */
  }
}

An avoidance rule is a constraint on break selection, not a way to shrink content. If an element is taller than the available page area, it cannot fit intact there. Applying avoidance to a very large container may therefore result in awkward pagination or overflow, depending on the renderer. Prefer targeting compact items that can reasonably fit on a page.

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Prevent stranded lines with widows and orphans

orphans sets the minimum number of line boxes that should remain at the bottom of a page before a break; widows sets the minimum number that should continue at the top of the next page. They help avoid a single stranded line, but do not replace section-level break rules.

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@media print {
  p {
    orphans: 3;
    widows: 3;
  }
}

Set page size and margins with @page

Use @page for page dimensions, orientation, and margins. The page area holds flowing document content; page margins surround it and may support page-margin content in implementations that provide that feature.

@page {
  size: A4;
  margin: 18mm;
}

Choose dimensions and margins for the document’s intended output. A break rule cannot compensate for a page size or content area that is too small for the layout.

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A practical starting stylesheet

This combines page setup, a forced chapter boundary, component avoidance, and paragraph line controls. Treat it as a starting pattern, not a guarantee across converters.

@page {
  size: A4;
  margin: 18mm;
}

@media print {
  .chapter {
    break-before: page;
    page-break-before: always;
  }

  .card,
  figure {
    break-inside: avoid-page;
    page-break-inside: avoid;
  }

  p {
    orphans: 3;
    widows: 3;
  }
}

The paired modern and legacy declarations make the intended behavior explicit when older engines are in the support target. Their interaction and actual effect still need checking in the renderer and version you deploy.

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Why a break-avoidance rule may not hold

A page break is not selected from one declaration in isolation. Properties on boxes meeting at a potential boundary and constraints from enclosing boxes can affect whether that boundary is allowed. Forced break values take precedence over avoidance in the CSS 2.2 rules. If the ordinary permitted break points are not enough to prevent overflow, the specification allows constraints to be relaxed and additional break points to be considered.

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The CSS 2.2 page-break rules also do not prescribe one uniquely correct choice among allowed break points. As a result, the CSS expresses controls and constraints, but exact pagination can depend on the content and implementation. Do not treat break-inside: avoid as an absolute guarantee.

Choose declarations for your target renderer

Need Modern property Legacy alias Meaning
Force a page break before break-before: page page-break-before: always Requests a forced page boundary before the box.
Force a page break after break-after: page page-break-after: always Requests a forced page boundary after the box.
Discourage a break within a box break-inside: avoid-page or avoid page-break-inside: avoid Constrains selection of unforced breaks; it cannot make an oversized box fit.

The modern vocabulary distinguishes page-specific avoidance (avoid-page) from general fragmentation avoidance (avoid). Legacy declarations remain useful when older renderers are in scope. Do not assume universal behavior across PDF engines: verify the engine and version your project actually uses, including its handling of @page, tables, flex or grid layouts, and oversized elements. No cross-renderer comparison is established here.

Validate the generated PDF

  1. Use production conditions. Generate with the same renderer and version, page dimensions, fonts, and assets used in production.
  2. Inspect actual page boundaries. Check chapter starts, figures, cards, and paragraphs near the bottom of pages for splits, blank-looking areas, or overflow.
  3. Adjust the narrowest relevant rule. Move a forced break to the intended boundary, apply avoidance to a smaller component, or revise page dimensions and margins if the content area is the problem.
  4. Regenerate after changes. Pagination depends on layout and implementation, so verify the new PDF rather than assuming a stylesheet change behaves identically everywhere.
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Troubleshooting common pagination problems

A section does not begin on a new page

Confirm the rule applies to the generated box in print layout, and that the selector matches the element you intended. If older engines are in scope, test the legacy alias as well. Inspect the PDF from the precise renderer and version used in production.

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A card or figure still splits

Check whether the component is taller than the available page area; avoidance cannot fit an oversized element intact. Also check ancestor constraints and neighboring break rules, since the boundary is not governed by a single property. Try applying avoidance to the smaller relevant box and inspect the resulting layout.

Pages contain unexpected gaps or awkward breaks

Look for forced breaks that coincide with a natural page boundary, large blocks carrying avoidance rules, and insufficient page area caused by dimensions or margins. Adjust the break at the actual content boundary rather than adding more forced breaks elsewhere.

A paragraph leaves one line on a page

Set suitable orphans and widows values in print styles, then inspect the result. These properties control minimum line-box counts around a break; their exact pagination outcome still depends on the renderer and available space.

Or skip the browser setup

For a screenshot or PDF capture through an API, ScreenshotNeo offers a one-request option. See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for request details. This returns a PDF capture of the requested page; CSS pagination behavior should still be validated for your use case.

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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.pdf

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does CSS guarantee the same PDF page breaks in every converter?

No. The specifications define controls and constraints, but do not require one unique choice among allowed breaks. Validate the renderer and version used for your output.

Should I use break-inside: avoid or avoid-page?

Use avoid-page for a page-specific constraint and avoid for a general fragmentation constraint. Neither can keep an oversized element intact when it cannot fit in the available page area.

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