Use Puppeteer’s page.pdf() method after navigating to the page, and set print CSS, readiness checks, and PDF options deliberately. By default, PDF rendering uses print styles, omits background graphics, and may produce different colors or layout from the browser view.
Generate a PDF with Puppeteer
This minimal Node.js example opens a page, waits for navigation to reach a network-idle condition, writes a PDF, and closes the browser:
const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');
(async () => {
const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com', { waitUntil: 'networkidle2' });
await page.pdf({ path: 'page.pdf' });
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
})();The official guide recommends Page.pdf() for printing PDFs: Puppeteer PDF generation guide. The method returns a Uint8Array if you want to handle the PDF in memory rather than save it with path. Use Page.createPDFStream() when you need a readable stream. See the Page.pdf() API reference.
networkidle2 is a navigation condition, not proof that every application has finished fetching and rendering its data. For client-rendered pages, wait for a meaningful page-specific selector or application signal before calling page.pdf().
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Choose the page size, orientation, and margins
Puppeteer’s PDFOptions let you control paper dimensions and layout. The API reference surfaced as Puppeteer 25.12.0 documents these defaults and behaviors; check the reference and your installed version before relying on newer options.
| Option | Behavior | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
format |
Paper preset; defaults to Letter. Takes priority over width and height. |
Choose a standard paper size such as A4 or Letter. |
width and height |
Set dimensions when you are not using a prioritized format. |
Use for a custom page size. |
landscape |
Defaults to false. |
Set to true for a landscape document. |
margin |
Defaults to no margins. | Set top, right, bottom, and left spacing if the printed content needs room around the edges. |
preferCSSPageSize |
Defaults to false. When true, CSS @page size takes priority over API dimensions; otherwise Puppeteer scales content to fit the selected paper size. |
Use true when the page’s print stylesheet owns paper sizing. |
pageRanges |
Selects pages; an empty string means all pages. | Export only the page range you need. |
scale |
Defaults to 1; valid range is 0.1 to 2. | Adjust overall print size if content needs to fit differently. |
For example, this configuration requests landscape A4, adds margins, and tells Puppeteer to respect CSS page sizing:
await page.pdf({
path: 'report.pdf',
format: 'A4',
landscape: true,
margin: { top: '12mm', right: '10mm', bottom: '12mm', left: '10mm' },
preferCSSPageSize: true
});Use one clear source of truth for page size. If CSS @page rules should control the paper, set preferCSSPageSize: true; otherwise specify the PDF size through the API and expect content to be scaled to fit.
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Control print styles, backgrounds, and colors
page.pdf() renders with the print CSS media type by default. This means print-specific rules can hide navigation, change spacing, or reflow the page compared with its on-screen appearance. To request screen styles instead, call page.emulateMediaType('screen') before generating the PDF.
await page.emulateMediaType('screen');
await page.pdf({ path: 'screen-styled.pdf', printBackground: true });Background graphics are off by default. Set printBackground: true when the PDF needs CSS background colors or images. Printing can also adjust colors for readability; use CSS -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact where exact color rendering is important. These settings address distinct issues: the media type selects which styles apply, printBackground includes background graphics, and the CSS color-adjust property requests closer color fidelity. See the PDFOptions reference and PDF generation guide.
For transparency, omitBackground can hide the default white page background. The API also marks tagged and outline as experimental, so verify their status for the Puppeteer version you deploy.
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Wait for fonts and application content
PDFOptions.waitForFonts defaults to true, so Puppeteer waits for fonts before creating the PDF. The API notes that waiting for fonts may require bringing a background page to the front. See the PDFOptions reference.
Font readiness does not mean that your application’s asynchronous content is ready. If a page populates a report after navigation, wait for an element or condition that represents that completed state:
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsawait page.goto('https://example.com/report', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
await page.waitForSelector('[data-report-ready="true"]');
await page.pdf({ path: 'report.pdf', waitForFonts: true });Replace the selector with a signal your application actually sets after its data and layout are ready. The guide’s networkidle2 example is useful for many pages, but long-lived connections or delayed application work can make a fixed navigation event the wrong readiness test.
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Add headers, footers, and page selection
Set displayHeaderFooter: true to print header and footer templates. The templates can use injected values for date, title, URL, page number, and total page count. pageRanges limits output to selected pages; an empty range string means all pages. timeout defaults to 30,000 milliseconds, and setting it to 0 disables the timeout. Consult the PDFOptions API for the supported fields and template details for your installed version.
Keep browser compatibility reproducible
Puppeteer guarantees compatibility with its bundled browser. Launch options such as executablePath and Chrome channel are available, but the launch reference warns that using a custom executable path is at your own risk. For repeatable PDF output, keep Puppeteer and its browser pairing consistent, and record both versions in deployment documentation. See the launch options reference.
Troubleshoot common PDF differences
- Layout differs from the browser: PDF output uses print media by default. Add or revise print CSS, or call
page.emulateMediaType('screen')before generating the PDF if screen styles are intended. - Backgrounds are missing: Set
printBackground: true; it defaults to false. - Colors look muted or changed: Printing can modify colors. Apply
-webkit-print-color-adjust: exactwhere exact CSS colors matter. - Text uses a fallback font: Keep
waitForFonts: trueand ensure the page can load its fonts. If the page is in the background, bring it to the front when needed for font readiness. - PDF is missing dynamically loaded data: Navigation completion does not guarantee that application work is done. Wait for a page-specific selector or state before calling
page.pdf(). - Content is clipped or unexpectedly scaled: Check whether
formatoverrides width and height, whetherpreferCSSPageSizeis enabled, and whether the CSS@pagesize matches your intended output. - PDF generation times out: The documented default is 30 seconds. Identify whether the page or font readiness is stalled before changing the timeout;
timeout: 0disables it but does not resolve a page that never becomes ready. - Output differs across environments: Use Puppeteer with its bundled browser for the documented compatibility guarantee, and keep the deployed versions consistent.
Or skip the browser setup
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Puppeteer save a PDF automatically when I call `page.pdf()`?
Only if you provide a `path`; otherwise the method returns a `Uint8Array` containing the PDF.
Can I stream a generated PDF instead of buffering it?
Yes. Puppeteer provides `Page.createPDFStream()` for a readable stream.
Quick Recap
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