The Tool Desk
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Choose a PHP-to-PDF method
| Method | How PHP reaches Chrome | Best fit | Documented PDF controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browsershot | PHP package delegates browser automation to Puppeteer and headless Chrome. | A short PHP API for saving a URL as a PDF. | URL, HTML string, or local HTML file input; consult current package documentation for detailed print options. |
| chrome-php/chrome | PHP controls Chrome or Chromium through a browser/page API. | Direct lifecycle and page control, or documented print configuration. | Orientation, paper dimensions, margins, scale, background printing, CSS @page sizing, headers and footers, and streaming. |
| Chrome CLI | PHP launches the installed Chrome executable as a process. | A command-line workflow with process management handled by the application. | Print-to-PDF, header/footer suppression, a maximum capture wait, and virtual-time budget. |
Compatibility information changes over time. The Browsershot 5.4.0 Packagist listing checked on 2026-10-03 showed PHP ^8.2; the release date listed was 2026-05-26. The chrome-php/chrome README lists PHP 7.4–8.5 and Chrome/Chromium 65+ as requirements. Confirm current requirements and production setup before installing: Packagist: spatie/browsershot, Browsershot README, chrome-php/chrome README.
Use Browsershot for a concise PHP API
Install the package with Composer, then pass the URL to Browsershot::url() and save to a path ending in .pdf. The project describes Browsershot as using Puppeteer to control headless Chrome, so this is not a PHP-only renderer. Check the project’s current requirements for the correct browser/Puppeteer setup in your deployment; the test-suite installation instructions alone should not be assumed to describe production installation.
composer require spatie/browsershot<?php
require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
use SpatieBrowsershotBrowsershot;
Browsershot::url('https://example.com')
->save(__DIR__ . '/example.pdf');The URL can also be replaced with HTML content or a local HTML file using the package’s corresponding API. For detailed configuration, follow the current Browsershot documentation.
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Use chrome-php/chrome for direct browser and print control
This pattern creates a browser, opens a page, navigates, waits for navigation, writes a PDF, and closes Chrome even if an earlier operation fails. The README’s documented installation command is:
composer require chrome-php/chrome<?php
require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
use HeadlessChromiumBrowserFactory;
$browser = (new BrowserFactory())->createBrowser();
try {
$page = $browser->createPage();
$page->navigate('https://example.com')->waitForNavigation();
$page->pdf(['printBackground' => true])->saveToFile(__DIR__ . '/example.pdf');
} finally {
$browser->close();
}The PDF call accepts print settings, including orientation, margins, paper dimensions, scale, whether to print backgrounds, and whether CSS @page size should take precedence. Header and footer templates can use classes for date, title, URL, page number, and total page count. The PDF can be saved to a file or streamed to a PHP output stream. See the project README for the library’s current option names and usage.
Selecting the Chrome executable
The library documents the CHROME_PATH environment variable for selecting the executable, and also allows an executable name to be passed to BrowserFactory. This is useful when Chrome is installed outside the system path or a deployment provides a specific browser binary.
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Choosing when navigation is ready
The default navigation wait is for the load event. The library also documents other events, including DOM content loaded and network idle. A page that continues fetching background resources or fills in content after initial navigation may need a different wait condition. Whichever event you choose, handle navigation timeouts: no readiness event guarantees that every site’s dynamic content is complete.
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Use Chrome’s headless CLI when a process call is enough
Chrome’s headless command-line reference documents direct PDF printing:
chrome --headless --print-to-pdf https://example.com/Chrome saves output.pdf in the current working directory. Add --no-pdf-header-footer to omit Chrome’s generated date, URL, and page headers and footers. --timeout=5000 sets a maximum wait of five seconds before capture; it can therefore produce a PDF before a slow page is ready. --virtual-time-budget advances time-dependent page code during capture. See the Chrome Headless command-line reference (documentation last updated 2024-10-21) for flag behavior.
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To call this from PHP, your application must launch the installed Chrome binary and manage the process. The Chrome documentation describes the CLI flags, not a PHP process-launch implementation. Treat executable discovery, shell argument quoting, process timeouts, exit status, and stderr handling as part of your own integration; avoid assembling a shell command by concatenating an untrusted URL.
Make the PDF match the page you intend to deliver
- Choose a print layout: set paper size, orientation, margins, and scale deliberately when using the PHP PDF controls. A page’s screen layout and its printed layout may differ.
- Decide whether backgrounds belong: enable background printing when the PDF must retain background colors or graphics; omit it when a cleaner print-style page is preferable.
- Set readiness for the site: wait for a suitable navigation event or use the CLI timeout/virtual-time options where appropriate. A shorter bound may reduce waiting but increases the risk of capturing an incomplete page.
- Plan browser lifecycle: close the browser in a
finallyblock when using the direct PHP API. For a CLI integration, enforce a process timeout and inspect its result before treating the output file as successful. - Use an absolute output path: it makes the destination predictable across working directories and simplifies checking whether a file was created.
Rendering depends on the site, its load behavior, the installed browser, and the selected print settings. The cited documentation does not establish a universal rendering time or guarantee identical output for every page.
Troubleshoot common failures
Chrome or Puppeteer cannot be found
Check that the browser runtime required by the selected integration is installed in the environment where PHP runs. For chrome-php/chrome, set CHROME_PATH or configure the executable explicitly if Chrome is not discoverable. For Browsershot, verify the production Puppeteer/Chrome setup against its current requirements.
Rank #4
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Navigation times out or the PDF is incomplete
A page may continue loading resources or render content after its initial navigation event. Choose a more suitable wait event where the library permits it, and configure a timeout appropriate to the page. With the CLI, a maximum timeout can deliberately capture before loading finishes; use virtual time for pages whose scripts depend on elapsed time, where suitable.
The PDF is missing colors, headers, or expected sizing
Review the print options rather than assuming screen appearance maps directly to paper. Enable background printing if needed, inspect orientation and margins, and decide whether CSS @page sizing should control the output. Header/footer templates and Chrome’s generated headers are separate concerns; the CLI’s --no-pdf-header-footer suppresses the latter.
The output file is missing or stale
Confirm the process completed successfully, the destination directory is writable, and the application is checking the same path used by the save operation. For a CLI call, capture the exit code and diagnostics; do not infer success solely because PHP launched the process.
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Or skip the browser setup
If the job is to capture a page rather than manage Chrome in your PHP runtime, ScreenshotNeo offers a screenshot API and MCP server. The example below is the supplied one-call screenshot request; consult the ScreenshotNeo documentation for PDF output settings and API options.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.webp- Before capture, it accepts cookie/consent banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each step can be turned off.
- Bot checks/CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing; response headers report the page verdict and whether the request was billed.
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FAQ
Can PHP render a URL to PDF without Chrome?
The methods here use Chrome or Chromium for browser rendering; Browsershot additionally delegates automation through Puppeteer. They are not PHP-only rendering engines.
Can I convert HTML rather than a public URL?
Browsershot documents URL, HTML string, and local HTML file input. The direct Chrome APIs operate on a browser page, so load or construct the page content before invoking PDF output.
Quick Recap
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