Use chromedp to control Chrome from Go, wait for the page to reach an application-specific ready state, then call Chrome DevTools Protocol’s Page.printToPDF method and write its returned bytes to a PDF file. For a simple URL-to-file job, Chrome’s headless command-line interface can print the page without a Go browser workflow.
Choose chromedp or Chrome’s command line
| Approach | Best fit | Control and lifecycle |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome CLI | A one-off URL capture or shell automation. | Pass a URL and print-related flags to Chrome. Your Go program does not manage navigation or browser-tab state. |
| chromedp | A Go application that needs to prepare a page, interact with it, wait for a condition, or configure print settings. | Go manages a browser context and sends Chrome DevTools Protocol commands, including Page.printToPDF. |
This distinction follows the interfaces documented by Chrome and chromedp; it is not a performance comparison. Both approaches ultimately use Chrome’s print pipeline.
Install the Go and browser dependencies
-
Add and pin
github.com/chromedp/chromedpand the matchinggithub.com/chromedp/cdprotodependency in your Go module. The project documents installation through Go tooling and provides a headless-shell image as an option for headless deployments: chromedp README and FAQ. -
Make a compatible Chrome or Chromium executable available to chromedp, or use a deployment that supplies the browser. Pin dependencies and verify the generated binding’s signatures against the version you use; the protocol and repository documentation are rolling references.
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Choose the target page. For a public page, navigate to its URL. For HTML you generate, serve it at a URL the browser can reach or load it through the browser workflow appropriate to your application.
Convert a page with chromedp
The essential sequence is to create a chromedp context, navigate, wait for the page’s actual readiness condition, call Page.printToPDF, and write the resulting bytes. The following illustrates the protocol call shape; check the returned values and builder methods against the pinned cdproto version before using it as copy-paste code.
ctx, cancel := chromedp.NewContext(context.Background())
defer cancel()
var pdf []byte
err := chromedp.Run(ctx,
chromedp.Navigate(targetURL),
// Add a readiness action appropriate to the page here.
chromedp.ActionFunc(func(ctx context.Context) error {
var err error
pdf, _, err = page.PrintToPDF().
WithPrintBackground(true).
WithPreferCSSPageSize(true).
Do(ctx)
return err
}),
)
if err != nil {
return err
}
if err := os.WriteFile("output.pdf", pdf, 0600); err != nil {
return err
}This example requires imports for context, os, github.com/chromedp/chromedp, and github.com/chromedp/cdproto/page, plus a definition for targetURL. The exact return signature can vary with generated binding versions; see the cdproto page binding for the version you select. Page.printToPDF is Chrome’s protocol operation for printing the page as PDF: Page domain reference.
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Wait for your page, not an arbitrary delay
Navigation completing does not prove that client-side rendering, data fetching, fonts, or other asynchronous work has finished. Wait for a selector, application signal, or other condition that means the content you need is ready. There is no universal fixed sleep that guarantees readiness across sites.
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Use the context created by chromedp.NewContext for the browser actions and protocol calls so chromedp can associate them with browser and tab state. Defer cancellation, and return or handle errors from navigation, printing, and file output. The chromedp project notes that on Linux it kills Chrome child processes it started when the program finishes; a lost browser connection can cancel the context. See its README and FAQ.
Set PDF layout and print options
Page.printToPDF exposes settings for paper dimensions, margins, portrait or landscape orientation, scale, page ranges, headers and footers, background printing, CSS page-size preference, tagged output, document outlines, and stream transfer mode. Consult the protocol reference and the generated Go binding for parameter names and availability in your pinned version.
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- Paper size and margins: Set these in the protocol call when you need explicit dimensions or printable margins.
- Orientation and page range: Choose portrait or landscape and limit output to selected pages when appropriate.
- Backgrounds: Enable background printing if colored fills or background images are part of the intended document.
- Headers and footers: Configure protocol templates when needed; the binding defaults do not display headers or footers.
- CSS-driven layout: Author
@media printand@pagerules in the page. SetpreferCSSPageSizewhen the CSS page size should take precedence. If CSS page size is not preferred, Chrome documents that content is scaled to fit the chosen paper size. - Large output: The protocol documents a stream transfer mode as well as its other return behavior. Consider it when handling large PDFs, and follow the selected binding’s API for reading the result.
The generated Go binding documents defaults including portrait orientation, no displayed header or footer, backgrounds disabled, and PreferCSSPageSize false. Confirm defaults and supported parameters against the binding version in your module.
Use Chrome’s headless CLI for a direct URL capture
For a simple URL-to-PDF task, Chrome’s documented command is:
chrome --headless --print-to-pdf https://developer.chrome.com/Chrome writes output.pdf in the current working directory. To suppress Chrome’s built-in date/time and URL/page-number header and footer, use:
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chrome --headless --print-to-pdf --no-pdf-header-footer https://developer.chrome.com/Chrome documents --timeout as a maximum wait before capture even if loading is ongoing, and --virtual-time-budget as a way to fast-forward time-dependent page code for capture. These timing controls are not a universal guarantee that an application has finished rendering. Chrome’s documentation says previous versions may require the older --print-to-pdf-no-header flag. Check the headless CLI reference for the version you run.
Troubleshoot common conversion problems
- The PDF is blank or missing dynamic content: Printing began before the page was ready. Replace a generic delay with a wait for the application’s content or readiness signal.
- The command cannot find Chrome: Ensure the Chrome executable is installed and available to the process, or provide the appropriate browser configuration for your environment.
- Navigation or printing returns an error: Check the returned error, ensure browser actions use the chromedp context, and verify that the browser process is still reachable. A lost browser connection can cancel the context.
- The file is missing or cannot be written: Check the output path and the process’s write permissions; handle errors from
os.WriteFile. - Print colors or images are absent: Enable background printing in the protocol parameters if backgrounds are required, and verify the page’s print CSS.
- Content is unexpectedly scaled or paginated: Check the paper dimensions, margins, scale, page size in
@page, and thepreferCSSPageSizesetting. - CLI headers remain visible: Use
--no-pdf-header-footeron versions that support it; the Chrome reference notes an older flag name for previous versions.
Or skip the browser setup
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does headless Chrome use the same print-to-PDF operation as chromedp?
Yes. chromedp sends Chrome DevTools Protocol commands to Chrome; the PDF operation is the Page domain’s print-to-PDF method.
Can Chrome’s CLI wait until every web app has finished rendering?
No universal readiness condition is documented. Its timeout and virtual-time options control capture timing, but application-specific asynchronous work may need its own readiness check in a Go workflow.
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