Use Puppeteer to open a fully qualified URL in a browser and save the rendered page as a PDF with page.pdf(). The key choices are when the page is ready to print and whether the output should use print or screen styles. The example below uses Puppeteer’s documented API, with PDF option defaults referenced against version 25.12.0; check the current documentation if you use another version.
Install Puppeteer and create a PDF
In a new project, install Puppeteer, which downloads a compatible browser for its default setup:
npm install puppeteerSave this as convert.js in the project directory. It uses ES module syntax; use a .mjs filename or set "type": "module" in package.json.
import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const url = 'https://example.com';
const outputPath = 'page.pdf';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
const response = await page.goto(url, {
waitUntil: 'networkidle2',
timeout: 30_000,
});
if (response && !response.ok()) {
throw new Error(`Page returned HTTP ${response.status()}`);
}
await page.pdf({
path: outputPath,
format: 'A4',
printBackground: true,
});
} finally {
await browser.close();
}Run it with node convert.js. The file is written relative to the current working directory, not necessarily the script’s directory. Replace https://example.com with the target URL, including https:// or http://. Puppeteer’s getting-started guide covers the launch, page, navigation, and close flow: Puppeteer getting started. See the Page API for page.pdf().
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Why the browser closes in finally
Closing the browser after success and after errors prevents a failed navigation or PDF write from leaving a Chromium process running. If you need to create several PDFs in one process, reuse the browser and create a fresh page for each job; close the browser when the batch is finished.
Choose when navigation is ready
page.goto() resolves with the main resource response, including the final response after redirects. A resolved navigation does not by itself prove the response was successful: inspect its status when the target may return an HTTP error. The navigation method documents a default lifecycle condition of load; the example explicitly chooses networkidle2. See Page.goto() and WaitForOptions.
| Readiness choice | When it can fit | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
load |
Pages whose important content and assets are ready at the load event. | Client-rendered content may still be updating after load. |
networkidle2 or another network-idle condition |
Pages that settle after their network activity quiets down. | Some sites keep connections or requests active, so waiting for network idle can time out or be unsuitable. |
| Page-specific signal | Applications that expose a known element or readiness condition after rendering. | You must identify a reliable signal for that site; there is no universal signal or readiness condition. |
For a page-specific signal, navigate using an appropriate lifecycle such as domcontentloaded, then wait for a selector the site displays only when its content is ready:
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await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded', timeout: 30_000 });
await page.waitForSelector('[data-page-ready="true"]', { timeout: 15_000 });Replace the selector with one that actually exists on the target page. If the application has another documented ready signal, use that instead. Navigation lifecycle values can be passed singly or as an array; when using an array, all listed conditions must occur.
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Puppeteer generates PDFs using print CSS by default, so the result may use a website’s print-specific layout rather than looking like its screen view. Set the media type to screen before calling page.pdf() if the screen stylesheet is the intended output:
await page.emulateMediaType('screen');
await page.pdf({ path: 'page.pdf', format: 'A4', printBackground: true });For print output, backgrounds are not included unless you set printBackground: true. The available PDF options include paper format, landscape orientation, margins, page ranges, scale, output path, and font readiness. In the PDF options documented for Puppeteer 25.12.0, the paper format defaults to letter, waitForFonts defaults to true, and the PDF timeout is documented as 30 seconds. See the PDFOptions reference for the version-specific details.
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Let the page’s CSS set its paper size
If the page uses CSS @page rules to define its paper dimensions, set preferCSSPageSize: true so those dimensions take priority over the PDF format, width, or height options. Its documented default is false.
await page.pdf({
path: 'page.pdf',
printBackground: true,
preferCSSPageSize: true,
});Set margins, orientation, and page range
Specify margins and landscape mode when the output needs them. Use pageRanges for selected pages rather than generating every page:
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path: 'page.pdf',
format: 'A4',
landscape: true,
margin: { top: '12mm', right: '12mm', bottom: '12mm', left: '12mm' },
pageRanges: '1-3',
printBackground: true,
});Remove pageRanges to include the full document. Confirm the output layout for the target site: print styles, content length, and the chosen paper dimensions affect pagination.
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Convert HTML already in memory
If you already have HTML as a string, set it on a page instead of navigating to a remote URL. This does not automatically provide remote resources or application-specific readiness; those depend on the HTML and how its referenced assets are made available.
const html = '<!doctype html><html><body><h1>Report</h1></body></html>';
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.setContent(html);
await page.pdf({ path: 'report.pdf', format: 'A4', printBackground: true });The method signature is documented at Page.setContent().
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Troubleshoot common failures
- Invalid URL: Include the scheme, such as
https://, and confirm the address is correctly formed. - Navigation timeout: The site may be slow, unreachable, or still making network requests. Increase the navigation timeout if appropriate, or switch from a network-idle condition to a suitable lifecycle and wait for a page-specific readiness signal.
- SSL error or unreachable server: Check that the URL opens from the machine running Node.js and that its certificate and network access are valid.
page.goto()can reject on SSL errors, timeouts, and unreachable servers. - PDF contains an error page: Check the response returned by
page.goto(). A navigation can resolve with an HTTP error status; inspectresponse.status()instead of assuming it succeeded. - PDF document as the navigation target: In headless shell mode,
page.goto()does not support navigating to a PDF document. Use a web page URL for this workflow. - Missing backgrounds or unexpected colors: Set
printBackground: truewhen backgrounds matter. Print rendering can change colors; use screen media only if screen styling is what you want. - Different layout or page breaks: Check the site’s print CSS and
@pagerules. SetpreferCSSPageSize: truewhen CSS page dimensions should take priority. - Browser launch mismatch: Puppeteer is only guaranteed to work with its bundled browser; using another browser is at your risk. See the LaunchOptions reference.
Performance and reliability considerations
There is no single readiness setting that is best for every page: network-idle waits can be a poor fit for pages with ongoing requests, while a page-specific signal is only useful if the target exposes one reliably. Choose navigation and readiness timeouts for the page you are converting, and treat timeout, navigation, and PDF-generation failures as errors your application must handle. The documentation cited here does not establish a universal conversion speed or success rate.
For repeated conversions, reuse the browser process rather than launching one for each URL, while keeping page state isolated where needed. Puppeteer and browser behavior can change; the PDF options cited above are from the Puppeteer 25.12.0 reference, and Puppeteer’s bundled-browser guarantee matters when selecting a runtime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Puppeteer save a PDF in the current directory?
Yes. A relative `path`, such as `page.pdf`, is resolved from the Node.js process’s current working directory.
Can Puppeteer include backgrounds in a PDF?
Yes. Pass `printBackground: true` to `page.pdf()`.
Can I use a URL without `https://`?
Use a fully qualified URL with a scheme such as `https://` or `http://`.
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