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To generate PDFs from a list of product-page URLs, use a browser automation tool such as Playwright or Puppeteer to open each page and save it as a separate PDF. The PDF method handles one open page at a time; your script supplies the batch loop, filenames and error handling.
What you need to decide first
Before converting pages, prepare a plain-text URL list and decide what each output file should be called. For product comparisons, filenames based on a product name or URL slug are easier to recognize than generic names such as page-1.pdf. Sanitize names for filesystem use and account for duplicate product names.
- Choose whether each PDF should use the site’s print layout or its on-screen layout.
- Set a paper size, margins and orientation appropriate to how the PDF will be read.
- Decide how long to wait for page content, especially if product details load dynamically.
- Keep a record of URLs that fail or produce incomplete output so they can be checked and retried.
Generate PDFs in a batch with Playwright
Playwright’s Page API provides page.pdf() for the current page. The documentation says that “page.pdf() generates a pdf of the page with print css media.” Its API does not itself convert a list: the script below reads URLs, navigates to each one and writes one PDF per page.
Install Playwright
This example uses Node.js and Playwright. In a new project, install the package and its Chromium browser:
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npm init -y
npm install playwright
npx playwright install chromiumSave the URLs, one per line, in urls.txt. Then save this script as make-pdfs.js:
const fs = require('node:fs/promises');
const path = require('node:path');
const { chromium } = require('playwright');
function filenameFor(url, index) {
const parsed = new URL(url);
const slug = parsed.pathname
.split('/')
.filter(Boolean)
.pop() || parsed.hostname;
const safe = slug.replace(/[^a-z0-9_-]+/gi, '-').replace(/^-+|-+$/g, '');
return `${String(index + 1).padStart(3, '0')}-${safe || 'product'}.pdf`;
}
async function main() {
const urls = (await fs.readFile('urls.txt', 'utf8'))
.split(/r?n/)
.map(line => line.trim())
.filter(line => line && !line.startsWith('#'));
const outputDir = 'pdfs';
await fs.mkdir(outputDir, { recursive: true });
const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: true });
const failures = [];
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
for (let i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
const url = urls[i];
try {
const response = await page.goto(url, {
waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded',
timeout: 45000
});
if (!response || !response.ok()) {
throw new Error(`Navigation returned ${response ? response.status() : 'no response'}`);
}
// Add a site-specific wait here if important product data loads after navigation.
await page.pdf({
path: path.join(outputDir, filenameFor(url, i)),
format: 'A4',
printBackground: true,
margin: { top: '12mm', right: '12mm', bottom: '12mm', left: '12mm' }
});
console.log(`Saved ${url}`);
} catch (error) {
failures.push({ url, error: error.message });
console.error(`Failed ${url}: ${error.message}`);
}
}
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
await fs.writeFile('failures.json', JSON.stringify(failures, null, 2));
console.log(`Finished: ${urls.length - failures.length} saved, ${failures.length} failed.`);
}
main().catch(error => {
console.error(error);
process.exitCode = 1;
});Run it with node make-pdfs.js. PDFs are written to pdfs/; failed navigations or exports are listed in failures.json. This is a sequential example, which keeps resource use straightforward. If processing a large list, consider a limited number of workers rather than opening every page simultaneously.
Choose print or screen styling
By default, Playwright generates output using print CSS. That is usually the right choice for a document intended for printing or conventional reading: many sites hide navigation and adjust layout in their print stylesheet. To capture the screen layout instead, emulate screen media before generating the PDF:
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await page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' });
await page.pdf({ path: 'product.pdf', printBackground: true });Check the resulting PDF: a site’s screen layout may be wider than the selected paper, while its print layout may omit interactive details or arrange content differently.
Useful PDF options
Playwright documents controls for paper dimensions and format, margins, landscape orientation, scale, page ranges, print backgrounds, headers and footers, CSS page-size preference, outline and tagged output. For example, to use a custom paper size or a page range:
await page.pdf({
path: 'product.pdf',
width: '210mm',
height: '297mm',
margin: { top: '10mm', right: '10mm', bottom: '10mm', left: '10mm' },
landscape: false,
scale: 1,
pageRanges: '1-4',
printBackground: true
});Use format or explicit width and height to select the page dimensions. The documented default format is Letter; choose a format deliberately when your intended reader expects A4 or another size. Use page ranges to limit output when a long page includes content you do not need. For the complete supported option definitions and interactions, refer to the Playwright Page API documentation.
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Use Puppeteer if it fits your existing stack
Puppeteer also exposes page-level PDF generation. Its Page.pdf() documentation describes print media as the default and provides a screen-media alternative. If your project already uses Puppeteer, the same batch design applies: read URLs, open each page, call page.pdf() and handle each failure. The cited documentation establishes the relevant output behavior, not a performance advantage over Playwright; choose based on your existing browser automation and the controls your project needs.
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A PDF captures a rendered browser page, not a guaranteed, universal representation of a store’s product record. Product options, prices, availability, reviews and other content may depend on the page’s state or load after the initial navigation. Some sites may also restrict automated access. The documented PDF controls do not establish how any particular merchant handles those conditions, so inspect sample output before relying on a batch for archiving or comparison.
For a product page that fills in after the initial document loads, wait for a stable, page-specific selector before calling page.pdf(), or add a short delay if no reliable selector is available. Avoid treating a successful PDF write as proof that the page contains all expected information.
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Troubleshoot common batch failures
Navigation times out
A page may be slow, stalled, or waiting on resources that are not necessary for the PDF. The example waits for domcontentloaded rather than waiting for every network request to finish and allows 45 seconds for navigation. Increase the timeout only for pages that need it; if product content loads later, wait for the relevant selector after navigation.
The PDF is blank or missing product details
Confirm that the page loaded the expected product and that any delayed content appeared before export. A navigation response alone does not verify the page’s contents. Add a site-specific selector check, then inspect a few resulting PDFs. If the site relies on screen styling, use page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' }).
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Enable printBackground: true. Print styles may still intentionally remove backgrounds or alter elements; inspect the rendered PDF and the site’s print CSS behavior.
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Output is clipped or split awkwardly
Try the intended paper size, margins, orientation or scale, and compare print media with screen media. A long product page may span many PDF pages. Use a page range only when you intentionally want to omit parts of the capture.
One bad URL stops the whole job
Keep navigation and export inside a per-URL try/catch, as in the example. The script records the URL and error in failures.json, allowing you to correct or retry failures without losing PDFs already created.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo can return a PDF for a URL with one request; its API also supports bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call. Use the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for PDF options and request details. For a single URL, this cURL call saves a PDF response:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot"
-d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY
--data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com
-d format=pdf
-o product.pdfScreenshotNeo accepts and removes known cookie-consent banners, newsletter popups and chat widgets before capture, and those steps can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits cost nothing; response headers identify the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server provides screenshot and PDF tools for AI agents. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Playwright turn a whole URL list into PDFs by itself?
No. page.pdf() exports the current page; your script loops through the URLs and chooses filenames and failure handling.
Does Puppeteer use print styling for PDF output?
Yes. Its documentation says PDF generation uses print media by default and describes an option for screen media.
Quick Recap
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