ArchiveBox’s PDF plugin uses Chrome to print a rendered web page into a snapshot file named output.pdf. PDF capture is documented as enabled by default; to set it explicitly, run archivebox config --set PDF_ENABLED=true, then add the page with archivebox add 'https://example.com'.
Enable PDF capture in ArchiveBox
The PDF plugin’s documented setting is PDF_ENABLED, with a default of true. To persist the setting in ArchiveBox’s configuration, run:
archivebox config --set PDF_ENABLED=trueThe plugin also documents SAVE_PDF and USE_PDF as aliases. Configuration commands and available settings can vary by installed ArchiveBox version, so check the configuration for your version if a setting is not recognized. See the ArchiveBox configuration documentation and PDF plugin reference.
Check the browser dependency
Page-to-PDF capture requires Chrome or Chromium: ArchiveBox prints the rendered page through its shared Chrome session. Make sure Chrome integration is enabled and the browser executable is available. The CHROME_BINARY setting selects the executable, while CHROME_ENABLED controls Chrome integration. ArchiveBox’s official Docker image or its documented dependency installation can provide the required browser setup. See the ArchiveBox project repository.
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Add a page and find its PDF
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Run the archive command for the page you want to save:
archivebox add 'https://example.com' -
Open that URL’s snapshot output in your ArchiveBox data and look for
output.pdf. That is the documented filename for the PDF plugin’s result.
To enable PDF only for one command, set the environment variable on that invocation:
PDF_ENABLED=true archivebox add 'https://example.com'Understand configuration scope
ArchiveBox accepts settings through archivebox config, the data folder’s ArchiveBox.conf, and environment variables. Environment variables seed process-level defaults; more-specific persisted Machine, Persona, Crawl, or Snapshot settings can take precedence. In particular, changing an environment variable does not silently replace configuration already stored for an existing Crawl. If a setting appears ignored, inspect the effective configuration and the Crawl or Snapshot settings associated with the run that created the output. See the configuration documentation.
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Distinguish a web page from a PDF URL
The PDF plugin prints a rendered web page using Chrome. If the URL itself returns a PDF file, ArchiveBox handles that response through the staticfile plugin instead. Enabling page printing is not necessary to download an already-existing PDF; confirm that static-file capture is available for that URL. See the PDF plugin reference.
Adjust PDF rendering only when needed
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PDF_TIMEOUTsets the PDF-generation timeout and is documented with a default of 60 seconds. If a page takes longer to render, consider raising it. -
PDF_RESOLUTIONcontrols PDF page resolution and is documented with a default of1440,2000; it falls back to the sharedRESOLUTIONsetting. -
CHROME_RESOLUTIONsets the browser viewport used by the Chrome plugin and falls back toRESOLUTION.Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.Rank #3
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PDFTOPPM_BINARYidentifies Poppler’spdftoppmutility, used to render the first-page card thumbnail. It is separate from Chrome, which produces the PDF itself.
These setting names and defaults are documented in the PDF plugin reference; confirm them against the documentation for your installed version.
Troubleshoot missing or failed PDFs
-
No
output.pdfappears: Check thatPDF_ENABLEDis true at the scope used by the Crawl, then inspect that Crawl’s or Snapshot’s stored settings for a more-specific override. -
Chrome cannot be found or launched: Confirm Chrome integration is enabled and that the executable configured by
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The page takes too long: Increase
PDF_TIMEOUTif appropriate. Check generalTIMEOUTor other Chrome settings only if they apply to the particular failure. -
The URL is already a PDF: Check static-file capture; the Chrome printing plugin is for rendered web pages.
-
The PDF exists but the card thumbnail is missing: Check the Poppler utility configured by
PDFTOPPM_BINARY. A missing thumbnail dependency is distinct from a failure to produce the PDF.
Or skip the browser setup
For a one-request website screenshot or PDF capture, ScreenshotNeo provides a screenshot API and MCP server. Its API can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF; this is a separate service, not an ArchiveBox plugin.
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For a one-call screenshot example, first create an API key, then run the following cURL command. The API documentation lists the available parameters, including PDF output options: ScreenshotNeo API docs.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does ArchiveBox save a PDF by default?
The PDF plugin reference lists PDF_ENABLED=true as the default. A more-specific persisted setting may override a process-level default.
What is the PDF output file called?
The documented page-printing output is output.pdf in the URL’s snapshot output.
Quick Recap
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