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Why the TOC overflows or loses its margin
wkhtmltopdf creates a separate TOC object from the h1–h6 elements in the input HTML. It first builds an outline, then transforms that outline into TOC HTML with XSLT. The resulting TOC is paginated independently from your document body. Consequently, increasing margin-top in the normal page options may change the document pages without fixing spacing on TOC continuation pages.
A common symptom is a correctly spaced first TOC page followed by pages whose first entry touches the top edge or collides with a repeated header. The practical fix is to add explicit spacing and break rules to a custom TOC stylesheet. The exact selectors depend on the wkhtmltopdf build, so inspect its generated default stylesheet instead of copying selectors from an unrelated example.
Inspect the outline and default stylesheet first
Use the same wkhtmltopdf executable that pdfkit will call. These commands reveal whether the problem is excessive heading depth, unexpected headings, or stylesheet layout:
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wkhtmltopdf --dump-outline toc.xml document.html /tmp/preview.pdf
wkhtmltopdf --dump-default-toc-xsl > default-toc.xsltoc.xml shows the heading tree and associated page numbers. Look for headings that should not be in the TOC, such as layout-only labels or hidden template headings. Open default-toc.xsl and identify the wrapper and item markup emitted by your build. Keep those selectors when you customize spacing; different builds can emit different markup.
The default stylesheet also contains the behavior for links, dotted leaders, indentation and font scaling. A fully custom stylesheet does not automatically retain those defaults, so preserve any features you still need.
Build a custom TOC XSL with page-safe spacing
Start with the dumped file
Copy default-toc.xsl to a project file such as toc.xsl. Do not rewrite the outline transformation from scratch. Preserve the templates that generate item links and page-number fields, then add CSS or HTML attributes to the generated TOC wrapper and entries.
Add spacing to every TOC page
For builds whose generated markup uses classes such as .toc-page and .toc-entry, a starting rule is:
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<style>
.toc-page {
padding-top: 20mm;
}
.toc-entry {
break-inside: avoid;
page-break-inside: avoid;
}
</style>Insert equivalent rules into the XSL output or its embedded stylesheet, adapting the selectors to the markup you observed. The top padding must belong to the repeating TOC container (or to each generated page wrapper), not only to the first document page. Avoid placing broad rules on body if the XSL output is combined with other objects.
Prevent individual entries from splitting
Long titles can split across pages even when the top margin is correct. Apply both modern and wkhtmltopdf-compatible declarations to each item:
.toc-entry {
break-inside: avoid;
page-break-inside: avoid;
}If a single entry is taller than the available page area, the renderer may still move or split it; shorten the heading or reduce TOC text size in that case.
Pass the XSL through Python pdfkit
pdfkit keeps TOC options separate from ordinary page options. Put xsl-style-sheet inside the toc dictionary, not only in options:
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import pdfkit
options = {
"page-size": "A4",
"margin-top": "20mm",
"margin-right": "15mm",
"margin-bottom": "20mm",
"margin-left": "15mm",
"encoding": "UTF-8",
}
toc = {
"xsl-style-sheet": "toc.xsl",
}
pdfkit.from_file(
"document.html",
"output.pdf",
options=options,
toc=toc,
)The page margins define the PDF page box for rendered objects. The custom XSL controls TOC-specific spacing, item breaks and presentation. Keeping those responsibilities separate makes later adjustments predictable.
Control TOC size and appearance
Remove accidental outline entries
Every heading included in the outline adds a TOC item. Use semantic headings for document structure and replace decorative text with ordinary elements styled as needed. If your workflow supports it, bound depth with wkhtmltopdf’s --outline-depth setting. Page-object inclusion can also be controlled with --exclude-from-outline and --include-in-outline.
Use TOC-specific layout settings
wkhtmltopdf exposes settings for indentation by level, font scaling, page offsets, page counting and margins. Use indentation and font scale to reduce width or height pressure, but do not expect those settings to create a top margin on overflow pages when the stylesheet lacks one. A custom stylesheet remains the place for explicit padding and page-break behavior.
Keep leaders and links when customizing
The built-in XSL may provide dotted leaders, clickable links, level indentation and a default text-size factor. A custom XSL does not inherit those behaviors automatically. Copy the relevant templates and fields from the dumped stylesheet, then add your spacing rules so the TOC remains navigable.
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Cover pages, page numbers and offsets
A cover changes the object order and can make apparently incorrect TOC numbers look like a layout bug. In pdfkit, provide the cover as a separate cover argument. Set cover_first=True when the cover must precede the TOC:
pdfkit.from_file(
"document.html",
"output.pdf",
options=options,
toc=toc,
cover="cover.html",
cover_first=True,
)If headers, footers and TOC entries are consistently shifted by the same amount, check the global page offset (pageOffset in wkhtmltopdf settings). An offset changes displayed numbering; it does not add physical whitespace. Recheck numbers after adding a cover or changing the offset.
Complete diagnostic workflow
- Verify the executable. Ask pdfkit for its configuration and ensure it points to the intended wkhtmltopdf binary.
- Dump the outline. Confirm the heading hierarchy, depth and page numbers in
toc.xml. - Dump the default XSL. Save the output and locate the generated wrapper and item selectors.
- Copy, do not replace, the templates. Preserve links, leaders, indentation and page-number fields.
- Add scoped spacing rules. Put top padding on the generated TOC page/container and prevent item splitting.
- Pass the file in
toc. Usetoc={"xsl-style-sheet": "toc.xsl"}. - Render with diagnostics. Use pdfkit’s
verbose=Truewhile investigating command-line or asset-loading failures. - Compare at least two TOC pages. Confirm that the first and every continuation page have the intended top spacing.
- Validate in deployment. Fonts, HTML, operating system and wkhtmltopdf build can change pagination; test with the exact production environment.
Troubleshooting common failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Custom XSL has no effect | The stylesheet was placed in normal page options or the path is wrong. | Put "xsl-style-sheet": "toc.xsl" inside toc; use an absolute path while testing. |
| Only later pages lose the margin | Spacing applies only to the first wrapper or body margin. | Apply padding/margin to the repeating TOC container generated by your dumped XSL. |
| TOC is unexpectedly huge | Decorative or deeply nested headings are included. | Change non-structural headings to ordinary elements and limit outline depth. |
| Entries collide or split | Long titles are allowed to break inside an item. | Add break-inside: avoid and page-break-inside: avoid; reduce text size or shorten headings if one item cannot fit. |
| Page numbers are shifted | Cover ordering or page offset changed the numbering model. | Check cover_first, cover argument order and pageOffset; regenerate the TOC. |
Python raises OSError |
pdfkit cannot find the wkhtmltopdf executable. | Install wkhtmltopdf or pass its explicit path through pdfkit.configuration(wkhtmltopdf=...). |
| Assets or fonts fail during rendering | Command-line or resource-loading issue hidden by quiet mode. | Render with verbose=True, inspect the emitted command and verify file paths, permissions and network access. |
Performance, reliability and maintenance
TOC generation adds an outline and XSL transformation before final pagination. The most reliable workflow is deterministic: pin the wkhtmltopdf build used in development and deployment, keep the dumped XSL beside the application, and retain a representative multi-page PDF as a regression fixture. Re-run the fixture after changing headings, fonts, margins, cover order or wkhtmltopdf.
Do not assume a selector copied from an online snippet will work across builds. The generated markup, font metrics and page-breaking behavior can differ. Treat the dumped XSL as the contract for your executable, and inspect the final PDF rather than relying only on a successful process exit.
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What to verify before shipping
- The TOC is generated from intentional HTML headings.
- The custom XSL is passed through
toc, not only normal options. - Continuation pages retain the required top spacing.
- Entries do not split unexpectedly.
- Cover order, page offsets and displayed numbers agree.
- The exact production wkhtmltopdf binary, fonts and operating system have been tested.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I fix this by increasing pdfkit’s global top margin?
Usually not. Global margins affect the page box, while missing spacing on continuation TOC pages is controlled by the generated TOC stylesheet.
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Should I write a new XSLT transform from scratch?
No. Dump the default TOC XSL, copy it, preserve its templates and fields, and make narrowly scoped spacing changes.
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A cover is a separate document object. Its position and any page offset alter the numbering model, so regenerate and verify the TOC after changing either.
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