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To turn a webpage into a paginated PDF with Browserless, send an authenticated POST request to its /pdf REST endpoint. Put the page URL in the JSON body, pass your Browserless token in the query string, and save the binary response as a .pdf file. Use /function with custom Puppeteer code instead if you need one continuous, extra-long page rather than ordinary PDF pages.
What you need
- A Browserless API token from your Browserless account dashboard. Treat it as a secret; do not expose it in client-side code or commit it to a public repository.
- A target page that the Browserless browser can access. For pages requiring authentication or additional loading time, configure the request with the relevant credentials or navigation controls.
- A way to make an HTTPS POST request and save its response bytes to a file.
The examples below use Browserless’s documented SFO endpoint, https://production-sfo.browserless.io/pdf. Browserless identifies /pdf as the preferred REST endpoint and says /chromium/pdf is equivalent. Use the regional endpoint provided by Browserless documentation or your account configuration. See the Browserless PDF API documentation.
Generate a PDF with cURL
Replace the token and URL, then run this command in a shell. The -o option writes the response body to result.pdf; the endpoint returns PDF bytes, not a JSON object or base64 string.
curl -X POST
"https://production-sfo.browserless.io/pdf?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN_HERE"
-H 'Content-Type: application/json'
-H 'Accept: application/pdf'
-d '{
"url": "https://example.com/",
"options": {
"format": "A4",
"printBackground": true,
"displayHeaderFooter": true
}
}'
-o result.pdfFor example, replace https://example.com/ with the page you want to render. If the request succeeds, open result.pdf in a PDF reader to inspect page breaks, background graphics, and headers or footers.
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Generate a PDF with JavaScript or Python
JavaScript
This Node.js example sends JSON, reads the response as an ArrayBuffer, and writes the bytes to disk. It requires a Node.js version with the built-in fetch API.
import { writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
const response = await fetch(
'https://production-sfo.browserless.io/pdf?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN_HERE',
{
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
'Accept': 'application/pdf'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
url: 'https://example.com/',
options: {
format: 'A4',
printBackground: true,
displayHeaderFooter: true
}
})
}
);
if (!response.ok) {
throw new Error(`Browserless returned HTTP ${response.status}: ${await response.text()}`);
}
await writeFile('result.pdf', Buffer.from(await response.arrayBuffer()));Python
Install the requests package if needed, then write the response content in binary mode:
import requests
response = requests.post(
"https://production-sfo.browserless.io/pdf?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN_HERE",
headers={
"Accept": "application/pdf"
},
json={
"url": "https://example.com/",
"options": {
"format": "A4",
"printBackground": True,
"displayHeaderFooter": True
}
},
timeout=90,
)
response.raise_for_status()
with open("result.pdf", "wb") as pdf_file:
pdf_file.write(response.content)Check the HTTP response before saving a file in production code. An error response should be handled as an error, not mistaken for a valid PDF.
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Choose the page content and PDF options
Provide a URL or HTML
The JSON body can contain a url to navigate to, or raw html to render. Use one or the other, not both; Browserless documents an error for malformed request data. The response is the generated PDF binary. Request and response details are in the PDF API reference.
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PDF options let you control the printed page. Common choices include:
formatfor a paper size such asA4orLetter.widthandheightwhen you need explicit dimensions.marginvalues to reserve space around page content.landscapeto use landscape orientation.scaleto adjust the rendered content size.printBackgroundto include background graphics and colors.displayHeaderFooterand header/footer templates for printed-page furniture.pageRangesto select pages.taggedto request structural tags in the output.
Browserless also documents controls for waiting until fonts are ready. CSS @page sizing can take precedence when configured to do so, so check the page’s print styles if your selected format or dimensions do not appear to take effect.
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- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (7-in-1), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
Handle dynamic pages
A page may not be ready at the same navigation event as another. Browserless supports waiting and navigation controls, as well as cookies, HTTP authentication, extra headers, scripts, styles, and other request configuration. Choose the controls that match how the target page loads rather than assuming its visible content is ready as soon as navigation starts. The available parameters are described in the PDF API documentation.
When you need a continuous long page
The REST /pdf endpoint produces conventional paginated PDFs; it does not produce one continuous PDF page containing an entire long webpage. Browserless explicitly notes this limitation in its PDF API documentation.
For a continuous page, use Browserless’s /function API and custom Puppeteer code to measure the rendered content and calculate a page height. This gives you control over the browser workflow, but you must implement the height calculation and PDF generation logic. For ordinary documents intended to print on A4, Letter, or another paper size, use /pdf.
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Text, accessibility, and metadata
Browserless says Chrome’s print output contains real selectable text, rather than being only an image of the page. The tagged: true option adds structural tags, but Browserless does not describe the result as certified PDF/UA. Source markup affects output quality, and formal accessibility compliance should be validated with an appropriate checker.
The documented /pdf route does not set common document metadata such as Title or Author during generation. If those fields are required, generate the PDF and add metadata afterward with a PDF library such as pdf-lib.
Troubleshoot common problems
- Unauthorized response: Check that the token is valid, included as the
tokenquery parameter, and associated with the account and endpoint you intend to use. - Forbidden destination: The target may be disallowed or inaccessible from the service. Confirm the URL is correct and permitted, and check Browserless’s response details.
- Malformed request: Ensure the body is valid JSON, the content type is
application/json, and you supplied eitherurlorhtml, not both. - Blank or incomplete output: The page may rely on delayed JavaScript, fonts, cookies, or authentication. Configure the relevant wait, cookie, header, or authentication options and check that the target loads in the intended session.
- Timeout: A slow page or complex render may exceed the request’s available time. Review navigation and waiting settings; for a very long document, render page-range chunks where appropriate.
- Rate limit or service error: Browserless documents rate-limit, internal-error, and unavailable status responses. Handle non-success HTTP statuses, apply an appropriate retry policy for transient failures, and avoid treating an error body as a PDF.
- Unexpected page size: Check the selected format, dimensions, orientation, margins, scale, and the page’s CSS
@pagerules. CSS sizing may take precedence when configured. - One huge page was expected: This is not a layout option of the REST
/pdfroute. Use/functionand implement custom Puppeteer height calculation instead. - Large multi-page document fails: Browserless’s PDF API guide advises splitting the render into
pageRangeschunks and merging the resulting PDFs afterward.
The endpoint’s documented status categories include authorization, forbidden destination, not found, timeout, rate limit, internal error, and unavailable responses. Use the HTTP status and error details to distinguish a request problem from a temporary service problem.
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Or skip the browser setup
For a screenshot or PDF from a URL without wiring up your own browser request, ScreenshotNeo offers a one-request API. This is an alternative screenshot/PDF workflow, not a Browserless endpoint.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com/ -o page.pdfSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for the PDF output parameters and other options. ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie and consent banners before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, timeouts, and cache hits are not billed. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can Browserless generate a PDF from HTML instead of a live URL?
Yes. The request body can use raw HTML in place of the URL; do not send both fields in the same request.
Can I make the PDF searchable?
Browserless says its Chrome print output contains selectable text. Whether the resulting document is accessible or compliant with a formal standard still depends on the markup and validation.
Can the Browserless PDF endpoint set the PDF title or author?
Not during generation through the documented /pdf route. Add metadata afterward with a PDF library such as pdf-lib.
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