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Use Python’s pdfkit wrapper to call the separate wkhtmltopdf executable. Install both, verify that the executable works on your operating system, then choose pdfkit.from_string(), pdfkit.from_file() or pdfkit.from_url() for your input. This is a legacy rendering stack: the project’s downloads page lists 0.12.6, released June 11, 2020, as its stable series, and the Python wrapper README carries a deprecation warning.
What you need before generating a PDF
There are two separate components:
- PDFKit, a Python package that provides a convenient API.
- wkhtmltopdf, a command-line executable that renders the content and creates the PDF.
Installing the Python package alone is not sufficient. The executable must be installed separately and available to the Python process through PATH, or specified explicitly in PDFKit’s configuration. The project’s downloads page provides builds for particular distributions and platforms; system libraries, libc, fontconfig and installed fonts can affect whether a build works.
Install PDFKit in the environment that runs your script:
python -m pip install pdfkitThen install an appropriate wkhtmltopdf build for your operating system and architecture. Verify the executable from the same environment or host where Python will run:
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wkhtmltopdf --versionThe command should print the version. If the shell reports that the command is not found, install the executable or correct the environment’s PATH before debugging the Python code.
Generate a PDF from a string, file or URL
Once both dependencies are available, PDFKit’s three basic entry points cover the common input types. These examples follow the wrapper’s documented API; they are illustrative, not a claim of independent testing.
Convert an HTML string
import pdfkit
html = "<h1>Hello</h1><p>Generated from Python.</p>"
pdfkit.from_string(html, "out.pdf")Convert a local HTML file
import pdfkit
pdfkit.from_file("report.html", "report.pdf")Ensure that any images, stylesheets and other assets referenced by the file can be accessed by the renderer. Relative paths that resolve in a browser may not resolve from the renderer’s working directory.
Convert a web page
import pdfkit
pdfkit.from_url("https://example.com", "page.pdf")This asks wkhtmltopdf to load and render the URL. The result depends on whether the executable can reach the page and load its resources; a page that relies on modern, dynamic JavaScript may not render as expected with this older WebKit-based stack.
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Return PDF bytes instead of writing a file
The PDFKit README documents that omitting the output path returns the generated PDF as bytes. This is useful when another part of your program will store or send the result:
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import pdfkit
pdf_bytes = pdfkit.from_string("<h1>Hello</h1>")
# Pass pdf_bytes to your storage or response layer.Configure the executable and common PDF options
Point PDFKit at a specific binary
If the executable is not on the Python process’s PATH, or you need to select a particular installation, configure its full path:
import pdfkit
config = pdfkit.configuration(wkhtmltopdf="/path/to/wkhtmltopdf")
pdfkit.from_string("<h1>Hello</h1>", "out.pdf", configuration=config)Use the actual path for your installation. In containers, services and scheduled jobs, check the environment of the running process rather than relying only on an interactive shell’s configuration.
Set page size, margins and encoding
PDFKit passes options through to wkhtmltopdf. Option names can be supplied without the leading --. For example:
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import pdfkit
options = {
"page-size": "Letter",
"margin-top": "0.75in",
"margin-right": "0.75in",
"margin-bottom": "0.75in",
"margin-left": "0.75in",
"encoding": "UTF-8",
}
pdfkit.from_file("report.html", "report.pdf", options=options)Choose a page size and margins that match the document’s intended use; these settings affect pagination and printable area. The official settings reference also documents orientation, output path, document title, image and JavaScript loading, print media, local-file access controls, headers and footers, and table-of-contents-related settings. Consult the executable’s help and the settings reference for exact option names and behavior.
Cookies and custom headers
For a page that requires a session or particular request headers, PDFKit can pass cookies and custom headers as options. Its README illustrates these options, along with disabling the outline:
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import pdfkit
options = {
"cookie": [
("session", "YOUR_SESSION_VALUE"),
],
"custom-header": [
("X-Example", "value"),
],
"no-outline": None,
}
pdfkit.from_url("https://example.com", "page.pdf", options=options)Use only credentials you are authorized to send, and avoid logging sensitive cookie or header values. Not every option or patched-Qt feature is available in every binary build; if an option appears ignored, verify the build and reproduce the command outside Python.
Understand build differences and feature support
The executable’s build matters, not just its version string. The Python PDFKit README warns that Debian and Ubuntu repository builds may omit patched Qt capabilities such as outlines, headers, footers and a table of contents. If you depend on one of these features, check the behavior of the specific binary installed on the target system rather than assuming every build supports it.
The full option set is larger than the common examples above. For details available from your installed executable, inspect its command-line help, and compare with the project’s documentation and settings reference. These references do not make unsupported features available in a build that lacks them.
Troubleshoot missing, incomplete or unexpected PDFs
PDFKit cannot find wkhtmltopdf
Symptom: PDFKit raises an error indicating it could not find or run the executable.
- Run
wkhtmltopdf --versionin the deployment environment. - Check that the Python process can see the executable on its
PATH. - If necessary, pass the installed binary’s full path through
pdfkit.configuration(). - Confirm that the selected build matches the operating system, architecture and available system libraries.
The output is blank or missing images and styles
Check resource access first: confirm that remote URLs are reachable from the renderer and that local file paths resolve from the process’s working directory. Fonts and system libraries can also change rendering, so inspect them when output differs between development and deployment.
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An option has no effect or the layout differs
Enable verbose output to see wkhtmltopdf’s messages:
pdfkit.from_file("report.html", "report.pdf", verbose=True)The wrapper README recommends reproducing the generated command directly with the executable when diagnosing unexpected output. Use the command-line help to validate option spelling, check whether the installed build supports the feature, and inspect resource-loading errors before changing application code.
The page looks different from a modern browser
wkhtmltopdf uses an older Qt/WebKit rendering stack, so differences are especially relevant for pages built around newer browser behavior or dynamic JavaScript. First determine whether the source is controlled HTML or a live site, then check whether the page requires JavaScript, fonts or other resources the renderer cannot load. If it does, choose a renderer suited to that content rather than assuming a PDFKit option will make the older engine behave like a current browser.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use wkhtmltopdf safely
The project warns against using wkhtmltopdf with untrusted HTML and JavaScript: hostile input could compromise the server running the renderer. If your application converts user-controlled content, sanitize and constrain that input, run the process with least privilege, and use operating-system-level isolation appropriate to your service.
Disabling local file access can reduce exposure, but it is not a complete security boundary. The project’s AppArmor guidance explains that an attacker exploiting a vulnerability in a prebuilt binary might bypass that setting; AppArmor can add another confinement layer. Treat local-file restrictions as one control among several, not a substitute for isolation.
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Is wkhtmltopdf a suitable choice now?
Plan for a legacy dependency rather than assuming an actively modernized renderer. The project’s downloads page identifies 0.12.6, released June 11, 2020, as its stable series. Its status page is a maintainer essay with a snapshot dated June 10, 2020; it describes Qt 4 and its WebKit as outdated and unsupported in that context, discusses QtWebKit’s retirement, and recommends considering alternatives. That dated status essay does not establish present-day vulnerability status or independently verify the current release situation. The Python PDFKit README also includes a deprecation warning.
The status page suggests WeasyPrint or commercial Prince for reports generated from controlled HTML, and Puppeteer or a wrapper around it when output depends on dynamic JavaScript. These are the project maintainers’ recommendations, not a measured performance ranking or a current security comparison. Check current versions, platform support and suitability for your own documents before choosing.
- Consider wkhtmltopdf when you have a compatible binary, controlled inputs and a rendering requirement you have verified against that build.
- Evaluate another renderer when you need current browser behavior, depend on dynamic JavaScript, or cannot safely support the legacy executable in your deployment.
- Test on the target platform when headers, footers, outlines, tables of contents, fonts or system libraries are material to the output.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I install PDFKit without installing wkhtmltopdf?
No. PDFKit is a Python wrapper; it needs the separate wkhtmltopdf executable to render PDFs.
Can wkhtmltopdf render pages that use JavaScript?
It can render some JavaScript-driven content, but its older Qt/WebKit stack may not match modern browser behavior. Test the specific page; for output dependent on dynamic JavaScript, the project status page suggests considering Puppeteer or a wrapper around it.
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