To save a WordPress post as a PDF with PDFShift, prepare the post’s HTML on your server, send it to PDFShift’s https://api.pdfshift.io/v3/convert/pdf endpoint with your API key in the X-API-Key header, then deliver or store the returned PDF. The example below uses WordPress’s HTTP API and returns the PDF as a download. Keep the API key server-side; do not put it in browser JavaScript.
Choose what the PDF should contain
First decide whether you want a PDF of the public page as a visitor sees it, or a document built from the post’s stored content. Those are different inputs, and the choice affects how you prepare the request.
Use a URL for the rendered public page
Send a public page URL as PDFShift’s source when you want the converter to retrieve and render that page. This is the simpler fit when the published page is the intended document. It also means the page must be reachable by PDFShift.
Use raw HTML for controlled or private content
Send HTML directly as source when the post is private, unavailable to an outside fetch, or you want to control the PDF markup separately from the theme. PDFShift’s raw-HTML guide recommends this approach, noting that it avoids a separate fetch of the page and its assets. If your HTML references stylesheets, images, or scripts by URL, those assets still need to be available to the converter.
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The implementation below uses the stored post content, wraps it in a basic HTML document, and sends raw HTML. It does not reproduce your theme’s complete rendered page; add your own styles and any desired header, footer, or branding to the document template.
Configure the API key on the server
Store the PDFShift API key outside the plugin file and never expose it in a public page or JavaScript bundle. One simple option is to add a constant in wp-config.php, before the line that says WordPress editing should stop:
define( 'PDFSHIFT_API_KEY', 'replace-with-your-api-key' );
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Use your actual key in the server configuration and restrict access to that file. The code below stops with an error if the constant is missing.
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Add a server-side PDF export handler
Add this PHP to a small site-specific plugin or a child theme’s functions.php. A plugin is generally easier to keep active when changing themes. The handler accepts a post ID, checks a nonce and the current user’s permission to read that post, builds HTML, and sends it to PDFShift. With neither filename nor webhook included, the successful response is treated as PDF binary.
<?php
/**
* Export a readable WordPress post as a PDFShift-generated PDF.
* Define PDFSHIFT_API_KEY in wp-config.php; do not expose it to the browser.
*/
add_action( 'admin_post_itechguides_pdfshift_export', 'itechguides_pdfshift_export_post' );
function itechguides_pdfshift_export_post() {
if ( ! defined( 'PDFSHIFT_API_KEY' ) || '' === PDFSHIFT_API_KEY ) {
wp_die( 'PDF export is not configured.', 'PDF export unavailable', array( 'response' => 500 ) );
}
$post_id = isset( $_GET['post_id'] ) ? absint( $_GET['post_id'] ) : 0;
if ( ! $post_id ) {
wp_die( 'A valid post ID is required.', 'Invalid request', array( 'response' => 400 ) );
}
check_admin_referer( 'pdfshift_export_' . $post_id );
$post = get_post( $post_id );
if ( ! $post || ! current_user_can( 'read_post', $post_id ) ) {
wp_die( 'You cannot export this post.', 'Access denied', array( 'response' => 403 ) );
}
// Build a deliberately simple document from stored post content.
// Add trusted styles and any required branding here.
$title = esc_html( get_the_title( $post ) );
$content = apply_filters( 'the_content', $post->post_content );
$content = wp_kses_post( $content );
$html = '<!doctype html><html><head><meta charset="utf-8">'
. '<title>' . $title . '</title>'
. '<style>body{font:16px/1.5 sans-serif;margin:2rem}img{max-width:100%;height:auto}</style>'
. '</head><body><h1>' . $title . '</h1>' . $content
. '</body></html>';
$response = wp_remote_post(
'https://api.pdfshift.io/v3/convert/pdf',
array(
'headers' => array(
'Content-Type' => 'application/json',
'X-API-Key' => PDFSHIFT_API_KEY,
),
'body' => wp_json_encode( array( 'source' => $html ) ),
'timeout' => 60,
)
);
if ( is_wp_error( $response ) ) {
wp_die( esc_html( 'PDFShift request failed: ' . $response->get_error_message() ), 'PDF export failed', array( 'response' => 502 ) );
}
$status = wp_remote_retrieve_response_code( $response );
$body = wp_remote_retrieve_body( $response );
if ( 200 !== $status || '' === $body ) {
// Do not label an API error response as a PDF.
wp_die( 'PDFShift did not return a PDF. Check the API response and request settings.', 'PDF export failed', array( 'response' => 502 ) );
}
$filename = sanitize_file_name( get_post_field( 'post_name', $post_id ) . '.pdf' );
nocache_headers();
header( 'Content-Type: application/pdf' );
header( 'Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="' . $filename . '"' );
header( 'Content-Length: ' . strlen( $body ) );
echo $body; // phpcs:ignore WordPress.Security.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped -- PDF binary response.
exit;
}
To add an export link where an authorized user can see it, generate the URL with a post-specific nonce. For example, in a template that is already checking the viewer’s access:
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<?php
$post_id = get_the_ID();
$url = wp_nonce_url(
add_query_arg(
array(
'action' => 'itechguides_pdfshift_export',
'post_id' => $post_id,
),
admin_url( 'admin-post.php' )
),
'pdfshift_export_' . $post_id
);
?>
<a href="<?php echo esc_url( $url ); ?>">Export as PDF</a>
The handler checks both the nonce and the current user’s capability for the selected post. Adapt the authorization rule to your site’s membership or editorial roles; do not rely on hiding the link alone. A nonce helps defend the action from forged requests, but it is not a substitute for a permission check.
Choose whether to stream or retain the PDF
Stream a binary response to the visitor
The example omits filename and webhook, so it expects PDF binary in the response body and streams it as a download. It does not create a durable copy on the WordPress server. If the download is interrupted, the user can request a new export.
Use a temporary PDFShift URL, then copy it if needed
When you include filename, PDFShift returns JSON containing a URL to a temporarily stored PDF rather than the direct binary response. PDFShift’s Make integration guide says that URL remains available for two days. Download it to your own WordPress media storage or other controlled storage if you need a persistent copy. Treat the temporary URL as temporary access, not as a permanent post attachment.
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WordPress provides a media REST endpoint, but the sources cited here do not establish a tested PHP upload routine for this integration. If you implement media-library retention, handle upload errors, choose a safe filename, and set access controls appropriate to the post’s privacy.
Handle common failures safely
- The request returns a
WP_Error: this indicates a transport-level failure such as a connection problem or timeout. Log the error server-side for diagnosis and let the user retry; do not print the API key or sensitive post content in an error page. - PDFShift returns a non-200 status: do not send that body with an
application/pdfcontent type. Inspect the API’s error response in a controlled server log and verify the endpoint, API key, JSON payload, and request settings. - The PDF is blank or missing page styling: the example converts stored post content, not the theme-rendered page. Build a more complete HTML document and include the styles the PDF needs. For URL input, verify that the page and its assets are publicly reachable.
- Private content cannot be fetched by URL: send authorized content as raw HTML from WordPress instead of asking PDFShift to retrieve a page that requires a WordPress session.
- The request times out: the example sets a 60-second WordPress HTTP timeout, but that is not a guarantee the conversion will complete within that period. Consider a user-visible retry path or an asynchronous job design for large documents; the sources here do not establish a tested queue implementation.
- A user can request another post’s PDF by changing the ID: retain the server-side post permission check and ensure the nonce is tied to that post ID. If your site’s authorization model differs from WordPress’s standard post capabilities, implement the corresponding check before sending content to the conversion API.
Performance, reliability, and cost considerations
Raw HTML can avoid PDFShift making a separate request for the page itself, and PDFShift recommends it as a conversion input. That does not guarantee a particular conversion time: document size, referenced assets, and the remote service can still affect completion. Keep the API key and request on the server, set a timeout appropriate to your hosting environment, and avoid generating PDFs on every page view unless that behavior is intentional.
No price or quota is stated in the documentation summarized here. Check PDFShift’s current plan and API documentation before estimating recurring export costs. For automatically regenerating PDFs after content changes, decide whether old files should be replaced, retained, or deleted; that retention behavior is an application choice rather than an API default established here.
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Or skip the browser setup
PDFShift converts post content or a page into a PDF; ScreenshotNeo is a separate website screenshot API, not a PDFShift replacement or a way to generate a post PDF. If your adjacent need is a screenshot image of a web page, its one-call API can return an image:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp
See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options. It accepts cookie banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are not billed; an MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this export handler serve a private post?
Yes, if the requesting WordPress user is authorized by the capability check and the site’s other access rules permit the export. The handler builds raw HTML from the post rather than asking PDFShift to fetch a login-protected page.
Does the example save a copy in the Media Library?
No. It streams the binary PDF to the visitor. Persistent storage requires a separate upload or storage step.
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