Set printBackground: true in Playwright’s page.pdf() options to include a page’s background graphics in its PDF. Playwright uses print CSS media by default; if you need the page’s screen styles, emulate screen media before generating the PDF. For color fidelity, add -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact to the page’s CSS.
Capture a PDF with background colors in JavaScript
In Playwright’s JavaScript API, pass printBackground: true to page.pdf(). The option defaults to false, so without it background graphics are omitted. Playwright’s Page API documents this option.
await page.pdf({
path: 'page.pdf',
printBackground: true,
});This assumes you already have a Playwright page open and ready. path saves the resulting PDF to that file; without a path, page.pdf() returns a PDF buffer you can handle in your application.
Choose print or screen styles
PDF generation uses print CSS media by default. That means @media print rules apply, and the result may differ from the page as it appears in a browser window. To render screen media styles instead, switch media before calling page.pdf():
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await page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' });
await page.pdf({ path: 'page.pdf', printBackground: true });Use the default when the document’s print layout is intended. Emulate screen when the PDF should follow the on-screen styles. The media emulation API also accepts print and null; see the Playwright Page API.
Preserve intended colors
Enabling printBackground asks Playwright to print background graphics, but print rendering can also adjust colors. If exact CSS colors matter, add this rule to the page stylesheet:
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html {
-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact;
}This CSS property addresses print color adjustment; it does not replace printBackground: true. The two settings serve separate purposes: one requests background graphics, and the other asks the browser to preserve the specified colors.
Control paper size and layout
Playwright lets you set paper format or dimensions, orientation, margins, page ranges, and scale in page.pdf(). The documented defaults and interactions are important when the resulting PDF must match a particular page layout.
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| Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
format |
Defaults to Letter. Supported formats include Letter, Legal, Tabloid, Ledger, and ISO A-series sizes. When supplied, format takes priority over explicit width and height. |
width and height |
Set paper dimensions. Unlabeled values are treated as pixels; supported units include px, in, cm, and mm. |
preferCSSPageSize |
Defaults to false. Set to true for the stylesheet’s CSS @page size to take precedence over PDF width, height, or format options. With the default, content is scaled to fit the chosen paper size. |
landscape |
Choose landscape orientation when the page needs a wider paper layout. |
margin |
Sets page margins; the default is zero. |
pageRanges |
Limits the PDF to specified page ranges. |
scale |
Defaults to 1; documented range is 0.1 to 2. |
For example, if the site defines its intended paper dimensions in CSS with an @page rule, set preferCSSPageSize: true. Otherwise, choose a PDF format or dimensions and let Playwright fit the content to them.
Use Python or Java
The corresponding documented option names differ by language. The Python API uses print_background and prefer_css_page_size; the Java API uses setPrintBackground and setPreferCSSPageSize. Consult the language-specific API references for the current method signatures: Python Page API and Java Page API.
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These references are labeled “next” documentation and may change. The documented behavior is consistent in describing how to request printed backgrounds, but identical output across browser engines or deployment environments has not been established here.
Troubleshoot missing backgrounds or unexpected layout
- Backgrounds are missing: Confirm that
printBackground: trueis set in the PDF options. Its default isfalse. - The PDF looks different from the browser window: PDF generation uses print media by default. Call
page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' })beforepage.pdf()if screen styles are the target. - Colors look altered: Add
-webkit-print-color-adjust: exactto the page’s CSS when exact colors are required, and keepprintBackground: trueenabled for background graphics. - The CSS paper size is ignored: Set
preferCSSPageSize: trueif the stylesheet’s@pagesize should govern. Otherwise, Playwright’s PDF paper options take precedence and content is scaled to fit. - The PDF has unexpected scale or margins: Check the selected format, dimensions, margin, and scale options. Format overrides explicit width and height; margins default to zero, and scale defaults to
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Or skip the browser setup
For a URL-to-PDF request without managing a Playwright browser, ScreenshotNeo provides a screenshot API that can return a PDF. For example, this cURL request captures a page as a PDF:
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Playwright print page backgrounds by default?
No. Set printBackground: true; its default is false.
Does printBackground force exact CSS colors?
No. It requests background graphics. Use -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact for print color adjustment.
Can I use Playwright’s JavaScript API to return a PDF instead of saving a file?
Yes. page.pdf() returns a PDF buffer; the path option saves it to disk.
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