· tutorials · 3 min read
How to Convert HTML to PDF with xhtml2pdf
Dive into the seamless conversion of HTML to PDF in Python using the xhtml2pdf library, featuring clear code examples for a quick start.
Introduction
xhtml2pdf is a popular Python library that facilitates the conversion of HTML to PDF format. It leverages HTML and CSS to create PDFs, making it an ideal choice for Python developers looking to generate PDF documents from web content. This article guides you through the process of using xhtml2pdf, complete with straightforward code examples.
Why xhtml2pdf?
- Ease of Use: Simple and intuitive API, making it accessible for beginners.
- CSS Support: Good support for CSS to style PDF documents.
- Flexibility: Works well for both simple and moderately complex PDF generation tasks.
Getting Started with xhtml2pdf
Step 1: Install xhtml2pdf
First, you need to install xhtml2pdf. You can do this easily using pip:
Step 2: Convert HTML to PDF
With xhtml2pdf, you can convert a simple HTML string to a PDF file or read from an HTML file. Here’s an example of converting an HTML string to a PDF:
In this example, pisa.CreatePDF
is used to convert the HTML content into a PDF. The result is written into a BytesIO
buffer, which is then saved to a file.
Converting HTML Files to PDF
To convert an HTML file to a PDF, you can modify the above example to read the HTML content from a file:
This function reads the HTML content from source_html
and writes the converted PDF to output_filename
. The pisa.CreatePDF
function does the conversion.
Other Python libraries
There are other Python libraries capable of converting HTML to PDF and you can find more information about it in this article on How To Convert HTML to PDF with Python.
Conclusion
xhtml2pdf provides a Pythonic way to convert HTML to PDF, offering a balance between ease of use and flexibility. Whether you’re generating reports, invoices, or any other PDF documents from HTML content, xhtml2pdf is a capable tool that fits seamlessly into Python projects.