n8n-nodes-htmlcsstopdf

v3.1.5

Published

a day ago

n8n community node to convert HTML and CSS to PDF using PdfMunk API - perfect for invoices, reports, certificates, and document generation

n8n-nodes-htmlcsstopdf

Get your api key from https://pdfapihub.com)

An n8n community node for creating PDFs from HTML/CSS or URLs, manipulating PDFs (merge/split/compress), securing PDFs (lock/unlock), and parsing PDFs to structured JSON — powered by the PDFMunk API.

Features

PDF Creation
- HTML to PDF: Render HTML + optional CSS into a PDF
- URL to PDF: Capture a website as a PDF (full-page support)
- Dynamic Params: Template placeholder replacement for HTML generation
- Viewport Control: Configure viewport width/height
- Flexible Output: Return a direct URL or a binary PDF file
- Output Filename: Set the resulting PDF filename
- Configurable Timeout: Increase timeouts for large/slow renders
PDF Manipulation
- Merge PDFs: Merge 2–15 PDFs from URLs
- Split PDF: Extract specific pages, split each page, or split into chunks
- Compress PDF: Reduce file size with selectable compression levels
PDF Security
- Lock PDF: Add password protection (optionally provide input password for already-encrypted PDFs)
- Unlock PDF: Remove password protection
PDF Extraction & Parsing
- Parse PDF to JSON: Extract text/layout/tables/full extraction with page selection

Installation

Follow the installation guide in the n8n community nodes documentation.

Community Nodes (Recommended)

Go to Settings > Community Nodes in your n8n instance
Click Install a community node
Enter n8n-nodes-htmlcsstopdf
Click Install

Manual Installation

# Navigate to your n8n installation directory
cd ~/.n8n/nodes

# Install the package
npm install n8n-nodes-htmlcsstopdf

Docker

Add the package to your n8n Docker container:

FROM n8nio/n8n:latest
USER root
RUN npm install -g n8n-nodes-htmlcsstopdf
USER node

Getting Your PDFMunk API Key

Sign Up: Visit PDFMunk.com and create an account
Verify Email: Check your email and verify your account
Access Dashboard: Log in to your PDFMunk dashboard
Generate API Key:
- Navigate to the "API Keys" section
- Click "Generate New API Key"
- Copy your API key securely
Choose Plan: Select a plan based on your usage needs (see PDFMunk pricing for current limits).

Configuration

Setting Up Credentials

In n8n, go to Credentials
Click + Add Credential
Search for "HtmlCssToPdf API"
Enter your PDFMunk API key
Test the connection
Save the credential

Operations

The node exposes operations grouped by Resource.

PDF Creation

HTML to PDF

Generate a PDF from custom HTML and optional CSS.

Parameters:

HTML Content (html_content)
CSS Content (css_content, optional)
Dynamic Params (dynamic_params, optional key/value pairs for templating)
Viewport Width/Height (viewPortWidth, viewPortHeight)
Output Format (output_format: url or file)
Output Filename (output_filename, without .pdf)
Timeout (in Seconds) (timeout, default: 300)

URL to PDF

Generate a PDF from a website URL.

Parameters:

URL (url)
Full Page (full_page, default: true)
Wait Till (wait_till, milliseconds to wait before capture)
Viewport Width/Height (viewPortWidth, viewPortHeight)
Output Format (output_format: url or file)
Output Filename (output_filename, without .pdf)
Timeout (in Seconds) (timeout, default: 300)

PDF Manipulation

Merge PDFs

Merge multiple PDF URLs into one document.

Parameters:

PDF URLs (pdf_urls, comma-separated; minimum 2, maximum 15)
Output Type (merge_output: url, file, or base64)

Split PDF

Split or extract pages from a PDF.

Parameters:

PDF URL (split_url)
Split Mode (split_mode)
- pages: extract a page range/list via Page Range (pages)
- each: split each page into its own PDF
- chunks: split into Number of Chunks (chunks)
Output Type (split_output: url, file, or base64)

Compress PDF

Compress a PDF to reduce file size.

Parameters:

PDF URL (compress_url, max 10MB)
Compression Level (compression: low, medium, high, max)
Output Type (compress_output: url, file, or base64)
Output Filename (compress_output_name, e.g. compressed.pdf)

PDF Security

Lock PDF

Add password protection to a PDF.

Parameters:

PDF URL (lock_url, max 10MB)
Password (lock_password)
Input Password (lock_input_password, optional)
Output Type (lock_output: url, file, or base64)
Output Filename (lock_output_name, e.g. locked.pdf)

Unlock PDF

Remove password protection from a PDF.

Parameters:

PDF URL (unlock_url, max 10MB)
Password (unlock_password)
Output Type (unlock_output: url, file, or base64)
Output Filename (unlock_output_name, e.g. unlocked.pdf)

PDF Extraction & Parsing

Parse PDF

Parse a PDF into structured JSON.

Parameters:

PDF URL (parse_url)
Parse Mode (parse_mode: text, layout, tables, full)
Pages (parse_pages: all or ranges like 1-3)

Usage

Basic HTML to PDF Conversion

{
  "operation": "htmlToPdf",
  "html_content": "<h1>Hello World</h1><p>This is a test document.</p>",
  "css_content": "h1 { color: blue; } p { font-size: 14px; }",
  "viewPortWidth": 1080,
  "viewPortHeight": 720,
  "output_format": "file",
  "output_filename": "hello-world",
  "timeout": 300
}

Advanced Usage Examples

1. Invoice Generation

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <style>
        .invoice { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; }
        .header { background-color: #f0f0f0; padding: 20px; }
        .total { font-weight: bold; font-size: 18px; }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <div class="invoice">
        <div class="header">
            <h1>Invoice #12345</h1>
        </div>
        <div class="total">Total: $299.99</div>
    </div>
</body>
</html>

2. Report Generation

<div class="report">
    <h1>Monthly Report</h1>
    <table border="1">
        <tr><th>Metric</th><th>Value</th></tr>
        <tr><td>Sales</td><td>$50,000</td></tr>
        <tr><td>Growth</td><td>15%</td></tr>
    </table>
</div>

3. Certificate Generation

<div class="certificate">
    <h1>Certificate of Completion</h1>
    <p>This certifies that <strong>John Doe</strong> has completed the course.</p>
    <div class="signature">Authorized Signature</div>
</div>

### PDF Manipulation Examples

#### Merge PDFs
```json
{
  "resource": "pdfManipulation",
  "operation": "mergePdfs",
  "pdf_urls": "https://example.com/a.pdf, https://example.com/b.pdf",
  "merge_output": "url"
}

Split PDF (extract pages)

{
  "resource": "pdfManipulation",
  "operation": "splitPdf",
  "split_url": "https://example.com/document.pdf",
  "split_mode": "pages",
  "pages": "1-3",
  "split_output": "url"
}

Compress PDF

{
  "resource": "pdfManipulation",
  "operation": "compressPdf",
  "compress_url": "https://example.com/document.pdf",
  "compression": "high",
  "compress_output": "file",
  "compress_output_name": "compressed.pdf"
}

PDF Security Examples

Lock PDF

{
  "resource": "pdfSecurity",
  "operation": "lockPdf",
  "lock_url": "https://example.com/document.pdf",
  "lock_password": "your-password",
  "lock_output": "file",
  "lock_output_name": "locked.pdf"
}

Unlock PDF

{
  "resource": "pdfSecurity",
  "operation": "unlockPdf",
  "unlock_url": "https://example.com/locked.pdf",
  "unlock_password": "your-password",
  "unlock_output": "file",
  "unlock_output_name": "unlocked.pdf"
}

PDF Parsing Example

Parse PDF to JSON

{
  "resource": "pdfParsing",
  "operation": "parsePdf",
  "parse_url": "https://example.com/document.pdf",
  "parse_mode": "full",
  "parse_pages": "all"
}


## Use Cases

### Business Applications
- **Invoice Generation**: Automatically generate invoices from order data
- **Report Creation**: Convert analytics data into professional PDF reports
- **Contract Generation**: Create contracts from templates with dynamic data
- **Certificate Issuance**: Generate certificates for course completions
- **Receipt Creation**: Convert transaction data into PDF receipts

### Content Management
- **Document Archival**: Convert web pages to PDF for archival purposes
- **Newsletter PDFs**: Transform HTML newsletters into PDF format
- **eBook Creation**: Generate PDF books from HTML content
- **Documentation**: Convert online docs to downloadable PDFs

### Marketing & Sales
- **Proposal Generation**: Create branded proposals from CRM data
- **Brochure Creation**: Generate marketing materials dynamically
- **Price Lists**: Convert product catalogs to PDF format
- **Quotation PDFs**: Transform quotes into professional PDFs

## Workflow Examples

### Example 1: E-commerce Invoice
```json
{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Order Webhook",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.webhook"
    },
    {
      "name": "Generate Invoice HTML",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.function"
    },
    {
      "name": "Convert to PDF",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-htmlcsstopdf.htmlcsstopdf"
    },
    {
      "name": "Email PDF",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.emailSend"
    }
  ]
}

Example 2: Scheduled Reports

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Schedule Trigger",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.cron"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fetch Analytics Data",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest"
    },
    {
      "name": "Build Report HTML",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.function"
    },
    {
      "name": "Generate PDF Report",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-htmlcsstopdf.htmlcsstopdf"
    },
    {
      "name": "Save to Google Drive",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleDrive"
    }
  ]
}

Output

The node returns:

URL output: A direct link (or URL(s), depending on operation)
File output: Binary PDF file data in n8n (usable by "Write Binary File", email attachments, etc.)
Base64 output (where available): Base64-encoded result in the JSON response

Error Handling

The node provides detailed error messages for common issues:

Invalid API Key: Check your PDFMunk credentials
HTML Parse Error: Validate your HTML syntax
CSS Error: Check your CSS for syntax errors
Rate Limit: Upgrade your PDFMunk plan or wait for reset
Network Error: Check your internet connection
Timeout Error: Increase the timeout setting for large PDFs (default: 300 seconds)

FAQ

Q: Is there a free tier?
A: PDFMunk may offer trial/free usage depending on current plans. Check the PDFMunk dashboard/pricing for the latest limits.

Q: What HTML features are supported?
A: Most modern HTML5 and CSS3 features are supported, including flexbox, grid, and media queries.

Q: Can I use external images?
A: Yes, images accessible via URL will be included in the PDF.

Q: What's the maximum file size?
A: Some operations in this node expect PDFs up to 10MB (as indicated in the node parameters). Check PDFMunk documentation for current limits and plan-specific constraints.

Q: How do I generate large PDFs (100+ pages)?
A: Increase the timeout setting in the node configuration. For large PDFs, set timeout to 600-900 seconds (10-15 minutes).

Q: What should I do if I get a gateway timeout error?
A: Increase the timeout parameter in the node settings. The default is 300 seconds (5 minutes), but large PDFs may need 600-900 seconds.

Compatibility

n8n version: 0.187.0+
Node.js: 18.0.0+
Supported formats: HTML, CSS, PDF

Resources

PDF Creation

Support

For questions or support, please contact us at: [email protected]

You can also join the n8n community forum for general n8n-related discussions.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our contributing guidelines and submit pull requests for any improvements.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE.md file for details.

Changelog

v2.1.1

Added configurable timeout parameter for large PDF generation
Improved error handling for gateway timeouts
Updated documentation with timeout troubleshooting

v2.0.2

Improved error handling
Performance optimizations

v2.0.1

Bug fixes and stability improvements

v2.0.0

Complete rewrite with new PDFMunk API
Enhanced CSS support
Better error messages

Built with ❤️ for the n8n community

Published

Vulnerabilities

Links

Maintainers

Keywords

Readme

n8n-nodes-htmlcsstopdf

Features

Installation

Community Nodes (Recommended)

Manual Installation

Docker

Getting Your PDFMunk API Key

Configuration

Setting Up Credentials

Operations

PDF Creation

HTML to PDF

URL to PDF

PDF Manipulation

Merge PDFs

Split PDF

Compress PDF

PDF Security

Lock PDF

Unlock PDF

PDF Extraction & Parsing

Parse PDF

Usage

Basic HTML to PDF Conversion

Advanced Usage Examples

1. Invoice Generation

2. Report Generation

3. Certificate Generation

Split PDF (extract pages)

Compress PDF

PDF Security Examples

Lock PDF

Unlock PDF

PDF Parsing Example

Parse PDF to JSON

Example 2: Scheduled Reports

Output

Error Handling

FAQ

Compatibility

Resources

PDF Creation

Support

Contributing

License

Changelog

v2.1.1

v2.0.2

v2.0.1

v2.0.0