n8n-nodes-json-html-to-pdf

v0.1.1

Published

7 months ago

Professional n8n node to convert JSON data or HTML content to PDF documents with Handlebars template support

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n8n-nodes-json-html-to-pdf

Professional n8n community node that converts JSON data or HTML content to PDF documents. Built with over 30 years of development experience, this node provides enterprise-grade PDF generation with Handlebars template support, perfect for invoices, reports, certificates, and any document automation needs.

Created by Rodrigo Vieira da Costa - Senior Full Stack Developer | Automation Specialist

Features

Dual Input Support: Accept either JSON data with Handlebars templates or raw HTML
Flexible Output: Generate PDFs as binary data or base64 strings
Customizable Formatting: Control page size, margins, orientation, and more
Advanced Options: Add headers/footers, custom CSS, and wait for specific elements
Template Engine: Use Handlebars for dynamic content generation
Production Ready: Built with Puppeteer for reliable PDF generation

Installation

Community Node (Recommended)

Go to Settings > Community Nodes
Search for n8n-nodes-json-html-to-pdf
Click Install

Manual Installation

npm install n8n-nodes-json-html-to-pdf

Then restart your n8n instance.

Docker Installation

If you're using n8n with Docker, you'll need to install Puppeteer dependencies:

FROM n8nio/n8n:latest

USER root
RUN apk add --no-cache \
    chromium \
    nss \
    freetype \
    freetype-dev \
    harfbuzz \
    ca-certificates \
    ttf-freefont

ENV PUPPETEER_SKIP_CHROMIUM_DOWNLOAD=true \
    PUPPETEER_EXECUTABLE_PATH=/usr/bin/chromium-browser

USER node
RUN npm install n8n-nodes-json-html-to-pdf

Node Reference

Input Types

JSON with Template

Use JSON data with a Handlebars template to generate dynamic PDFs.

Example JSON:

{
  "title": "Invoice #2025-001",
  "customer": {
    "name": "Rhod Expert",
    "address": "123 Main St, City, Country"
  },
  "items": [
    {
      "description": "Product A",
      "quantity": 2,
      "price": 50.00
    },
    {
      "description": "Product B",
      "quantity": 1,
      "price": 75.00
    }
  ],
  "total": 175.00
}

Example Template:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <style>
        body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; padding: 40px; }
        .header { border-bottom: 2px solid #333; margin-bottom: 20px; }
        table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; }
        th, td { padding: 10px; text-align: left; }
        th { background-color: #f0f0f0; }
        .total { font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.2em; }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <div class="header">
        <h1>{{title}}</h1>
        <p>{{customer.name}}<br>{{customer.address}}</p>
    </div>
    
    <table>
        <thead>
            <tr>
                <th>Description</th>
                <th>Quantity</th>
                <th>Price</th>
                <th>Subtotal</th>
            </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
            {{#each items}}
            <tr>
                <td>{{description}}</td>
                <td>{{quantity}}</td>
                <td>${{price}}</td>
                <td>${{multiply quantity price}}</td>
            </tr>
            {{/each}}
        </tbody>
    </table>
    
    <p class="total">Total: ${{total}}</p>
</body>
</html>

Raw HTML

Directly convert HTML content to PDF without templating.

Output Formats

Binary: Returns the PDF as a binary file attachment (recommended for file operations)
Base64: Returns the PDF as a base64 encoded string in the JSON output

Options

| Option | Description | Default | |--------|-------------|---------| | Page Format | Paper size (A3, A4, A5, Letter, Legal, Tabloid) | A4 | | Landscape | Use landscape orientation | false | | Scale | Scale of webpage rendering (0.1 - 2.0) | 1.0 | | Margins | Top, bottom, left, right margins | 20px | | Print Background | Include background graphics | true | | Custom CSS | Additional CSS to inject | - | | Wait Until | When to consider page loaded | networkidle0 | | Wait For Selector | CSS selector to wait for | - | | Header/Footer | Custom header and footer templates | - |

Usage Examples

Example 1: Generate Invoice PDF

// Input Node Configuration
{
  "inputType": "jsonTemplate",
  "jsonData": {
    "invoiceNumber": "INV-2024-001",
    "date": "2024-01-15",
    "items": [
      {"name": "Service A", "amount": 500},
      {"name": "Service B", "amount": 300}
    ],
    "total": 800
  },
  "outputFormat": "binary",
  "fileName": "invoice-2024-001.pdf",
  "options": {
    "format": "A4",
    "marginTop": "40px",
    "marginBottom": "40px"
  }
}

Example 2: Convert HTML Report to PDF

// Input Node Configuration
{
  "inputType": "html",
  "htmlContent": "<html><body><h1>Monthly Report</h1><p>Report content...</p></body></html>",
  "outputFormat": "binary",
  "fileName": "monthly-report.pdf",
  "options": {
    "format": "Letter",
    "landscape": true,
    "displayHeaderFooter": true,
    "headerTemplate": "<div style='font-size: 10px;'>Monthly Report - Page <span class='pageNumber'></span></div>"
  }
}

Example 3: Generate Certificate with Custom Styling

// Input Node Configuration
{
  "inputType": "jsonTemplate",
  "jsonData": {
    "recipientName": "Jane Smith",
    "courseName": "Advanced n8n Workflows",
    "completionDate": "2024-01-20"
  },
  "htmlTemplate": "<!-- Certificate template HTML -->",
  "outputFormat": "binary",
  "fileName": "certificate.pdf",
  "options": {
    "format": "A4",
    "landscape": true,
    "customCss": ".certificate { border: 5px solid gold; padding: 50px; }",
    "printBackground": true
  }
}

Workflow Integration

Basic Workflow Structure

Trigger Node → 2. Data Source → 3. JSON/HTML to PDF → 4. Output/Storage

Integration with Other Nodes

Email Attachment

Webhook → JSON/HTML to PDF → Send Email (with PDF attachment)

Save to Storage

Database Query → JSON/HTML to PDF → AWS S3 / Google Drive

Batch Processing

Spreadsheet → Split in Batches → JSON/HTML to PDF → Merge

Handlebars Helpers

The node includes standard Handlebars helpers. You can use:

{{#if}} / {{#unless}} - Conditional rendering
{{#each}} - Iterate over arrays
{{#with}} - Change context
{{> partialName}} - Include partials

Custom Helpers Example

For advanced templating, you can register custom helpers in your template:

<script>
  Handlebars.registerHelper('formatCurrency', function(amount) {
    return new Intl.NumberFormat('en-US', {
      style: 'currency',
      currency: 'USD'
    }).format(amount);
  });
</script>

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. PDF Generation Timeout

Problem: Large or complex HTML takes too long to render

Solution:

Increase the timeout in node settings
Simplify HTML/CSS
Use waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' instead of 'networkidle0'

2. Missing Fonts or Characters

Problem: Special characters or fonts not rendering

Solution:

Embed fonts using base64 in CSS
Use web-safe fonts
Install required fonts in Docker container

3. Memory Issues

Problem: Out of memory errors with large PDFs

Solution:

Process items in smaller batches
Reduce image sizes in HTML
Increase Node.js memory limit

4. Docker Permissions

Problem: Puppeteer fails to launch in Docker

Solution:

RUN chmod -R 777 /tmp
ENV PUPPETEER_SKIP_CHROMIUM_DOWNLOAD=true
ENV PUPPETEER_EXECUTABLE_PATH=/usr/bin/chromium-browser

Debug Mode

Enable debug output by setting environment variable:

DEBUG=puppeteer:* n8n start

Performance Tips

Reuse Templates: Store templates in a separate node or file
Optimize Images: Use base64 for small images, URLs for large ones
Batch Processing: Process multiple items in parallel when possible
Cache Static Content: Store frequently used CSS/JS separately

Security Considerations

Sanitize Input: Always validate and sanitize user-provided HTML
Limit Resources: Set appropriate timeouts and memory limits
Sandbox Environment: Puppeteer runs in a sandboxed environment by default
Access Control: Restrict file system access in production

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Fork the repository
Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
Open a Pull Request

Support

For issues and feature requests, please use the GitHub issues page.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

Built for the n8n workflow automation platform
Uses Puppeteer for PDF generation
Templating powered by Handlebars

👨‍💻 Author

Rodrigo Vieira da Costa

🌐 Website: rhod.expert
📧 Email: [email protected]
💼 GitHub: @rhod-expert
🏢 Company: RHOD EXPERT SOLUCOES EM TECNOLOGIA
📍 Location: Iguassu Falls, Paraná, Brazil

Senior Full Stack Developer with 30+ years of experience, specializing in automation, system integration, and creating tools that boost productivity.

⭐ Show your support

Give a ⭐️ if this project helped you! Your support motivates me to keep improving this node.

Changelog

v0.1.0 (2025-01)

Initial release
JSON to PDF conversion with Handlebars templates
Raw HTML to PDF conversion
Customizable page formatting
Binary and base64 output formats
Header/footer support
Custom CSS injection
Professional invoice and report templates included
Comprehensive test suite

Published

Vulnerabilities

Links

Maintainers

Keywords

Readme

n8n-nodes-json-html-to-pdf

Features

Installation

Community Node (Recommended)

Manual Installation

Docker Installation

Node Reference

Input Types

JSON with Template

Raw HTML

Output Formats

Options

Usage Examples

Example 1: Generate Invoice PDF

Example 2: Convert HTML Report to PDF

Example 3: Generate Certificate with Custom Styling

Workflow Integration

Basic Workflow Structure

Integration with Other Nodes

Email Attachment

Save to Storage

Batch Processing

Handlebars Helpers

Custom Helpers Example

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. PDF Generation Timeout

2. Missing Fonts or Characters

3. Memory Issues

4. Docker Permissions

Debug Mode

Performance Tips

Security Considerations

Contributing

Support

License

Acknowledgments

👨‍💻 Author

⭐ Show your support

Changelog

v0.1.0 (2025-01)