HTML to PDF Converter

First time? If setup_complete: false above, run ./SETUP.md first, then set setup_complete: true.

Pixel-perfect HTML to PDF conversion using Puppeteer (Chrome headless). Provides excellent support for Hebrew, Arabic, and other RTL languages with automatic direction detection.

Why Puppeteer?

Pixel-perfect rendering: Uses actual Chrome engine
Full CSS3/HTML5 support: Flexbox, Grid, custom fonts, backgrounds
JavaScript execution: Renders dynamic content
Automatic RTL detection: Detects Hebrew/Arabic and sets direction
Web font support: Loads custom fonts properly

CRITICAL: Fit Content to Single Page

Backgrounds on html or body cause extra pages! Put backgrounds on a container element instead:

@page { size: A4; margin: 0; }

html, body {
  width: 210mm;
  height: 297mm;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  overflow: hidden;
  /* NO background here! */
}

.container {
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  padding: 20mm;
  box-sizing: border-box;
  background: linear-gradient(...); /* Background goes HERE */
}

Common causes of extra pages:

Background on html/body - always put on .container instead
Content overflow - use overflow: hidden
Margins/padding pushing content out

Tips:

Use --scale=0.75 --margin=0 if content still overflows
For landscape: use --landscape

Setup (One-time)

Before first use, install dependencies:

cd ~/.claude/skills/html-to-pdf && npm install

Quick Usage

Convert local HTML file:

node ~/.claude/skills/html-to-pdf/scripts/html-to-pdf.js input.html output.pdf

Convert URL to PDF:

node ~/.claude/skills/html-to-pdf/scripts/html-to-pdf.js https://example.com page.pdf

Hebrew document with forced RTL:

node ~/.claude/skills/html-to-pdf/scripts/html-to-pdf.js hebrew.html hebrew.pdf --rtl

Pipe HTML content:

echo "<h1>שלום עולם</h1>" | node ~/.claude/skills/html-to-pdf/scripts/html-to-pdf.js - output.pdf --rtl

Options Reference

Option	Description	Default
`--format=<format>`	Page format: A4, Letter, Legal, A3, A5	A4
`--landscape`	Use landscape orientation	false
`--margin=<value>`	Set all margins (e.g., "20mm", "1in")	20mm
`--margin-top=<value>`	Top margin	20mm
`--margin-right=<value>`	Right margin	20mm
`--margin-bottom=<value>`	Bottom margin	20mm
`--margin-left=<value>`	Left margin	20mm
`--scale=<number>`	Scale factor 0.1-2.0	1
`--background`	Print background graphics	true
`--no-background`	Don't print backgrounds	-
`--header=<html>`	Header HTML template	-
`--footer=<html>`	Footer HTML template	-
`--wait=<ms>`	Wait time for fonts/JS	1000
`--rtl`	Force RTL direction	auto-detect

Examples

Basic conversion:

node ~/.claude/skills/html-to-pdf/scripts/html-to-pdf.js report.html report.pdf

Letter format with custom margins:

node ~/.claude/skills/html-to-pdf/scripts/html-to-pdf.js doc.html doc.pdf --format=Letter --margin=1in

Hebrew invoice:

node ~/.claude/skills/html-to-pdf/scripts/html-to-pdf.js invoice-he.html invoice.pdf --rtl

Landscape presentation:

node ~/.claude/skills/html-to-pdf/scripts/html-to-pdf.js slides.html slides.pdf --landscape --format=A4

No margins (full bleed):

node ~/.claude/skills/html-to-pdf/scripts/html-to-pdf.js poster.html poster.pdf --margin=0

Hebrew/RTL Best Practices

For best Hebrew rendering in your HTML:

Set lang attribute: <html lang="he" dir="rtl">
Use UTF-8: <meta charset="UTF-8">
CSS direction: Add direction: rtl; text-align: right; to body
Fonts: Use web fonts that support Hebrew (Noto Sans Hebrew, Heebo, Assistant)

Example Hebrew HTML structure (single-page):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="he" dir="rtl">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Heebo:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
  <style>
    @page { size: A4; margin: 0; }
    html, body {
      width: 210mm;
      height: 297mm;
      margin: 0;
      padding: 0;
      overflow: hidden;
    }
    .container {
      width: 100%;
      height: 100%;
      padding: 20mm;
      box-sizing: border-box;
      font-family: 'Heebo', sans-serif;
      direction: rtl;
      text-align: right;
      background: #f5f5f5; /* Background on container, NOT body */
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <div class="container">
    <h1>שלום עולם</h1>
    <p>זהו מסמך בעברית</p>
  </div>
</body>
</html>

Troubleshooting

Fonts not rendering correctly

Add --wait=2000 for more font loading time
Ensure fonts are loaded via @font-face or Google Fonts

Hebrew appearing left-to-right

Use --rtl flag to force RTL direction
Add dir="rtl" to your HTML element

Page breaks not working

Use CSS page-break properties:

.page-break { page-break-after: always; }
.no-break { page-break-inside: avoid; }

Backgrounds not showing

Ensure --background is set (default is true)
Use --no-background only if you want to exclude backgrounds

Auto-Fit Content (MANDATORY VERIFICATION)

CRITICAL - Claude MUST do this after EVERY PDF generation:

Read the PDF file using the Read tool to visually inspect it
Check for vertical overflow (empty pages, content spilling to next page)
Check for horizontal overflow (text cut off at sides)
If ANY issue found → FIX and regenerate (max 5 attempts)
Only deliver PDF to user after verification passes

This is NOT optional. Never deliver a PDF without visual verification.

Problems to Look For

Problem	Symptom	Fix
Vertical overflow	Empty space at page bottom, content on next page	Reduce `--scale`
Horizontal cut-off	Text cut at left/right edges	Reduce `--margin` AND fix HTML width
Both issues	Content cut AND extra pages	Fix HTML CSS first, then adjust scale

Fix Strategy (Max 5 Attempts)

Attempt 1: Default settings

node scripts/html-to-pdf.js input.html output.pdf

Attempt 2: If vertical overflow → reduce scale

node scripts/html-to-pdf.js input.html output.pdf --scale=0.9

Attempt 3: If horizontal cut-off → reduce margins

node scripts/html-to-pdf.js input.html output.pdf --scale=0.9 --margin=10mm

Attempt 4: If still issues → smaller scale + margins

node scripts/html-to-pdf.js input.html output.pdf --scale=0.8 --margin=5mm

Attempt 5: If still failing → FIX THE HTML CSS:

/* Add to HTML to prevent horizontal overflow */
.container {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 100%;
  overflow-wrap: break-word;
  word-wrap: break-word;
  box-sizing: border-box;
}

STOP after 5 attempts - regenerate HTML with proper constraints.

HTML Width Fix (Required for Horizontal Fit)

If content is cut at sides, the HTML MUST have:

html, body {
  width: 210mm;  /* A4 width */
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  overflow: hidden;
}

.container {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 100%;
  padding: 15mm;
  box-sizing: border-box;
  overflow-wrap: break-word;
}

Verification Checklist

After EVERY PDF generation, verify:

All text visible (not cut at edges)
No unnecessary empty pages
Content fills pages properly
No large gaps between sections

If ANY check fails → adjust and regenerate (max 5 times).

Technical Notes

Uses Puppeteer with Chrome headless for rendering
Waits for networkidle0 to ensure all resources load
Automatically waits for document.fonts.ready
Supports @page CSS rules for print styling
Device scale factor set to 2 for crisp rendering

html-to-pdf

Safety Notice

Copy this and send it to your AI assistant to learn