The C# PDF Library

HTML to PDF

using IronPdf;

// Disable local disk access or cross-origin requests
Installation.EnableWebSecurity = true;

// Instantiate Renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Create a PDF from a HTML string using C#
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1>");

// Export to a file or Stream
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

// Advanced Example with HTML Assets
// Load external html assets: Images, CSS and JavaScript.
// An optional BasePath 'C:\site\assets\' is set as the file location to load assets from
var myAdvancedPdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<img src='icons/iron.png'>", @"C:\site\assets\");
myAdvancedPdf.SaveAs("html-with-assets.pdf");

using IronPdf;

// Disable local disk access or cross-origin requests
Installation.EnableWebSecurity = true;

// Instantiate Renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Create a PDF from a HTML string using C#
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1>");

// Export to a file or Stream
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

// Advanced Example with HTML Assets
// Load external html assets: Images, CSS and JavaScript.
// An optional BasePath 'C:\site\assets\' is set as the file location to load assets from
var myAdvancedPdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<img src='icons/iron.png'>", @"C:\site\assets\");
myAdvancedPdf.SaveAs("html-with-assets.pdf");

PM >Install-Package IronPdf

Install-Package IronPdf

MIGRATION GUIDES

How to Migrate from GrabzIt to IronPDF in C#

Curtis Chau

Updated: August 1, 2026

Migrating from GrabzIt to IronPDF transforms your .NET PDF workflow from a cloud-based screenshot capture service with callback complexity to an in-process library that generates true vector PDFs with selectable, searchable text. This guide provides a comprehensive, step-by-step migration path that eliminates external server dependencies, callback handlers, and per-capture pricing for professional .NET developers.

Why Migrate from GrabzIt to IronPDF

The GrabzIt Architecture Problem

GrabzIt is a cloud-based screenshot and PDF capture service. While convenient for quick integrations, it has fundamental architectural limitations:

Image-Based PDFs: GrabzIt creates screenshot-based PDFs where text is not selectable - essentially images wrapped in PDF format. This is a fundamental limitation for any use case requiring text manipulation or accessibility.
External Processing: All content is sent to GrabzIt's servers for processing - creating privacy and compliance concerns for sensitive data. Your HTML content leaves your infrastructure.
Callback Complexity: GrabzIt uses an asynchronous callback model that requires webhook handling infrastructure. You must set up endpoints to receive results, adding architectural complexity.
Per-Capture Pricing: The pay-per-use model can become expensive at scale. Every PDF generation incurs a cost.
No Text Search: Since PDFs are image-based, text search and extraction don't work without OCR - an additional step and cost.
Larger File Sizes: Image-based PDFs are significantly larger than vector-based PDFs, often 5-10x the size.
Network Dependency: Cannot generate PDFs without an internet connection, making offline scenarios impossible.
Latency: Every PDF generation requires a network round-trip to external servers, which adds noticeable latency compared to local in-process generation.

GrabzIt vs IronPDF Comparison

Aspect	GrabzIt	IronPDF
PDF Type	Image-based (screenshot)	True vector PDF
Text Selection	Not possible	Full text selection
Text Search	Requires OCR	Native searchable
Processing Location	External servers	Local/in-process
Privacy	Data sent externally	Data stays local
Latency	Network round-trip (500ms-5s)	Local processing (~100ms)
Pricing Model	Per-capture	Per-developer license
Offline Capability	No	Yes
File Size	Large (image data)	Small (vector data)
Callback Required	Yes (async)	No (sync/async)
CSS/JS Support	Limited	Full Chromium engine

IronPDF integrates natively with modern .NET patterns and runs entirely in-process, removing the cloud round-trip from your PDF pipeline.

Migration Complexity Assessment

Estimated Effort by Feature

Feature	Migration Complexity
HTML to PDF	Very Low
URL to PDF	Very Low
HTML to Image	Low
Page Size/Margins	Low
Callback Handlers	Low
Watermarks	Low
Headers/Footers	Medium
Authentication Keys	Very Low

Paradigm Shift

The fundamental shift in this GrabzIt migration is from asynchronous callback-based cloud processing to synchronous in-process generation:

GrabzIt:   Send HTML → Wait for callback → Retrieve result from server
IronPDF:   Render HTML → Get PDF immediately

GrabzIt:   Send HTML → Wait for callback → Retrieve result from server
IronPDF:   Render HTML → Get PDF immediately

Text

Before You Start

Prerequisites

.NET Version: IronPDF supports .NET Framework 4.6.2+ and .NET Core 3.1+ / .NET 5+
License Key: Obtain your IronPDF license key from ironpdf.com
Plan Infrastructure Removal: Document callback handlers and webhook endpoints for decommissioning

Identify All GrabzIt Usage

# Find GrabzIt client usage
grep -r "GrabzItClient\|GrabzIt\." --include="*.cs" .

# Find callback handlers
grep -r "GrabzIt\|grabzit" --include="*.ashx" --include="*.aspx" --include="*.cs" .

# Find configuration
grep -r "APPLICATION_KEY\|APPLICATION_SECRET\|grabzit" --include="*.config" --include="*.json" .

# Find GrabzIt client usage
grep -r "GrabzItClient\|GrabzIt\." --include="*.cs" .

# Find callback handlers
grep -r "GrabzIt\|grabzit" --include="*.ashx" --include="*.aspx" --include="*.cs" .

# Find configuration
grep -r "APPLICATION_KEY\|APPLICATION_SECRET\|grabzit" --include="*.config" --include="*.json" .

SHELL

NuGet Package Changes

# Remove GrabzIt
dotnet remove package GrabzIt

# Install IronPDF
dotnet add package IronPdf

# Remove GrabzIt
dotnet remove package GrabzIt

# Install IronPDF
dotnet add package IronPdf

SHELL

Quick Start Migration

Step 1: Update License Configuration

Before (GrabzIt):

GrabzIt requires application key and secret for every client instantiation:

var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");

var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");

Dim grabzIt As New GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET")

Dim grabzIt As New GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET")

After (IronPDF):

// Set once at application startup
IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";

// Then create renderer without credentials
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Set once at application startup
IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";

// Then create renderer without credentials
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

Imports IronPdf

' Set once at application startup
IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY"

' Then create renderer without credentials
Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()

Imports IronPdf

' Set once at application startup
IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY"

' Then create renderer without credentials
Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()

Step 2: Update Namespace Imports

// Before (GrabzIt)
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;

// After (IronPDF)
using IronPdf;

// Before (GrabzIt)
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;

// After (IronPDF)
using IronPdf;

Imports IronPdf

Imports IronPdf

Complete API Reference

GrabzItClient to IronPDF Mapping

GrabzIt Method	IronPDF Equivalent
`new GrabzItClient(key, secret)`	`new ChromePdfRenderer()`
`HTMLToPDF(html)`	`renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)`
`URLToPDF(url)`	`renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url)`
`HTMLToImage(html)`	`pdf.ToBitmap()`
`Save(callbackUrl)`	`pdf.SaveAs(path)`
`SaveTo(filePath)`	`pdf.SaveAs(filePath)`
`GetResult(id)`	N/A
`GetStatus(id)`	N/A

PDFOptions to RenderingOptions Mapping

GrabzIt PDFOptions	IronPDF Property
`PageSize` (A4, Letter)	`RenderingOptions.PaperSize`
`CustomId`	N/A
`MarginTop`	`RenderingOptions.MarginTop`
`MarginBottom`	`RenderingOptions.MarginBottom`

ImageOptions to IronPDF Mapping

GrabzIt ImageOptions	IronPDF Equivalent
`Format` (png, jpg)	`bitmap.Save(path, ImageFormat.Png)`
`Width`	`RenderingOptions.ViewPortWidth`
`Height`	`RenderingOptions.ViewPortHeight`

Code Migration Examples

Example 1: HTML to PDF Conversion

Before (GrabzIt):

// NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");
        var options = new PDFOptions();
        options.CustomId = "my-pdf";
        
        grabzIt.HTMLToPDF("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>", options);
        grabzIt.SaveTo("output.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");
        var options = new PDFOptions();
        options.CustomId = "my-pdf";
        
        grabzIt.HTMLToPDF("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>", options);
        grabzIt.SaveTo("output.pdf");
    }
}

' NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
Imports GrabzIt
Imports GrabzIt.Parameters
Imports System

Module Program
    Sub Main()
        Dim grabzIt As New GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET")
        Dim options As New PDFOptions()
        options.CustomId = "my-pdf"

        grabzIt.HTMLToPDF("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>", options)
        grabzIt.SaveTo("output.pdf")
    End Sub
End Module

' NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
Imports GrabzIt
Imports GrabzIt.Parameters
Imports System

Module Program
    Sub Main()
        Dim grabzIt As New GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET")
        Dim options As New PDFOptions()
        options.CustomId = "my-pdf"

        grabzIt.HTMLToPDF("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>", options)
        grabzIt.SaveTo("output.pdf")
    End Sub
End Module

After (IronPDF):

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>");
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>");
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
    }
}

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

Class Program
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>")
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf")
    End Sub
End Class

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

Class Program
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>")
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf")
    End Sub
End Class

The difference is substantial: GrabzIt requires API credentials (YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY, YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET), creates a PDFOptions object with a custom ID, and the result is an image-based PDF sent through external servers. IronPDF's ChromePdfRenderer generates a true vector PDF locally with selectable text - no credentials, no network calls, no callbacks. See the HTML to PDF documentation for additional rendering options.

Example 2: URL to PDF Conversion

Before (GrabzIt):

// NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");
        var options = new PDFOptions();
        options.PageSize = PageSize.A4;
        
        grabzIt.URLToPDF("https://www.example.com", options);
        grabzIt.SaveTo("webpage.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");
        var options = new PDFOptions();
        options.PageSize = PageSize.A4;
        
        grabzIt.URLToPDF("https://www.example.com", options);
        grabzIt.SaveTo("webpage.pdf");
    }
}

' NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
Imports GrabzIt
Imports GrabzIt.Parameters
Imports System

Module Program
    Sub Main()
        Dim grabzIt As New GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET")
        Dim options As New PDFOptions()
        options.PageSize = PageSize.A4

        grabzIt.URLToPDF("https://www.example.com", options)
        grabzIt.SaveTo("webpage.pdf")
    End Sub
End Module

' NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
Imports GrabzIt
Imports GrabzIt.Parameters
Imports System

Module Program
    Sub Main()
        Dim grabzIt As New GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET")
        Dim options As New PDFOptions()
        options.PageSize = PageSize.A4

        grabzIt.URLToPDF("https://www.example.com", options)
        grabzIt.SaveTo("webpage.pdf")
    End Sub
End Module

After (IronPDF):

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.example.com");
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.example.com");
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");
    }
}

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

Class Program
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.example.com")
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf")
    End Sub
End Class

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

Class Program
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.example.com")
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf")
    End Sub
End Class

GrabzIt requires configuring PageSize.A4 through the options object and authenticating with external servers. IronPDF's RenderUrlAsPdf() method accepts the URL directly and renders it locally using a full Chromium engine with complete CSS and JavaScript support. Learn more about URL to PDF conversion.

Example 3: HTML to Image Conversion

Before (GrabzIt):

// NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");
        var options = new ImageOptions();
        options.Format = ImageFormat.png;
        options.Width = 800;
        options.Height = 600;
        
        grabzIt.HTMLToImage("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>", options);
        grabzIt.SaveTo("output.png");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");
        var options = new ImageOptions();
        options.Format = ImageFormat.png;
        options.Width = 800;
        options.Height = 600;
        
        grabzIt.HTMLToImage("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>", options);
        grabzIt.SaveTo("output.png");
    }
}

' NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
Imports GrabzIt
Imports GrabzIt.Parameters
Imports System

Module Program
    Sub Main()
        Dim grabzIt As New GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET")
        Dim options As New ImageOptions()
        options.Format = ImageFormat.png
        options.Width = 800
        options.Height = 600
        
        grabzIt.HTMLToImage("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>", options)
        grabzIt.SaveTo("output.png")
    End Sub
End Module

' NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
Imports GrabzIt
Imports GrabzIt.Parameters
Imports System

Module Program
    Sub Main()
        Dim grabzIt As New GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET")
        Dim options As New ImageOptions()
        options.Format = ImageFormat.png
        options.Width = 800
        options.Height = 600
        
        grabzIt.HTMLToImage("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>", options)
        grabzIt.SaveTo("output.png")
    End Sub
End Module

After (IronPDF):

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;
using System.Drawing;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>");
        var images = pdf.ToBitmap();
        images[0].Save("output.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png);
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;
using System.Drawing;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>");
        var images = pdf.ToBitmap();
        images[0].Save("output.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png);
    }
}

Imports IronPdf
Imports System
Imports System.Drawing

Class Program
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>")
        Dim images = pdf.ToBitmap()
        images(0).Save("output.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png)
    End Sub
End Class

Imports IronPdf
Imports System
Imports System.Drawing

Class Program
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>")
        Dim images = pdf.ToBitmap()
        images(0).Save("output.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png)
    End Sub
End Class

GrabzIt provides a dedicated HTMLToImage() method with ImageOptions for format, width, and height configuration. IronPDF achieves the same result by first rendering HTML to PDF using RenderHtmlAsPdf(), then converting to bitmap with ToBitmap(). This approach gives you both the PDF and image output from a single render operation.

Critical Migration Notes

No Callbacks Required

The most significant architectural change is eliminating callback handlers entirely:

// GrabzIt: Async callback pattern
grabzIt.HTMLToPDF(html, options);
grabzIt.Save("https://myserver.com/grabzit-callback");  // Wait for callback...

// Callback handler (separate endpoint)
public class GrabzItHandler : IHttpHandler
{
    public void ProcessRequest(HttpContext context)
    {
        string id = context.Request.QueryString["id"];
        GrabzItClient grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("APP_KEY", "APP_SECRET");
        GrabzItFile file = grabzIt.GetResult(id);
        file.Save("output.pdf");
    }
}

// IronPDF: Synchronous - result immediately available
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");  // Done! No callback needed.

// GrabzIt: Async callback pattern
grabzIt.HTMLToPDF(html, options);
grabzIt.Save("https://myserver.com/grabzit-callback");  // Wait for callback...

// Callback handler (separate endpoint)
public class GrabzItHandler : IHttpHandler
{
    public void ProcessRequest(HttpContext context)
    {
        string id = context.Request.QueryString["id"];
        GrabzItClient grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("APP_KEY", "APP_SECRET");
        GrabzItFile file = grabzIt.GetResult(id);
        file.Save("output.pdf");
    }
}

// IronPDF: Synchronous - result immediately available
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");  // Done! No callback needed.

Imports System.Web

' GrabzIt: Async callback pattern
grabzIt.HTMLToPDF(html, options)
grabzIt.Save("https://myserver.com/grabzit-callback")  ' Wait for callback...

' Callback handler (separate endpoint)
Public Class GrabzItHandler
    Implements IHttpHandler

    Public Sub ProcessRequest(context As HttpContext) Implements IHttpHandler.ProcessRequest
        Dim id As String = context.Request.QueryString("id")
        Dim grabzIt As New GrabzItClient("APP_KEY", "APP_SECRET")
        Dim file As GrabzItFile = grabzIt.GetResult(id)
        file.Save("output.pdf")
    End Sub

    Public ReadOnly Property IsReusable As Boolean Implements IHttpHandler.IsReusable
        Get
            Return False
        End Get
    End Property
End Class

' IronPDF: Synchronous - result immediately available
Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf")  ' Done! No callback needed.

Imports System.Web

' GrabzIt: Async callback pattern
grabzIt.HTMLToPDF(html, options)
grabzIt.Save("https://myserver.com/grabzit-callback")  ' Wait for callback...

' Callback handler (separate endpoint)
Public Class GrabzItHandler
    Implements IHttpHandler

    Public Sub ProcessRequest(context As HttpContext) Implements IHttpHandler.ProcessRequest
        Dim id As String = context.Request.QueryString("id")
        Dim grabzIt As New GrabzItClient("APP_KEY", "APP_SECRET")
        Dim file As GrabzItFile = grabzIt.GetResult(id)
        file.Save("output.pdf")
    End Sub

    Public ReadOnly Property IsReusable As Boolean Implements IHttpHandler.IsReusable
        Get
            Return False
        End Get
    End Property
End Class

' IronPDF: Synchronous - result immediately available
Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf")  ' Done! No callback needed.

Delete all GrabzIt callback handlers (.ashx files, handler endpoints, webhook configuration) after migration.

True Vector PDFs

GrabzIt creates image-based PDFs where text is not selectable. IronPDF generates true vector PDFs:

// With IronPDF, text extraction works natively
var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document.pdf");
string text = pdf.ExtractAllText();  // Works without OCR!

// With IronPDF, text extraction works natively
var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document.pdf");
string text = pdf.ExtractAllText();  // Works without OCR!

Imports IronPdf

' With IronPDF, text extraction works natively
Dim pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document.pdf")
Dim text As String = pdf.ExtractAllText()  ' Works without OCR!

Imports IronPdf

' With IronPDF, text extraction works natively
Dim pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document.pdf")
Dim text As String = pdf.ExtractAllText()  ' Works without OCR!

See the text extraction documentation for more details.

Smaller File Sizes

Vector-based PDFs are typically 5-10x smaller than GrabzIt's image-based PDFs. This improves storage costs, download times, and email attachment feasibility.

Remove API Credentials

GrabzIt requires API credentials for every operation:

// Remove these from configuration
// YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY
// YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET

// Remove these from configuration
// YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY
// YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET

net

net

IronPDF uses a single license key set once at application startup - no per-request authentication.

Troubleshooting

Issue 1: GrabzItClient Not Found

Problem: After removing GrabzIt, GrabzItClient references cause compile errors.

Solution: Replace with ChromePdfRenderer:

// Remove:
// var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("KEY", "SECRET");

// Replace with:
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Remove:
// var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("KEY", "SECRET");

// Replace with:
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

' Remove:
' Dim grabzIt = New GrabzItClient("KEY", "SECRET")

' Replace with:
Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()

' Remove:
' Dim grabzIt = New GrabzItClient("KEY", "SECRET")

' Replace with:
Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()

Issue 2: PDFOptions Not Found

Problem: PDFOptions class doesn't exist in IronPDF.

Solution: Use RenderingOptions property:

// GrabzIt
var options = new PDFOptions();
options.PageSize = PageSize.A4;

// IronPDF
renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperSize = PdfPaperSize.A4;

// GrabzIt
var options = new PDFOptions();
options.PageSize = PageSize.A4;

// IronPDF
renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperSize = PdfPaperSize.A4;

' GrabzIt
Dim options As New PDFOptions()
options.PageSize = PageSize.A4

' IronPDF
renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperSize = PdfPaperSize.A4

' GrabzIt
Dim options As New PDFOptions()
options.PageSize = PageSize.A4

' IronPDF
renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperSize = PdfPaperSize.A4

Issue 3: Callback Handlers Still Referenced

Problem: Application expects callback endpoints.

Solution: Delete callback infrastructure entirely. IronPDF returns results synchronously - no webhooks needed.

Issue 4: ImageOptions Not Found

Problem: ImageOptions class doesn't exist in IronPDF.

Solution: Render to PDF first, then convert:

// GrabzIt
var options = new ImageOptions();
options.Format = ImageFormat.png;
grabzIt.HTMLToImage(html, options);

// IronPDF
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
var images = pdf.ToBitmap();
images[0].Save("output.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png);

// GrabzIt
var options = new ImageOptions();
options.Format = ImageFormat.png;
grabzIt.HTMLToImage(html, options);

// IronPDF
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
var images = pdf.ToBitmap();
images[0].Save("output.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png);

' GrabzIt
Dim options As New ImageOptions()
options.Format = ImageFormat.png
grabzIt.HTMLToImage(html, options)

' IronPDF
Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)
Dim images = pdf.ToBitmap()
images(0).Save("output.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png)

' GrabzIt
Dim options As New ImageOptions()
options.Format = ImageFormat.png
grabzIt.HTMLToImage(html, options)

' IronPDF
Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)
Dim images = pdf.ToBitmap()
images(0).Save("output.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png)

Migration Checklist

Pre-Migration

Inventory all GrabzIt API calls in codebase
Identify callback handlers and webhook endpoints
Document current GrabzIt options and templates
Obtain IronPDF license key
Plan callback handler decommissioning

Code Migration

Install IronPDF NuGet package: dotnet add package IronPdf
Remove GrabzIt NuGet package: dotnet remove package GrabzIt
Replace GrabzItClient with ChromePdfRenderer
Convert HTMLToPDF() to RenderHtmlAsPdf()
Convert URLToPDF() to RenderUrlAsPdf()
Replace Save(callback) with SaveAs(path)
Update options from PDFOptions to RenderingOptions

Infrastructure Migration

Delete callback handler files (.ashx, etc.)
Remove GrabzIt API keys from configuration
Remove webhook URL configuration
Add IronPDF license key to configuration
Remove polling/status checking code

Testing

Test HTML to PDF conversion
Test URL to PDF conversion
Verify text is selectable in output PDFs
Test text extraction works (without OCR)
Verify file sizes are smaller
Performance test without network latency

Post-Migration

Cancel GrabzIt subscription
Archive callback handler code
Update documentation
Monitor for any GrabzIt-related errors

Please note: GrabzIt is a registered trademark of its respective owner. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by GrabzIt. All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. Comparisons are for informational purposes only and reflect publicly available information at the time of writing.

Curtis Chau

Chat with engineering team now

Technical Writer

Curtis Chau holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Carleton University) and specializes in front-end development with expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, and React. Passionate about crafting intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interfaces, Curtis enjoys working with modern frameworks and creating well-structured, visually appealing manuals.

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