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 Telerik Reporting to IronPDF in C#

Curtis Chau

Updated: August 1, 2026

Telerik Reporting is a powerful enterprise reporting platform that has served .NET developers well for building interactive reports with visual designers and drill-down capabilities. However, for teams whose primary need is PDF generation rather than comprehensive reporting infrastructure, Telerik Reporting often represents significant overhead in licensing costs, deployment complexity, and runtime footprint.

This guide provides a complete migration path from Telerik Reporting to IronPDF, with step-by-step instructions, code comparisons, and practical examples for professional .NET developers evaluating this transition.

Why Migrate from Telerik Reporting

The decision to migrate from Telerik Reporting typically centers on matching your tooling to your actual requirements. Key reasons development teams consider migration include:

Per-Developer Licensing: Standalone Telerik Reporting starts at ~$685 per developer, and the broader DevCraft Complete bundle starts at ~$1,763 (2026 Q1, ComponentSource). Both are sold as either perpetual + 1 year of maintenance or as annual subscription. For teams that only need PDF generation, this represents significant unused capability.

Report Designer Dependency: Telerik Reporting requires the Standalone, Web, or Visual Studio-integrated designer plus runtime assemblies pulled from the private Telerik NuGet feed (https://nuget.telerik.com/v3/index.json, license key required). This adds complexity to development environments and CI/CD pipelines.

Complex Infrastructure: For HTML5 viewer scenarios you also host a Reporting REST Service (Telerik.Reporting.Services.AspNetCore) with storage, resolver and viewer-script configuration - infrastructure that adds maintenance burden for straightforward PDF generation tasks.

Proprietary Format: The .trdp and .trdx XML report definitions (Telerik's own format - not RDL/RDLC, which is explicitly unsupported) lock you into the Telerik ecosystem. Migrating or modifying templates requires Telerik tooling.

Heavy Runtime: Large deployment footprint for what may be simple HTML-to-PDF conversion, plus optional rendering DLLs for DOCX/XLSX/PPTX/XPS.

Renewable Maintenance: Even on a perpetual license, ongoing updates, fixes and support require renewing the maintenance subscription.

When Telerik Reporting Is Overkill

If you're using Telerik Reporting primarily to generate PDFs from data, you're likely paying for features that go unused:

You Need	Telerik Provides (Unused)
PDF from HTML	Visual designer, drill-downs
Simple reports	Interactive viewer, exports
Server-side PDFs	Desktop controls, charting engine

IronPDF provides focused PDF generation without enterprise reporting overhead.

IronPDF vs Telerik Reporting: Feature Comparison

Understanding the architectural differences helps technical decision-makers evaluate the migration investment:

Feature	Telerik Reporting	IronPDF
Focus	Report creation with PDF export option	Comprehensive PDF generation from HTML
Integration	Seamless with ASP.NET Core applications	Can be integrated into any .NET application
Setup Complexity	Requires installation of a report designer	Simple NuGet installation
Pricing	Part of the DevCraft commercial suite	Separate licensing, more cost-effective for standalone PDF generation
PDF Generation	Limited to report exports	Full-featured with advanced PDF manipulation
Target Audience	Developers needing report-centric solutions	Developers needing flexible PDF generation solutions
Template Format	`.trdp` / `.trdx` (XML; not RDL/RDLC)	HTML/CSS/Razor
Learning Curve	Telerik-specific (expression language, sections)	Standard web technologies
HTML to PDF	Server-side via `HtmlTextBox` (limited HTML/CSS)	Full Chromium rendering
URL to PDF	Not built-in (fetch HTML yourself)	Yes
CSS Support	Limited (CSS-like selectors in designer)	Full CSS3
JavaScript at render time	No (server engine doesn't execute JS)	Full ES2024
Digital Signatures	Yes (X.509 / .PFX via PDF device info)	Yes
PDF/A	PDF/A-1b, PDF/A-2b, PDF/A-3b	PDF/A-3
Runtime Size	Large (engine + per-format rendering DLLs)	Smaller

Quick Start: Telerik Reporting to IronPDF Migration

The migration can begin immediately with these foundational steps.

Step 1: Replace NuGet Packages

Remove all Telerik Reporting packages:

# Remove Telerik Reporting packages (hosted on the private Telerik NuGet feed)
dotnet remove package Telerik.Reporting
dotnet remove package Telerik.Reporting.Services.AspNetCore
dotnet remove package Telerik.ReportViewer.Mvc

# Remove Telerik Reporting packages (hosted on the private Telerik NuGet feed)
dotnet remove package Telerik.Reporting
dotnet remove package Telerik.Reporting.Services.AspNetCore
dotnet remove package Telerik.ReportViewer.Mvc

SHELL

Install IronPDF:

# Install IronPDF (hosted on nuget.org)
dotnet add package IronPdf

# Install IronPDF (hosted on nuget.org)
dotnet add package IronPdf

SHELL

Step 2: Update Namespaces

Replace Telerik namespaces with the IronPDF namespace:

// Before (Telerik Reporting)
using Telerik.Reporting;
using Telerik.Reporting.Processing;
using Telerik.Reporting.Drawing;

// After (IronPDF)
using IronPdf;

// Before (Telerik Reporting)
using Telerik.Reporting;
using Telerik.Reporting.Processing;
using Telerik.Reporting.Drawing;

// After (IronPDF)
using IronPdf;

Imports Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting.Processing
Imports Telerik.Reporting.Drawing

' After (IronPDF)
Imports IronPdf

Imports Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting.Processing
Imports Telerik.Reporting.Drawing

' After (IronPDF)
Imports IronPdf

Step 3: Initialize License

Add license initialization at application startup:

IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";

IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";

IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY"

IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY"

Code Migration Examples

Converting HTML to PDF

The most common use case demonstrates the architectural difference between these .NET PDF libraries.

Telerik Reporting Approach:

// NuGet: Install-Package Telerik.Reporting
using Telerik.Reporting;
using Telerik.Reporting.Processing;
using System.Collections.Specialized;

class TelerikExample
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var reportSource = new Telerik.Reporting.TypeReportSource();
        var instanceReportSource = new Telerik.Reporting.InstanceReportSource();
        instanceReportSource.ReportDocument = new Telerik.Reporting.Report()
        {
            Items = { new Telerik.Reporting.HtmlTextBox() { Value = "<h1>Hello World</h1><p>Sample HTML content</p>" } }
        };
        
        var reportProcessor = new ReportProcessor();
        var result = reportProcessor.RenderReport("PDF", instanceReportSource, null);
        
        using (var fs = new System.IO.FileStream("output.pdf", System.IO.FileMode.Create))
        {
            fs.Write(result.DocumentBytes, 0, result.DocumentBytes.Length);
        }
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package Telerik.Reporting
using Telerik.Reporting;
using Telerik.Reporting.Processing;
using System.Collections.Specialized;

class TelerikExample
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var reportSource = new Telerik.Reporting.TypeReportSource();
        var instanceReportSource = new Telerik.Reporting.InstanceReportSource();
        instanceReportSource.ReportDocument = new Telerik.Reporting.Report()
        {
            Items = { new Telerik.Reporting.HtmlTextBox() { Value = "<h1>Hello World</h1><p>Sample HTML content</p>" } }
        };
        
        var reportProcessor = new ReportProcessor();
        var result = reportProcessor.RenderReport("PDF", instanceReportSource, null);
        
        using (var fs = new System.IO.FileStream("output.pdf", System.IO.FileMode.Create))
        {
            fs.Write(result.DocumentBytes, 0, result.DocumentBytes.Length);
        }
    }
}

' NuGet: Install-Package Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting.Processing
Imports System.Collections.Specialized

Class TelerikExample
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim reportSource As New Telerik.Reporting.TypeReportSource()
        Dim instanceReportSource As New Telerik.Reporting.InstanceReportSource()
        instanceReportSource.ReportDocument = New Telerik.Reporting.Report() With {
            .Items = {New Telerik.Reporting.HtmlTextBox() With {.Value = "<h1>Hello World</h1><p>Sample HTML content</p>"}}
        }

        Dim reportProcessor As New ReportProcessor()
        Dim result = reportProcessor.RenderReport("PDF", instanceReportSource, Nothing)

        Using fs As New System.IO.FileStream("output.pdf", System.IO.FileMode.Create)
            fs.Write(result.DocumentBytes, 0, result.DocumentBytes.Length)
        End Using
    End Sub
End Class

' NuGet: Install-Package Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting.Processing
Imports System.Collections.Specialized

Class TelerikExample
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim reportSource As New Telerik.Reporting.TypeReportSource()
        Dim instanceReportSource As New Telerik.Reporting.InstanceReportSource()
        instanceReportSource.ReportDocument = New Telerik.Reporting.Report() With {
            .Items = {New Telerik.Reporting.HtmlTextBox() With {.Value = "<h1>Hello World</h1><p>Sample HTML content</p>"}}
        }

        Dim reportProcessor As New ReportProcessor()
        Dim result = reportProcessor.RenderReport("PDF", instanceReportSource, Nothing)

        Using fs As New System.IO.FileStream("output.pdf", System.IO.FileMode.Create)
            fs.Write(result.DocumentBytes, 0, result.DocumentBytes.Length)
        End Using
    End Sub
End Class

IronPDF Approach:

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

class IronPdfExample
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1><p>Sample HTML content</p>");
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
    }
}

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

class IronPdfExample
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1><p>Sample HTML content</p>");
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
    }
}

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

Class IronPdfExample
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1><p>Sample HTML content</p>")
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf")
    End Sub
End Class

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

Class IronPdfExample
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1><p>Sample HTML content</p>")
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf")
    End Sub
End Class

The Telerik version requires creating a TypeReportSource, an InstanceReportSource, a Report object with an HtmlTextBox, a ReportProcessor, and manual file stream management. IronPDF's ChromePdfRenderer handles the entire process with three lines of code.

For advanced HTML-to-PDF scenarios, see the HTML to PDF conversion guide.

Converting URLs to PDF

URL-to-PDF conversion reveals a significant capability gap in Telerik Reporting.

Telerik Reporting Approach:

// NuGet: Install-Package Telerik.Reporting
using Telerik.Reporting;
using Telerik.Reporting.Processing;
using System.Net;

class TelerikExample
{
    static void Main()
    {
        string htmlContent;
        using (var client = new WebClient())
        {
            htmlContent = client.DownloadString("https://example.com");
        }
        
        var report = new Telerik.Reporting.Report();
        var htmlTextBox = new Telerik.Reporting.HtmlTextBox()
        {
            Value = htmlContent
        };
        report.Items.Add(htmlTextBox);
        
        var instanceReportSource = new Telerik.Reporting.InstanceReportSource();
        instanceReportSource.ReportDocument = report;
        
        var reportProcessor = new ReportProcessor();
        var result = reportProcessor.RenderReport("PDF", instanceReportSource, null);
        
        using (var fs = new System.IO.FileStream("webpage.pdf", System.IO.FileMode.Create))
        {
            fs.Write(result.DocumentBytes, 0, result.DocumentBytes.Length);
        }
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package Telerik.Reporting
using Telerik.Reporting;
using Telerik.Reporting.Processing;
using System.Net;

class TelerikExample
{
    static void Main()
    {
        string htmlContent;
        using (var client = new WebClient())
        {
            htmlContent = client.DownloadString("https://example.com");
        }
        
        var report = new Telerik.Reporting.Report();
        var htmlTextBox = new Telerik.Reporting.HtmlTextBox()
        {
            Value = htmlContent
        };
        report.Items.Add(htmlTextBox);
        
        var instanceReportSource = new Telerik.Reporting.InstanceReportSource();
        instanceReportSource.ReportDocument = report;
        
        var reportProcessor = new ReportProcessor();
        var result = reportProcessor.RenderReport("PDF", instanceReportSource, null);
        
        using (var fs = new System.IO.FileStream("webpage.pdf", System.IO.FileMode.Create))
        {
            fs.Write(result.DocumentBytes, 0, result.DocumentBytes.Length);
        }
    }
}

' NuGet: Install-Package Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting.Processing
Imports System.Net

Class TelerikExample
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim htmlContent As String
        Using client As New WebClient()
            htmlContent = client.DownloadString("https://example.com")
        End Using
        
        Dim report As New Telerik.Reporting.Report()
        Dim htmlTextBox As New Telerik.Reporting.HtmlTextBox() With {
            .Value = htmlContent
        }
        report.Items.Add(htmlTextBox)
        
        Dim instanceReportSource As New Telerik.Reporting.InstanceReportSource()
        instanceReportSource.ReportDocument = report
        
        Dim reportProcessor As New ReportProcessor()
        Dim result = reportProcessor.RenderReport("PDF", instanceReportSource, Nothing)
        
        Using fs As New System.IO.FileStream("webpage.pdf", System.IO.FileMode.Create)
            fs.Write(result.DocumentBytes, 0, result.DocumentBytes.Length)
        End Using
    End Sub
End Class

' NuGet: Install-Package Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting.Processing
Imports System.Net

Class TelerikExample
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim htmlContent As String
        Using client As New WebClient()
            htmlContent = client.DownloadString("https://example.com")
        End Using
        
        Dim report As New Telerik.Reporting.Report()
        Dim htmlTextBox As New Telerik.Reporting.HtmlTextBox() With {
            .Value = htmlContent
        }
        report.Items.Add(htmlTextBox)
        
        Dim instanceReportSource As New Telerik.Reporting.InstanceReportSource()
        instanceReportSource.ReportDocument = report
        
        Dim reportProcessor As New ReportProcessor()
        Dim result = reportProcessor.RenderReport("PDF", instanceReportSource, Nothing)
        
        Using fs As New System.IO.FileStream("webpage.pdf", System.IO.FileMode.Create)
            fs.Write(result.DocumentBytes, 0, result.DocumentBytes.Length)
        End Using
    End Sub
End Class

IronPDF Approach:

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

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

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

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

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

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

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

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

Telerik Reporting has no built-in URL-to-PDF method - you fetch the HTML yourself (here via WebClient), and the server-side engine doesn't execute JavaScript, so external scripts and dynamic content are not rendered. IronPDF's RenderUrlAsPdf method captures the complete rendered page exactly as it appears in a browser.

Explore the URL to PDF documentation for authentication and custom header options.

Implementing Headers and Footers with Page Numbers

Headers and footers with dynamic page numbers are essential for professional documents. The implementation approaches differ significantly.

Telerik Reporting Approach:

// NuGet: Install-Package Telerik.Reporting
using Telerik.Reporting;
using Telerik.Reporting.Processing;
using Telerik.Reporting.Drawing;

class TelerikExample
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var report = new Telerik.Reporting.Report();
        
        // Add page header
        var pageHeader = new Telerik.Reporting.PageHeaderSection();
        pageHeader.Height = new Unit(0.5, UnitType.Inch);
        pageHeader.Items.Add(new Telerik.Reporting.TextBox()
        {
            Value = "Document Header",
            Location = new PointU(0, 0),
            Size = new SizeU(new Unit(6, UnitType.Inch), new Unit(0.3, UnitType.Inch))
        });
        report.PageHeaderSection = pageHeader;
        
        // Add page footer
        var pageFooter = new Telerik.Reporting.PageFooterSection();
        pageFooter.Height = new Unit(0.5, UnitType.Inch);
        pageFooter.Items.Add(new Telerik.Reporting.TextBox()
        {
            Value = "Page {PageNumber} of {PageCount}",
            Location = new PointU(0, 0),
            Size = new SizeU(new Unit(6, UnitType.Inch), new Unit(0.3, UnitType.Inch))
        });
        report.PageFooterSection = pageFooter;
        
        // Add content
        var htmlTextBox = new Telerik.Reporting.HtmlTextBox()
        {
            Value = "<h1>Report Content</h1><p>This is the main content.</p>"
        };
        report.Items.Add(htmlTextBox);
        
        var instanceReportSource = new Telerik.Reporting.InstanceReportSource();
        instanceReportSource.ReportDocument = report;
        
        var reportProcessor = new ReportProcessor();
        var result = reportProcessor.RenderReport("PDF", instanceReportSource, null);
        
        using (var fs = new System.IO.FileStream("report_with_headers.pdf", System.IO.FileMode.Create))
        {
            fs.Write(result.DocumentBytes, 0, result.DocumentBytes.Length);
        }
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package Telerik.Reporting
using Telerik.Reporting;
using Telerik.Reporting.Processing;
using Telerik.Reporting.Drawing;

class TelerikExample
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var report = new Telerik.Reporting.Report();
        
        // Add page header
        var pageHeader = new Telerik.Reporting.PageHeaderSection();
        pageHeader.Height = new Unit(0.5, UnitType.Inch);
        pageHeader.Items.Add(new Telerik.Reporting.TextBox()
        {
            Value = "Document Header",
            Location = new PointU(0, 0),
            Size = new SizeU(new Unit(6, UnitType.Inch), new Unit(0.3, UnitType.Inch))
        });
        report.PageHeaderSection = pageHeader;
        
        // Add page footer
        var pageFooter = new Telerik.Reporting.PageFooterSection();
        pageFooter.Height = new Unit(0.5, UnitType.Inch);
        pageFooter.Items.Add(new Telerik.Reporting.TextBox()
        {
            Value = "Page {PageNumber} of {PageCount}",
            Location = new PointU(0, 0),
            Size = new SizeU(new Unit(6, UnitType.Inch), new Unit(0.3, UnitType.Inch))
        });
        report.PageFooterSection = pageFooter;
        
        // Add content
        var htmlTextBox = new Telerik.Reporting.HtmlTextBox()
        {
            Value = "<h1>Report Content</h1><p>This is the main content.</p>"
        };
        report.Items.Add(htmlTextBox);
        
        var instanceReportSource = new Telerik.Reporting.InstanceReportSource();
        instanceReportSource.ReportDocument = report;
        
        var reportProcessor = new ReportProcessor();
        var result = reportProcessor.RenderReport("PDF", instanceReportSource, null);
        
        using (var fs = new System.IO.FileStream("report_with_headers.pdf", System.IO.FileMode.Create))
        {
            fs.Write(result.DocumentBytes, 0, result.DocumentBytes.Length);
        }
    }
}

' NuGet: Install-Package Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting.Processing
Imports Telerik.Reporting.Drawing

Class TelerikExample
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim report As New Telerik.Reporting.Report()

        ' Add page header
        Dim pageHeader As New Telerik.Reporting.PageHeaderSection()
        pageHeader.Height = New Unit(0.5, UnitType.Inch)
        pageHeader.Items.Add(New Telerik.Reporting.TextBox() With {
            .Value = "Document Header",
            .Location = New PointU(0, 0),
            .Size = New SizeU(New Unit(6, UnitType.Inch), New Unit(0.3, UnitType.Inch))
        })
        report.PageHeaderSection = pageHeader

        ' Add page footer
        Dim pageFooter As New Telerik.Reporting.PageFooterSection()
        pageFooter.Height = New Unit(0.5, UnitType.Inch)
        pageFooter.Items.Add(New Telerik.Reporting.TextBox() With {
            .Value = "Page {PageNumber} of {PageCount}",
            .Location = New PointU(0, 0),
            .Size = New SizeU(New Unit(6, UnitType.Inch), New Unit(0.3, UnitType.Inch))
        })
        report.PageFooterSection = pageFooter

        ' Add content
        Dim htmlTextBox As New Telerik.Reporting.HtmlTextBox() With {
            .Value = "<h1>Report Content</h1><p>This is the main content.</p>"
        }
        report.Items.Add(htmlTextBox)

        Dim instanceReportSource As New Telerik.Reporting.InstanceReportSource()
        instanceReportSource.ReportDocument = report

        Dim reportProcessor As New ReportProcessor()
        Dim result = reportProcessor.RenderReport("PDF", instanceReportSource, Nothing)

        Using fs As New System.IO.FileStream("report_with_headers.pdf", System.IO.FileMode.Create)
            fs.Write(result.DocumentBytes, 0, result.DocumentBytes.Length)
        End Using
    End Sub
End Class

' NuGet: Install-Package Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting.Processing
Imports Telerik.Reporting.Drawing

Class TelerikExample
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim report As New Telerik.Reporting.Report()

        ' Add page header
        Dim pageHeader As New Telerik.Reporting.PageHeaderSection()
        pageHeader.Height = New Unit(0.5, UnitType.Inch)
        pageHeader.Items.Add(New Telerik.Reporting.TextBox() With {
            .Value = "Document Header",
            .Location = New PointU(0, 0),
            .Size = New SizeU(New Unit(6, UnitType.Inch), New Unit(0.3, UnitType.Inch))
        })
        report.PageHeaderSection = pageHeader

        ' Add page footer
        Dim pageFooter As New Telerik.Reporting.PageFooterSection()
        pageFooter.Height = New Unit(0.5, UnitType.Inch)
        pageFooter.Items.Add(New Telerik.Reporting.TextBox() With {
            .Value = "Page {PageNumber} of {PageCount}",
            .Location = New PointU(0, 0),
            .Size = New SizeU(New Unit(6, UnitType.Inch), New Unit(0.3, UnitType.Inch))
        })
        report.PageFooterSection = pageFooter

        ' Add content
        Dim htmlTextBox As New Telerik.Reporting.HtmlTextBox() With {
            .Value = "<h1>Report Content</h1><p>This is the main content.</p>"
        }
        report.Items.Add(htmlTextBox)

        Dim instanceReportSource As New Telerik.Reporting.InstanceReportSource()
        instanceReportSource.ReportDocument = report

        Dim reportProcessor As New ReportProcessor()
        Dim result = reportProcessor.RenderReport("PDF", instanceReportSource, Nothing)

        Using fs As New System.IO.FileStream("report_with_headers.pdf", System.IO.FileMode.Create)
            fs.Write(result.DocumentBytes, 0, result.DocumentBytes.Length)
        End Using
    End Sub
End Class

IronPDF Approach:

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

class IronPdfExample
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        
        // Configure header and footer
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = new HtmlHeaderFooter()
        {
            HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Document Header</div>"
        };
        
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = new HtmlHeaderFooter()
        {
            HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Page {page} of {total-pages}</div>"
        };
        
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Report Content</h1><p>This is the main content.</p>");
        pdf.SaveAs("report_with_headers.pdf");
    }
}

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

class IronPdfExample
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        
        // Configure header and footer
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = new HtmlHeaderFooter()
        {
            HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Document Header</div>"
        };
        
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = new HtmlHeaderFooter()
        {
            HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Page {page} of {total-pages}</div>"
        };
        
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Report Content</h1><p>This is the main content.</p>");
        pdf.SaveAs("report_with_headers.pdf");
    }
}

' NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
Imports IronPdf
Imports IronPdf.Rendering
Imports System

Class IronPdfExample
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()

        ' Configure header and footer
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = New HtmlHeaderFooter() With {
            .HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Document Header</div>"
        }

        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = New HtmlHeaderFooter() With {
            .HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Page {page} of {total-pages}</div>"
        }

        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Report Content</h1><p>This is the main content.</p>")
        pdf.SaveAs("report_with_headers.pdf")
    End Sub
End Class

' NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
Imports IronPdf
Imports IronPdf.Rendering
Imports System

Class IronPdfExample
    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()

        ' Configure header and footer
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = New HtmlHeaderFooter() With {
            .HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Document Header</div>"
        }

        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = New HtmlHeaderFooter() With {
            .HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Page {page} of {total-pages}</div>"
        }

        Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Report Content</h1><p>This is the main content.</p>")
        pdf.SaveAs("report_with_headers.pdf")
    End Sub
End Class

Telerik Reporting requires creating PageHeaderSection and PageFooterSection objects, configuring Unit measurements, setting Location and Size properties, and managing TextBox items with specific coordinates. IronPDF's HTML-based approach uses familiar CSS styling and simple placeholders like {page} and {total-pages}.

Learn more about header and footer options in the headers and footers documentation.

Telerik Reporting API to IronPDF Mapping Reference

This mapping accelerates migration by showing direct API equivalents:

Telerik Reporting	IronPDF
`Report` class	`ChromePdfRenderer`
`ReportProcessor`	`renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf()`
`ReportSource`	HTML string or file
`.trdp` / `.trdx` files	HTML/CSS templates
`ReportParameter`	String interpolation / Razor
`ReportDataSource`	C# data binding
`RenderReport("PDF")`	`RenderHtmlAsPdf()`
`Export()`	`pdf.SaveAs()`
`TextBox` report item	HTML `<span>`, `<p>`, `<div>`
`Table` report item	HTML `<table>`
`PictureBox`	HTML `<img>`
`PageSettings`	`RenderingOptions`

Common Migration Issues and Solutions

Issue 1: Report Definitions (.trdp/.trdx files)

Telerik Reporting uses proprietary XML report definitions that cannot be directly converted.

Solution: Convert to HTML templates by opening the report in the designer, documenting layout, data bindings, and formatting, then recreating as HTML/CSS templates. Use Razor for data binding in complex scenarios.

Issue 2: Data Source Binding

Telerik Reporting uses SqlDataSource and object data sources with expression binding.

Solution: Fetch data in C# and bind to HTML:

var data = await dbContext.Orders.ToListAsync();
var html = $"<table>{string.Join("", data.Select(d => $"<tr><td>{d.Name}</td></tr>"))}</table>";

var data = await dbContext.Orders.ToListAsync();
var html = $"<table>{string.Join("", data.Select(d => $"<tr><td>{d.Name}</td></tr>"))}</table>";

Dim data = Await dbContext.Orders.ToListAsync()
Dim html = $"<table>{String.Join("", data.Select(Function(d) $"<tr><td>{d.Name}</td></tr>"))}</table>"

Dim data = Await dbContext.Orders.ToListAsync()
Dim html = $"<table>{String.Join("", data.Select(Function(d) $"<tr><td>{d.Name}</td></tr>"))}</table>"

Issue 3: Report Parameters

Telerik Reporting uses ReportParameter with built-in parameter UI.

Solution: Pass parameters directly to HTML generation:

public string GenerateReport(string customerId, DateTime fromDate)
{
    return $"<h1>Report for {customerId}</h1><p>From: {fromDate:d}</p>";
}

public string GenerateReport(string customerId, DateTime fromDate)
{
    return $"<h1>Report for {customerId}</h1><p>From: {fromDate:d}</p>";
}

Public Function GenerateReport(customerId As String, fromDate As DateTime) As String
    Return $"<h1>Report for {customerId}</h1><p>From: {fromDate:d}</p>"
End Function

Public Function GenerateReport(customerId As String, fromDate As DateTime) As String
    Return $"<h1>Report for {customerId}</h1><p>From: {fromDate:d}</p>"
End Function

Issue 4: Interactive Features

Telerik Reporting provides drill-down, sorting, and filtering in the viewer.

Solution: IronPDF generates static PDFs. For interactivity, keep data in your web UI and generate PDF when the user clicks "Export." This separates concerns between interactive data exploration and document generation.

Telerik Reporting Migration Checklist

Pre-Migration Tasks

Audit your codebase to identify all Telerik Reporting usage:

grep -r "using Telerik.Reporting" --include="*.cs" .
grep -r "Report\|ReportProcessor" --include="*.cs" .

grep -r "using Telerik.Reporting" --include="*.cs" .
grep -r "Report\|ReportProcessor" --include="*.cs" .

SHELL

Document data sources and parameters, screenshot current report layouts for visual reference, and identify shared report components that can be converted to reusable HTML templates.

Code Update Tasks

Remove Telerik NuGet packages
Install IronPDF NuGet package
Convert .trdp/.trdx files to HTML templates
Replace ReportProcessor with ChromePdfRenderer
Update data binding to string interpolation or Razor
Convert headers/footers to HTML using HtmlHeaderFooter
Add license initialization at startup

Post-Migration Testing

After migration, verify these aspects:

Compare PDF output visually against original reports
Verify data accuracy in generated PDFs
Test pagination for multi-page documents
Check headers/footers appear correctly on all pages
Conduct performance testing for high-volume scenarios

Key Benefits of Migrating to IronPDF

Moving from Telerik Reporting to IronPDF provides several advantages for teams focused on PDF generation:

Modern Chromium Rendering Engine: IronPDF uses the same rendering engine as Google Chrome, ensuring PDFs render exactly as content appears in modern browsers. Full CSS3 and JavaScript support means your web designs translate directly to PDF.

Simplified Licensing: IronPDF offers per-developer licensing without requiring a comprehensive suite purchase. For teams that only need PDF generation, this represents significant cost savings.

Standard Web Technologies: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are skills every web developer possesses. No proprietary template formats or specialized designer tools to learn.

Smaller Deployment Footprint: Without report service infrastructure and designer components, deployments are simpler and faster.

Active Development: IronPDF's regular updates track current .NET versions, so projects on modern .NET stay supported without waiting on a quarterly reporting release.

Please note: Telerik is a registered trademark of its respective owner. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Progress Software. 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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