Making a PDF in a C# .NET Library

Which Installation Method Should I Choose?

# Use the NuGet package manager to install IronPDF
nuget install IronPdf

# Use the NuGet package manager to install IronPDF
nuget install IronPdf

NuGet is the recommended approach for most developers, especially those new to .NET development. It integrates seamlessly with Visual Studio and other IDEs, making it perfect for creating PDFs in C#. The package manager handles all the complex configuration automatically, including:

• Dependency resolution and version compatibility
• Platform-specific binaries for Windows, Linux, or Mac
• Automatic updates through Visual Studio's package manager
• Integration with your project's build process

What Are Common Installation Issues?

When installing IronPDF, developers sometimes encounter a few common challenges. The troubleshooting guide covers most scenarios, but here are the most frequent ones:

1. Missing Visual C++ Runtime: IronPDF requires Visual C++ redistributables. If you see errors about missing DLLs, install the latest Visual C++ runtime from Microsoft.

2. Firewall Blocking NuGet: Corporate environments may block NuGet.org. In this case, you can download the offline package and install it manually.

3. Platform Mismatches: Ensure your project targets the correct platform (x86, x64, or AnyCPU). IronPDF works best with specific platform targeting rather than AnyCPU.

Why Use NuGet Over Manual Installation?

For developers learning HTML to PDF conversion, NuGet offers several advantages:

• Automatic Updates: Get security patches and new features automatically
• Version Control: Easy rollback to previous versions if needed
• Team Collaboration: All developers get the same package version
• Build Server Compatibility: Works seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines
• Package Restore: Missing packages download automatically on build

The NuGet packages documentation provides advanced configuration options for specific scenarios like Azure deployment or Docker containers.

How to Tutorial

What Does ChromePdfRenderer Do?

In the code below, we've used a C# Form to demonstrate how to create a PDF with the C# .NET library. In this example, we have a TextBox to write our own text and then just click a button to make a PDF. The class ChromePdfRenderer offers the simplest way to generate PDF files from different sources including an HTML string, web URLs, or doc files under another renderer.

The ChromePdfRenderer is the heart of IronPDF's rendering engine. It uses the same technology as Google Chrome to ensure your PDFs look exactly like they would in a modern web browser. This means full support for:

• CSS3 styling and responsive layouts
• JavaScript execution for dynamic content
• Web fonts and icons
• SVG graphics
• UTF-8 and international languages

How Do I Handle Errors in PDF Generation?

Error handling is crucial for reliable PDF generation. IronPDF provides detailed exceptions that help identify issues quickly. Here's a robust approach to PDF generation with error handling:

using IronPdf;
using System;
using System.IO;

public class PdfGenerator
{
    public static bool CreatePdfSafely(string htmlContent, string outputPath)
    {
        try
        {
            var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

            // Configure rendering options for better results
            renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperOrientation = PdfPaperOrientation.Portrait;
            renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginTop = 20;
            renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginBottom = 20;
            renderer.RenderingOptions.PrintHtmlBackgrounds = true;

            // Generate the PDF
            var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent);

            // Ensure directory exists
            string directory = Path.GetDirectoryName(outputPath);
            if (!Directory.Exists(directory))
            {
                Directory.CreateDirectory(directory);
            }

            // Save the PDF
            pdf.SaveAs(outputPath);

            return true;
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            // Log the error (you can use your preferred logging framework)
            Console.WriteLine($"PDF generation failed: {ex.Message}");
            return false;
        }
    }
}

using IronPdf;
using System;
using System.IO;

public class PdfGenerator
{
    public static bool CreatePdfSafely(string htmlContent, string outputPath)
    {
        try
        {
            var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

            // Configure rendering options for better results
            renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperOrientation = PdfPaperOrientation.Portrait;
            renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginTop = 20;
            renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginBottom = 20;
            renderer.RenderingOptions.PrintHtmlBackgrounds = true;

            // Generate the PDF
            var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent);

            // Ensure directory exists
            string directory = Path.GetDirectoryName(outputPath);
            if (!Directory.Exists(directory))
            {
                Directory.CreateDirectory(directory);
            }

            // Save the PDF
            pdf.SaveAs(outputPath);

            return true;
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            // Log the error (you can use your preferred logging framework)
            Console.WriteLine($"PDF generation failed: {ex.Message}");
            return false;
        }
    }
}

For more advanced error scenarios, consult the troubleshooting guides which cover common issues like memory management and rendering delays.

When Should I Use HTML Rendering vs Direct PDF Creation?

Understanding when to use HTML rendering versus direct PDF creation helps you choose the right approach. IronPDF excels at HTML rendering because it provides:

HTML Rendering Benefits:

• Leverage existing web development skills
• Use familiar CSS for styling
• Easy responsive design with viewport settings
• Dynamic content with JavaScript support
• Rapid prototyping and iteration

Use HTML rendering when:

• Converting existing web pages or ASPX pages
• Creating reports with complex layouts
• Working with responsive designs
• Generating invoices or receipts from templates
• Building PDF forms with HTML forms

Direct PDF manipulation is better for:

• Adding annotations to existing PDFs
• Merging or splitting PDFs
• Applying digital signatures
• Adding watermarks
• Extracting text and images

// C# Program to create PDF from TextBox input using IronPDF
using IronPdf;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace readpdf
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        // Event handler for the button click
        private void button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
        {
            // Create a ChromePdfRenderer object to convert HTML to PDF
            var HtmlLine = new ChromePdfRenderer();

            // Retrieve the text from the TextBox
            string text = textBox1.Text;

            // Render the HTML as a PDF, wrapping the text in an <h1> tag
            using var pdf = HtmlLine.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>" + text + "</h1>");

            // Save the PDF to a file called "custom.pdf"
            pdf.SaveAs("custom.pdf");

            // Show a confirmation message to the user
            MessageBox.Show("Done!");
        }
    }
}

// C# Program to create PDF from TextBox input using IronPDF
using IronPdf;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace readpdf
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        // Event handler for the button click
        private void button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
        {
            // Create a ChromePdfRenderer object to convert HTML to PDF
            var HtmlLine = new ChromePdfRenderer();

            // Retrieve the text from the TextBox
            string text = textBox1.Text;

            // Render the HTML as a PDF, wrapping the text in an <h1> tag
            using var pdf = HtmlLine.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>" + text + "</h1>");

            // Save the PDF to a file called "custom.pdf"
            pdf.SaveAs("custom.pdf");

            // Show a confirmation message to the user
            MessageBox.Show("Done!");
        }
    }
}

Why Does This Single-Click Method Work?

The single-click method works effectively because IronPDF handles all the complex rendering internally. When you call RenderHtmlAsPdf(), IronPDF:

1. Initializes the Chrome engine: Uses the same rendering engine as Chrome browser
2. Processes the HTML: Parses your HTML string and applies any inline styles
3. Renders to PDF: Converts the rendered content to PDF format
4. Optimizes the output: Applies compression and optimization

This simplicity makes IronPDF perfect for rapid development scenarios where you need quick results. The library handles font management, image embedding, and even JavaScript execution automatically.

What File Formats Can I Export To?

While PDF is the primary output format, IronPDF supports various export and conversion options:

• PDF to Images: Convert PDFs to PNG, JPEG, or TIFF
• PDF to HTML: Export PDFs back to HTML format
• PDF/A Compliance: Create archival PDFs for long-term storage
• PDF/UA: Generate accessible PDFs for users with disabilities
• Memory Streams: Export to memory for web applications

Additionally, IronPDF can import from various sources:

• HTML files and strings
• URLs and web pages
• DOCX documents
• Images
• Markdown files
• RTF documents

How Do I Customize the PDF Output?

IronPDF offers extensive customization options through the RenderingOptions class. Here's an example showing common customizations:

using IronPdf;

// Create renderer with custom settings
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Page setup options
renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperSize = PdfPaperSize.A4;
renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperOrientation = PdfPaperOrientation.Portrait;

// Margins (in millimeters)
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginTop = 25;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginBottom = 25;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginLeft = 20;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginRight = 20;

// Header and footer configuration
renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = new HtmlHeaderFooter()
{
    Height = 15,
    HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align: center;'>{page} of {total-pages}</div>",
    DrawDividerLine = true
};

// Additional options
renderer.RenderingOptions.PrintHtmlBackgrounds = true;
renderer.RenderingOptions.GrayScale = false;
renderer.RenderingOptions.Zoom = 100;
renderer.RenderingOptions.CreatePdfFormsFromHtml = true;

// Apply custom CSS for print
renderer.RenderingOptions.CssMediaType = PdfCssMediaType.Print;

// Generate PDF with all customizations
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Customized PDF Output</h1>");
pdf.SaveAs("customized.pdf");

using IronPdf;

// Create renderer with custom settings
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Page setup options
renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperSize = PdfPaperSize.A4;
renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperOrientation = PdfPaperOrientation.Portrait;

// Margins (in millimeters)
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginTop = 25;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginBottom = 25;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginLeft = 20;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginRight = 20;

// Header and footer configuration
renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = new HtmlHeaderFooter()
{
    Height = 15,
    HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align: center;'>{page} of {total-pages}</div>",
    DrawDividerLine = true
};

// Additional options
renderer.RenderingOptions.PrintHtmlBackgrounds = true;
renderer.RenderingOptions.GrayScale = false;
renderer.RenderingOptions.Zoom = 100;
renderer.RenderingOptions.CreatePdfFormsFromHtml = true;

// Apply custom CSS for print
renderer.RenderingOptions.CssMediaType = PdfCssMediaType.Print;

// Generate PDF with all customizations
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Customized PDF Output</h1>");
pdf.SaveAs("customized.pdf");

For more advanced customizations, explore:

• Custom paper sizes
• Headers and footers
• Backgrounds and foregrounds
• Page numbers
• Watermarks

~ C# Form ~

~ PDF ~

Library Quick Access

Share API Reference

Read through and share the API Reference for all the functionality you need to work with PDFs in your .NET project. The comprehensive documentation covers everything from basic [PDF creation](https://ironpdf.com/tutorials/csharp-create-pdf-complete-tutorial/) to advanced features like [digital signatures](https://ironpdf.com/tutorials/csharp-pdf-security-complete-tutorial/) and [form handling](https://ironpdf.com/how-to/edit-forms/).

API Reference for IronPDF