A Comparison of IronPDF vs SelectPDF

In this comparison video, we explore the differences between Iron PDF and Select PDF for HTML to PDF conversion using the .NET framework. The process begins with setting up a project in .NET 5 and installing the necessary libraries via the NuGet package manager. When testing Select PDF, the conversion resulted in missing elements like logos and images, as well as incomplete CSS styling, leading to a subpar PDF output. Iron PDF, on the other hand, produced an output that closely mirrored the original website, preserving images, styles, and responsiveness effectively. It also demonstrated superior CSS application, ensuring the PDF looked identical to the website displayed in a browser. Overall, Iron PDF proved to be a more reliable and comprehensive tool for developers needing accurate HTML to PDF conversions, supporting the latest .NET and .NET Core frameworks while complying with HTML5 and CSS3 standards. This comparison highlights Iron PDF's capabilities and why it's a preferred choice in the market.

Further Reading: A Comparison of IronPDF vs SelectPDF

Sample Code for Using Iron PDF in .NET

Below is a sample code snippet demonstrating how to convert HTML to PDF using Iron PDF in a .NET Core application. Comments have been added for clarity.

// Import necessary namespaces for using IronPDF
using IronPdf;

class HtmlToPdfExample
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        try
        {
            // Create an instance of the HtmlToPdf class
            HtmlToPdf Renderer = new HtmlToPdf();

            // Define the URL or HTML content you want to convert
            // Here we use a URL as an example
            string htmlUrl = "https://www.example.com";

            // Convert the HTML at the specified URL to PDF
            PdfDocument pdfDocument = Renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(htmlUrl);

            // Specify the path where the PDF will be saved
            string outputPath = @"C:\path\to\output\document.pdf";

            // Save the PDF document to the specified file path
            pdfDocument.SaveAs(outputPath);

            Console.WriteLine("PDF conversion successful. File saved at: " + outputPath);
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            // Catch and display any errors that occur during the conversion process
            Console.WriteLine("An error occurred: " + ex.Message);
        }
    }
}

// Import necessary namespaces for using IronPDF
using IronPdf;

class HtmlToPdfExample
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        try
        {
            // Create an instance of the HtmlToPdf class
            HtmlToPdf Renderer = new HtmlToPdf();

            // Define the URL or HTML content you want to convert
            // Here we use a URL as an example
            string htmlUrl = "https://www.example.com";

            // Convert the HTML at the specified URL to PDF
            PdfDocument pdfDocument = Renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(htmlUrl);

            // Specify the path where the PDF will be saved
            string outputPath = @"C:\path\to\output\document.pdf";

            // Save the PDF document to the specified file path
            pdfDocument.SaveAs(outputPath);

            Console.WriteLine("PDF conversion successful. File saved at: " + outputPath);
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            // Catch and display any errors that occur during the conversion process
            Console.WriteLine("An error occurred: " + ex.Message);
        }
    }
}

' Import necessary namespaces for using IronPDF
Imports IronPdf

Friend Class HtmlToPdfExample
	Shared Sub Main(ByVal args() As String)
		Try
			' Create an instance of the HtmlToPdf class
			Dim Renderer As New HtmlToPdf()

			' Define the URL or HTML content you want to convert
			' Here we use a URL as an example
			Dim htmlUrl As String = "https://www.example.com"

			' Convert the HTML at the specified URL to PDF
			Dim pdfDocument As PdfDocument = Renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(htmlUrl)

			' Specify the path where the PDF will be saved
			Dim outputPath As String = "C:\path\to\output\document.pdf"

			' Save the PDF document to the specified file path
			pdfDocument.SaveAs(outputPath)

			Console.WriteLine("PDF conversion successful. File saved at: " & outputPath)
		Catch ex As Exception
			' Catch and display any errors that occur during the conversion process
			Console.WriteLine("An error occurred: " & ex.Message)
		End Try
	End Sub
End Class

Explanation

• HtmlToPdf Renderer: The HtmlToPdf class is used to create a renderer object that will perform the conversion.
• RenderUrlAsPdf method: This method takes a URL or HTML string and converts it into a PDF document.
• pdfDocument.SaveAs: Saves the rendered PDF document to a specified file path.
• Error Handling: The try-catch block is used to manage exceptions and print error messages, ensuring the program provides feedback on success or failure.

Ensure that you have the Iron PDF library installed in your project to execute this code successfully.