Convert Rich Text Format to PDF in C#

Why Use RTF String Conversion Instead of File Conversion?

RTF string conversion is particularly useful when working with dynamically generated content or when receiving RTF data from databases, APIs, or user input. This approach eliminates the need for temporary file creation and provides better performance in web applications. Additionally, string-based conversion allows for easier manipulation and pre-processing of RTF content before conversion.

:path=/static-assets/pdf/content-code-examples/how-to/rtf-to-pdf-from-string.cs

using IronPdf;

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

// RTF string
string rtf = @"{\rtf1\ansi\deff0{\fonttbl{\f0 Arial;}}{\colortbl;\red0\green0\blue0;}\cf0This is some \b bold \b0 and \i italic \i0 text.}";

// Render from RTF string
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderRtfStringAsPdf(rtf);

// Save the PDF
pdf.SaveAs("pdfFromRtfString.pdf");

What Are the Common Use Cases for RTF String Conversion?

RTF string conversion is commonly used in scenarios such as:

• Email Templates: Converting RTF-formatted email bodies to PDF for archiving
• Database Reports: Transforming RTF data stored in databases into printable PDFs
• Dynamic Document Generation: Creating PDFs from user-generated RTF content in real-time
• API Integration: Processing RTF responses from external services into PDF format

For more advanced document generation scenarios, explore converting DOCX to PDF or generating PDF reports.

How Can I Apply Additional Formatting Options?

IronPDF provides extensive customization options through the RenderingOptions class. Configure page orientation, margins, paper size, and more:

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;

// Create renderer with custom options
ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperOrientation = PdfPaperOrientation.Landscape;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginTop = 50;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginBottom = 50;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginLeft = 25;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginRight = 25;

// RTF string with formatting
string rtf = @"{\rtf1\ansi\deff0{\fonttbl{\f0 Times New Roman;}{\f1 Arial;}}
{\colortbl;\red255\green0\blue0;\red0\green0\blue255;}
\f0\fs24 This is a heading\line
\f1\fs20\cf1 This text is red\line
\cf2 This text is blue\line
\b Bold text\b0 and \i italic text\i0}";

// Convert with custom options
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderRtfStringAsPdf(rtf);
pdf.SaveAs("formattedRtfToPdf.pdf");

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;

// Create renderer with custom options
ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperOrientation = PdfPaperOrientation.Landscape;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginTop = 50;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginBottom = 50;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginLeft = 25;
renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginRight = 25;

// RTF string with formatting
string rtf = @"{\rtf1\ansi\deff0{\fonttbl{\f0 Times New Roman;}{\f1 Arial;}}
{\colortbl;\red255\green0\blue0;\red0\green0\blue255;}
\f0\fs24 This is a heading\line
\f1\fs20\cf1 This text is red\line
\cf2 This text is blue\line
\b Bold text\b0 and \i italic text\i0}";

// Convert with custom options
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderRtfStringAsPdf(rtf);
pdf.SaveAs("formattedRtfToPdf.pdf");

For more information on customizing margins and page layouts, see the guides on custom margins and custom paper sizes.

What Does the RTF File Look Like Before Conversion?

What Code Do I Need to Convert RTF Files?

:path=/static-assets/pdf/content-code-examples/how-to/rtf-to-pdf-from-file.cs

using IronPdf;

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

// Render from RTF file
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderRtfFileAsPdf("sample.rtf");

// Save the PDF
pdf.SaveAs("pdfFromRtfFile.pdf");

For batch processing multiple RTF files, implement a simple loop:

using IronPdf;
using System.IO;

// Create renderer once for efficiency
ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Get all RTF files in directory
string[] rtfFiles = Directory.GetFiles(@"C:\RTFDocuments", "*.rtf");

foreach (string rtfFile in rtfFiles)
{
    // Convert each RTF file to PDF
    PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderRtfFileAsPdf(rtfFile);

    // Save with same name but PDF extension
    string pdfPath = Path.ChangeExtension(rtfFile, ".pdf");
    pdf.SaveAs(pdfPath);
}

using IronPdf;
using System.IO;

// Create renderer once for efficiency
ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Get all RTF files in directory
string[] rtfFiles = Directory.GetFiles(@"C:\RTFDocuments", "*.rtf");

foreach (string rtfFile in rtfFiles)
{
    // Convert each RTF file to PDF
    PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderRtfFileAsPdf(rtfFile);

    // Save with same name but PDF extension
    string pdfPath = Path.ChangeExtension(rtfFile, ".pdf");
    pdf.SaveAs(pdfPath);
}

What Does the Output PDF Look Like?

What Are Common Issues When Converting RTF Files?

When converting RTF files to PDF, you may encounter several common challenges:

1. Font Compatibility: Ensure fonts used in the RTF file are installed on the system. For web servers or cloud deployments, see the guides on managing fonts and web fonts.
2. Large File Handling: For large RTF documents, implement async conversion to prevent blocking your application's main thread.
3. Memory Usage: When processing multiple files, properly dispose of PdfDocument objects to prevent memory leaks. Learn about PDF compression to reduce output file sizes.
4. Special Characters: Ensure proper encoding for international characters by reviewing the guide on UTF-8 support.

How Can I Add Security to the Converted PDF?

After converting your RTF file to PDF, enhance security by adding passwords and permissions:

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Security;

// Convert RTF to PDF
ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderRtfFileAsPdf("confidential.rtf");

// Apply security settings
pdf.SecuritySettings.RemovePasswordsAndEncryption();
pdf.SecuritySettings.MakePdfDocumentReadOnly("owner_password");
pdf.SecuritySettings.SetUserPassword("user_password");
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserCopyPasteContent = false;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserPrinting = PdfPrintSecurity.NoPrint;

// Save secured PDF
pdf.SaveAs("secured_document.pdf");

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Security;

// Convert RTF to PDF
ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderRtfFileAsPdf("confidential.rtf");

// Apply security settings
pdf.SecuritySettings.RemovePasswordsAndEncryption();
pdf.SecuritySettings.MakePdfDocumentReadOnly("owner_password");
pdf.SecuritySettings.SetUserPassword("user_password");
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserCopyPasteContent = false;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserPrinting = PdfPrintSecurity.NoPrint;

// Save secured PDF
pdf.SaveAs("secured_document.pdf");

For more advanced security options, explore the comprehensive guide on PDF permissions and passwords.

Combining Multiple RTF Files into One PDF

When working with multiple RTF documents, combine them into a single PDF. This is particularly useful for creating comprehensive reports or document packages:

using IronPdf;
using System.Collections.Generic;

// Create renderer
ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Convert multiple RTF files
List<PdfDocument> pdfs = new List<PdfDocument>();
pdfs.Add(renderer.RenderRtfFileAsPdf("chapter1.rtf"));
pdfs.Add(renderer.RenderRtfFileAsPdf("chapter2.rtf"));
pdfs.Add(renderer.RenderRtfFileAsPdf("chapter3.rtf"));

// Merge PDFs
PdfDocument mergedPdf = PdfDocument.Merge(pdfs);

// Add page numbers
for (int i = 0; i < mergedPdf.PageCount; i++)
{
    mergedPdf.AddTextFooter($"Page {i + 1} of {mergedPdf.PageCount}", 
        FontFamily.Arial, 12);
}

// Save combined document
mergedPdf.SaveAs("combined_document.pdf");

// Clean up individual PDFs
foreach (var pdf in pdfs)
{
    pdf.Dispose();
}

using IronPdf;
using System.Collections.Generic;

// Create renderer
ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Convert multiple RTF files
List<PdfDocument> pdfs = new List<PdfDocument>();
pdfs.Add(renderer.RenderRtfFileAsPdf("chapter1.rtf"));
pdfs.Add(renderer.RenderRtfFileAsPdf("chapter2.rtf"));
pdfs.Add(renderer.RenderRtfFileAsPdf("chapter3.rtf"));

// Merge PDFs
PdfDocument mergedPdf = PdfDocument.Merge(pdfs);

// Add page numbers
for (int i = 0; i < mergedPdf.PageCount; i++)
{
    mergedPdf.AddTextFooter($"Page {i + 1} of {mergedPdf.PageCount}", 
        FontFamily.Arial, 12);
}

// Save combined document
mergedPdf.SaveAs("combined_document.pdf");

// Clean up individual PDFs
foreach (var pdf in pdfs)
{
    pdf.Dispose();
}

Integrating RTF to PDF Conversion in Web Applications

For ASP.NET applications, IronPDF seamlessly integrates with your web framework. Here's an example of creating a PDF download endpoint:

[HttpGet]
public IActionResult ConvertRtfToPdf(string rtfContent)
{
    // Create renderer
    ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

    // Convert RTF string to PDF
    PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderRtfStringAsPdf(rtfContent);

    // Return as file download
    byte[] pdfBytes = pdf.BinaryData;
    return File(pdfBytes, "application/pdf", "converted_document.pdf");
}

[HttpGet]
public IActionResult ConvertRtfToPdf(string rtfContent)
{
    // Create renderer
    ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

    // Convert RTF string to PDF
    PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderRtfStringAsPdf(rtfContent);

    // Return as file download
    byte[] pdfBytes = pdf.BinaryData;
    return File(pdfBytes, "application/pdf", "converted_document.pdf");
}

For more examples on web integration, see the tutorials on ASPX to PDF and exporting PDFs.

Ready to see what else you can do? Check out the tutorial page here: Convert PDFs