Python HTML to PDF Without Wkhtmltopdf (Alternatives Tutorial)

The Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) is crucial for preserving the quality of visually appealing and text-rich content while transferring documents. Most online PDFs and PDF form filling require specific programs.

Today, major digital publications require interactive PDF forms. Many companies create professional documents and invoices utilizing PDF files with interactive widgets such as radio buttons, list boxes, text fields, scrollable boxes, and drop-down lists.

One could install wkhtmltopdf to convert HTML to PDF. However, in this tutorial, we will explore how users can use the IronPDF for Python library to easily edit, write, or generate any PDF document.

The IronPDF for Python library is proficient at handling PDFs, extracting various types of data besides text, such as images, radio buttons, and list box widgets, and converting them into structured data that's easier to interpret.

1. IronPDF

The IronPDF Python library is a smooth addition to Python programming, providing a wide range of PDF operations and enabling effective processing of PDF data. It integrates well with other frameworks, extending the possibilities for creating graphical user interfaces.

Many developers favor Python for its versatility and ease in creating user-friendly graphical interfaces. Python is dynamic, making adding the IronPDF library a straightforward process that facilitates efficient PDF data handling. Ensure you add a Python path environment variable. IronPDF can be utilized in both Windows and web frameworks in Python.

1.1 IronPDF Features

IronPDF can transform formats such as HTML, HTML5, ASPX, and Razor/MVC View into PDF files. PDFs can also be easily created from HTML pages and images. IronPDF allows us to set custom headers and page sizes for PDF documents.

The IronPDF toolkit supports various tasks, including creating interactive PDFs, facilitating form completion and submission, efficiently merging and dividing PDF files, accurately extracting text and images, thoroughly searching through PDF files, converting PDFs into images, and adjusting font sizes, borders, and background colors while working with them. Converting PDF files is a straightforward task with IronPDF.

2. Creating PDF Files Using IronPDF

You can write PDF files using three different methods:

1. Convert HTML to PDF.
2. Generate PDFs using a URL.
3. Convert an HTML file to a PDF.

The import statement from IronPdf import * is used in all three approaches. Importing it allows you to use the functionalities of the IronPDF library in your code.

from IronPdf import *

from IronPdf import *

2.1 Convert HTML to PDF

With IronPDF, you can turn HTML strings into PDF documents. Below is an example of converting an HTML string to a PDF document. It demonstrates how to convert any HTML element into a PDF.

from IronPdf import *

# Create a PDF renderer object
renderer = ChromePdfRenderer()

# Render HTML as a PDF and save it
renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello world!!</h1>").SaveAs("sample.pdf")

from IronPdf import *

# Create a PDF renderer object
renderer = ChromePdfRenderer()

# Render HTML as a PDF and save it
renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello world!!</h1>").SaveAs("sample.pdf")

The code above utilizes the RenderHtmlAsPdf function to convert HTML into a PDF. It enables the generation of PDF from any HTML content. The generated PDF files can be saved to a designated location using the "SaveAs" method.

2.2 Generate PDFs Using a URL

IronPDF allows converting HTML files from URLs into PDFs, simplifying the process of creating PDF documents. IronPDF's built-in Chrome browser functions as a file object to download and process HTML content. The following command demonstrates creating PDF files automatically:

# Create a PDF renderer object
renderer = ChromePdfRenderer()

# Render a webpage as a PDF and save it to a file
renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.google.co.in/").SaveAs("sample.pdf")

# Create a PDF renderer object
renderer = ChromePdfRenderer()

# Render a webpage as a PDF and save it to a file
renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.google.co.in/").SaveAs("sample.pdf")

The code above downloads the HTML content from a URL, renders it as a PDF, and then saves it to a specified location.

2.3 Converting an HTML File to a PDF

Converting HTML pages to PDF documents is straightforward with IronPDF. IronPDF can process HTML files to generate documents, as shown in the example below. It also allows document generation from any HTML element.

# Convert an HTML file to a PDF and save it
renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf("demo.html").SaveAs("sample.pdf")

# Convert an HTML file to a PDF and save it
renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf("demo.html").SaveAs("sample.pdf")

The RenderHtmlFileAsPdf method in the example above converts an HTML file into a PDF. It processes the file's HTML content and produces a PDF that is saved to the desired location.

For more information about HTML to PDF conversion, check the link here.

Conclusion

To reduce potential risks and ensure data protection, the IronPDF library provides strong security features. It works across all major browsers and isn't restricted to any specific one. To cater to the diverse needs of developers, IronPDF offers multiple licensing options, including a free developer license and additional development licenses available for purchase.

The $749 Lite bundle comes with a perpetual license, a 30-day money-back guarantee, a year's worth of software maintenance, and upgrade options. During a 30-day watermarked trial period, users can evaluate the product in real-world scenarios. For more details on IronPDF's trial version, pricing, and licensing, please click on the provided link.