How to Convert HTML to PDF in PHP: A Comprehensive Guide

Converting HTML to PDF in PHP: A Comprehensive Guide

Converting HTML pages to PDF documents is a common requirement in web development. PHP offers several ways to accomplish this task.

HTML2PDF Libraries

To directly convert HTML to PDF without external dependencies, consider using PHP libraries like:

• DOMPDF: A PHP class that transforms HTML into PDF. It supports customizable CSS and is suitable for simpler HTML pages.
• HTML2PS: Works similarly to DOMPDF but converts to a PostScript (.ps) file first, allowing for additional output formats.

External Tools

For more advanced or faster processing, external tools integrated via PHP system calls can be employed:

• wkhtmltopdf: Leverages the WebKit engine to convert HTML pages to PDF. It offers exceptional speed and CSS compatibility.
• htmldoc: A robust tool that handles complex HTML conversions but may have limited CSS support.

Choosing the Right Solution

The best choice depends on the specific requirements. For straightforward HTML conversion, DOMPDF or HTML2PS are viable options. For speed and CSS compatibility, wkhtmltopdf is a powerful solution. If CSS compatibility is not a priority, htmldoc provides stability and versatility.

Example Usage

To use DOMPDF in PHP, for instance:

<code class="php">require_once 'dompdf/autoload.inc.php';

$dompdf = new DOMPDF();
$dompdf->loadHtml($html);
$dompdf->render();
$pdf = $dompdf->output();</code>

PHP system calls can be used to integrate external tools like wkhtmltopdf:

<code class="php">exec('wkhtmltopdf ' . $htmlFile . ' ' . $pdfFile);</code>

By leveraging these techniques, you can effectively convert HTML pages to PDF documents in your PHP applications, catering to various needs and complexities.

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