Generate PDF files using PHP and TCPDF

With the continuous advancement of modern technology, PDF has become one of the commonly used file formats. Moreover, generating PDF files is becoming more and more common for businesses and individuals. If you want to generate PDF files through PHP language, what is the simplest and most effective method? This article will introduce how to use PHP and TCPDF library to generate PDF files.

1. Introduction to TCPDF library

TCPDF library is an open source PHP library that can be used to generate PDF files. The library supports a range of Unicode character sets, including Chinese. TCPDF also provides a large number of customization functions, such as page size, orientation, margins and fonts, which can easily meet different needs.

The following is a sample code for using TCPDF:

<?php
require_once('tcpdf/tcpdf.php');

$pdf = new TCPDF(PDF_PAGE_ORIENTATION, PDF_UNIT, PDF_PAGE_FORMAT, true, 'UTF-8', false);

$pdf->SetCreator(PDF_CREATOR);
$pdf->SetAuthor('Your Name');
$pdf->SetTitle('Document Title');
$pdf->SetSubject('Document Subject');
$pdf->SetKeywords('Keywords');

$pdf->SetMargins(5, 5, 5);
$pdf->SetHeaderMargin(0);
$pdf->SetFooterMargin(0);

$pdf->AddPage();

$pdf->SetFont('dejavusans', '', 12);

$pdf->Write(0, 'Hello World', '', 0, 'L', true, 0, false, false, 0);

$pdf->Output('example.pdf', 'I');
?>

2. Steps to use TCPDF to generate PDF files

1. Step 1: Download the TCPDF library

TCPDF library is a PHP library that can be downloaded from the TCPDF official website http://www.tcpdf.org and extracted to a local folder.

2. Step 2: Install the TCPDF library

Extract the TCPDF file to a subdirectory of the web root directory, for example, create a file named pdf in the web directory directory, and extract the TCPDF file to this directory.

3. Step 3: Create a PDF file

Create a file named pdf.php in the Web directory, which contains the class definition and PDF in the TCPDF library File generation code. The following is the code of the pdf.php file:

<?php
require_once('tcpdf/tcpdf.php');

$pdf = new TCPDF(PDF_PAGE_ORIENTATION, PDF_UNIT, PDF_PAGE_FORMAT, true, 'UTF-8', false);

$pdf->SetCreator(PDF_CREATOR);
$pdf->SetAuthor('Your Name');
$pdf->SetTitle('Document Title');
$pdf->SetSubject('Document Subject');
$pdf->SetKeywords('Keywords');

$pdf->SetMargins(5, 5, 5);
$pdf->SetHeaderMargin(0);
$pdf->SetFooterMargin(0);

$pdf->AddPage();

$pdf->SetFont('dejavusans', '', 12);

$pdf->Write(0, 'Hello World', '', 0, 'L', true, 0, false, false, 0);

$pdf->Output('example.pdf', 'I');
?>

4. Step 4: Run the script to generate the PDF file

Open the browser and enter the Web address http://localhost/pdf /pdf.php, you can generate a PDF file and open the default PDF reader to view the file.

3. Use TCPDF library to generate PDF files with custom fonts

TCPDF library supports fonts in TrueType and OpenType formats. You can use the addTTFfont() method to load any TrueType or OpenType font so that it can be used in Use them when generating PDF files.

Here are the steps to add custom fonts to TCPDF sample code:

1. Step 1: Download and install custom fonts

Download from the Internet font files, and copy the font files to the TCPDF/fonts directory under the Web root directory.

2. Step 2: Define the font in the TCPDF library

In the pdf.php file, use the addTTFfont() method to add a custom font. The sample code is as follows:

<?php
require_once('tcpdf/tcpdf.php');

$fontname = TCPDF_FONTS::addTTFfont('fonts/myfont.ttf');
$font = 'myfont';

$pdf = new TCPDF(PDF_PAGE_ORIENTATION, PDF_UNIT, PDF_PAGE_FORMAT, true, 'UTF-8', false);

$pdf->SetFont($font, '', 14, '', false);

$pdf->AddPage();

$pdf->Write(0, 'Hello World', '', 0, 'L', true, 0, false, false, 0);

$pdf->Output('example.pdf', 'I');
?>

The above code passes the custom font file name to the addTTFfont() method and saves the generated font name in the $fontname variable. Using the SetFont() method, you can pass the font name (variable $font) to the font function in the TCPDF library to specify the font to be used in the PDF file.

4. Conclusion

As mentioned above, PDF files can be easily generated using PHP and TCPDF library. The TCPDF library contains many functions, such as selecting page orientation, setting margins and font styles, and more. Additionally, using custom fonts is very easy.

Therefore, using the TCPDF library to generate PDF files is an extremely convenient tool, suitable for individuals and businesses. Using this library can help users create and edit PDF files easily without relying entirely on other software. With just some basic PHP knowledge, you can easily start creating PDF files and master the usage of this library.

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