4 Ways to Generate a PDF

APITemplate.io provides four distinct methods for generating PDFs. Each method serves different use cases — pick the one that fits your workflow.

Method	Endpoint	Best for
Template-based	`/v2/create-pdf`	Reusable documents (invoices, reports, certificates) with dynamic data
Raw HTML	`/v2/create-pdf-from-html`	One-off PDFs where you control the full HTML and CSS
URL	`/v2/create-pdf-from-url`	Converting existing web pages to PDF
Markdown	`/v2/create-pdf-from-markdown`	Converting Markdown content to PDF

All four methods share these capabilities:

Custom headers and footers with page numbers
Configurable margins, paper size, and orientation
CSS and JavaScript rendering (Chromium-based)
Synchronous and asynchronous generation
Webhook notifications for async jobs

1. Generate a PDF from a template

Create a reusable template in the web console, then populate it with JSON data at generation time. This is the most common workflow for recurring documents like invoices, receipts, and reports.

API reference


Endpoint	`POST /v2/create-pdf`
Query parameter	`template_id` (required) — the ID of your template
Request body	JSON object whose keys match the template's Jinja2 variables
Authentication	`X-API-KEY` header

How it works

Design a template in the HTML editor or visual editor.
Add dynamic variables using Jinja2 syntax — for example {{invoice_number}}, {% for item in items %}.
Call the API with JSON data to fill in the variables.
Receive a download_url for the generated PDF.

Example request (cURL)

curl -X POST "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf?template_id=YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID" \
  -H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "date": "15/05/2024",
    "invoice_no": "435568799",
    "sender_address1": "3244 Jurong Drive",
    "sender_address2": "Falmouth Maine 1703",
    "sender_phone": "255-781-6789",
    "sender_email": "hello@logos.com",
    "items": [
      { "item_name": "Oil", "unit": 1, "unit_price": 100, "total": 100 },
      { "item_name": "Rice", "unit": 2, "unit_price": 200, "total": 400 }
    ],
    "total": "500"
  }'

Example request (C#)

using System.Net.Http;
using System.Net.Http.Headers;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Newtonsoft.Json;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main()
    {
        var url = "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf?template_id=YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID";

        var payload = new
        {
            date = "15/05/2024",
            invoice_no = "435568799",
            sender_address1 = "3244 Jurong Drive",
            sender_address2 = "Falmouth Maine 1703",
            sender_phone = "255-781-6789",
            sender_email = "hello@logos.com",
            items = new[]
            {
                new { item_name = "Oil", unit = 1, unit_price = 100, total = 100 },
                new { item_name = "Rice", unit = 2, unit_price = 200, total = 400 },
            },
            total = "500",
        };

        using var client = new HttpClient();
        client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-API-KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY");
        client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Accept.Add(
            new MediaTypeWithQualityHeaderValue("application/json"));

        var content = new StringContent(
            JsonConvert.SerializeObject(payload), Encoding.UTF8, "application/json");
        var response = await client.PostAsync(url, content);
        var result = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();

        System.Console.WriteLine(result);
    }
}

Example request (Python)

import requests

url = "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf"
headers = {
    "X-API-KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
}
params = {"template_id": "YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID"}
payload = {
    "date": "15/05/2024",
    "invoice_no": "435568799",
    "sender_address1": "3244 Jurong Drive",
    "sender_address2": "Falmouth Maine 1703",
    "items": [
        {"item_name": "Oil", "unit": 1, "unit_price": 100, "total": 100},
        {"item_name": "Rice", "unit": 2, "unit_price": 200, "total": 400},
    ],
    "total": "500",
}

response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, params=params, json=payload)
print(response.json())

Example response

{
  "download_url": "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/get-pdf/...",
  "transaction_ref": "8cd2aced-b2a2-40fb-bd45-392c777d6f6",
  "status": "success",
  "template_id": "YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID"
}

2. Generate a PDF from raw HTML

Send your own HTML, CSS, and data directly — no pre-built template needed. This is useful for one-off PDFs or when you generate HTML dynamically in your application.

API reference


Endpoint	`POST /v2/create-pdf-from-html`
Request body fields	`body` (required) — HTML string
	`css` — CSS string
	`data` — JSON object for Jinja2 variables inside `body`
	`settings` — page configuration (see Settings below)
Authentication	`X-API-KEY` header

Example request (cURL)

curl -X POST "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf-from-html" \
  -H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "body": "<h1>Hello {{name}}</h1><p>Your order has been confirmed.</p>",
    "css": "<style>h1 { color: #2563eb; }</style>",
    "data": {
      "name": "World"
    },
    "settings": {
      "paper_size": "A4",
      "orientation": "1",
      "margin_top": "40",
      "margin_right": "10",
      "margin_bottom": "40",
      "margin_left": "10",
      "print_background": "1"
    }
  }'

Example request (C#)

using System.Net.Http;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Newtonsoft.Json;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main()
    {
        var data = new
        {
            body = "<h1>Hello {{name}}</h1><p>Your order has been confirmed.</p>",
            css = "<style>h1 { color: #2563eb; }</style>",
            data = new { name = "World" },
            settings = new
            {
                paper_size = "A4",
                orientation = "1",
                margin_top = "40",
                margin_right = "10",
                margin_bottom = "40",
                margin_left = "10",
                print_background = "1",
            }
        };

        using var client = new HttpClient();
        client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-API-KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY");

        var content = new StringContent(
            JsonConvert.SerializeObject(data), Encoding.UTF8, "application/json");
        var response = await client.PostAsync(
            "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf-from-html", content);
        var result = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();

        System.Console.WriteLine(result);
    }
}

Example request (Python)

import requests

url = "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf-from-html"
headers = {
    "X-API-KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
}
payload = {
    "body": "<h1>Hello {{name}}</h1><p>Your order has been confirmed.</p>",
    "css": "<style>h1 { color: #2563eb; }</style>",
    "data": {"name": "World"},
    "settings": {
        "paper_size": "A4",
        "orientation": "1",
        "margin_top": "40",
        "margin_right": "10",
        "margin_bottom": "40",
        "margin_left": "10",
        "print_background": "1",
    },
}

response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=payload)
print(response.json())

Example response

{
  "download_url": "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/get-pdf/...",
  "transaction_ref": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "status": "success"
}

3. Generate a PDF from a URL

Point the API at any publicly accessible web page and get a PDF back. The page is rendered in a headless Chromium browser, so JavaScript and modern CSS are fully supported.

API reference


Endpoint	`POST /v2/create-pdf-from-url`
Request body fields	`url` (required) — the web page to convert
	`settings` — page configuration (see Settings below)
Authentication	`X-API-KEY` header

Example request (cURL)

curl -X POST "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf-from-url" \
  -H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page",
    "settings": {
      "paper_size": "A4",
      "orientation": "1",
      "margin_top": "40",
      "margin_right": "10",
      "margin_bottom": "40",
      "margin_left": "10",
      "print_background": "1"
    }
  }'

Example request (C#)

using System.Net.Http;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Newtonsoft.Json;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main()
    {
        var data = new
        {
            url = "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page",
            settings = new
            {
                paper_size = "A4",
                orientation = "1",
                margin_top = "40",
                margin_right = "10",
                margin_bottom = "40",
                margin_left = "10",
                print_background = "1",
                displayHeaderFooter = true,
                custom_header = "<div style='font-size:9px;text-align:center;width:100%'><span class='date'></span></div>",
                custom_footer = "<div style='font-size:9px;text-align:center;width:100%'>Page <span class='pageNumber'></span> of <span class='totalPages'></span></div>",
            }
        };

        using var client = new HttpClient();
        client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-API-KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY");

        var content = new StringContent(
            JsonConvert.SerializeObject(data), Encoding.UTF8, "application/json");
        var response = await client.PostAsync(
            "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf-from-url", content);
        var result = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();

        System.Console.WriteLine(result);
    }
}

Example request (Python)

import requests

url = "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf-from-url"
headers = {
    "X-API-KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
}
payload = {
    "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page",
    "settings": {
        "paper_size": "A4",
        "orientation": "1",
        "margin_top": "40",
        "margin_right": "10",
        "margin_bottom": "40",
        "margin_left": "10",
        "print_background": "1",
    },
}

response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=payload)
print(response.json())

Example response

{
  "download_url": "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/get-pdf/...",
  "transaction_ref": "f7e8d9c0-b1a2-3456-7890-abcdef012345",
  "status": "success"
}

4. Generate a PDF from Markdown

Send Markdown content and get a PDF back. The API uses the marked library to parse Markdown into HTML, then renders it with the same Chromium-based engine used by the other methods. This is ideal when your content is already in Markdown — README files, knowledge-base articles, reports, or documentation.

API reference


Endpoint	`POST /v2/create-pdf-from-markdown`
Request body fields	`markdown` (required) — Markdown string
	`css` — CSS string for styling the rendered output
	`data` — JSON object for Jinja2 variables inside the Markdown
	`settings` — page configuration (see Settings below)
Authentication	`X-API-KEY` header

Example request (cURL)

curl -X POST "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf-from-markdown" \
  -H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "markdown": "# Hello {{name}}\n\nRendered on **2024-05-15**.\n\n| Item | Qty | Price |\n|------|-----|-------|\n| Widget | 10 | $5.00 |\n| Gadget | 3 | $12.50 |",
    "css": "<style>h1 { color: #2c3e50; } table { border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; } th, td { border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px; }</style>",
    "data": {
      "name": "World"
    },
    "settings": {
      "paper_size": "A4",
      "orientation": "1",
      "margin_top": "40",
      "margin_right": "10",
      "margin_bottom": "40",
      "margin_left": "10"
    }
  }'

Example request (C#)

using System.Net.Http;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Newtonsoft.Json;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main()
    {
        var data = new
        {
            markdown = "# Hello {{name}}\n\nRendered on **2024-05-15**.\n\n| Item | Qty | Price |\n|------|-----|-------|\n| Widget | 10 | $5.00 |\n| Gadget | 3 | $12.50 |",
            css = "<style>h1 { color: #2c3e50; } table { border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; } th, td { border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px; }</style>",
            data = new { name = "World" },
            settings = new
            {
                paper_size = "A4",
                orientation = "1",
                margin_top = "40",
                margin_right = "10",
                margin_bottom = "40",
                margin_left = "10",
            }
        };

        using var client = new HttpClient();
        client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-API-KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY");

        var content = new StringContent(
            JsonConvert.SerializeObject(data), Encoding.UTF8, "application/json");
        var response = await client.PostAsync(
            "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf-from-markdown", content);
        var result = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();

        System.Console.WriteLine(result);
    }
}

Example request (Python)

import requests

url = "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf-from-markdown"
headers = {
    "X-API-KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
}
payload = {
    "markdown": "# Hello {{name}}\n\nRendered on **2024-05-15**.\n\n| Item | Qty | Price |\n|------|-----|-------|\n| Widget | 10 | $5.00 |\n| Gadget | 3 | $12.50 |",
    "css": "<style>h1 { color: #2c3e50; } table { border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; } th, td { border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px; }</style>",
    "data": {"name": "World"},
    "settings": {
        "paper_size": "A4",
        "orientation": "1",
        "margin_top": "40",
        "margin_right": "10",
        "margin_bottom": "40",
        "margin_left": "10",
    },
}

response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=payload)
print(response.json())

Example response

{
  "download_url": "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/get-pdf/...",
  "transaction_ref": "b3c4d5e6-f7a8-9012-bcde-f34567890abc",
  "status": "success"
}

Settings object

The settings object is shared by the HTML, URL, and Markdown methods. Here are the most commonly used fields:

Field	Type	Description
`paper_size`	string	`A4`, `Letter`, `Legal`, or a custom size like `210mm x 297mm`
`orientation`	string	`"1"` for Portrait, `"2"` for Landscape
`margin_top`	string	Top margin in pixels (e.g. `"40"`)
`margin_right`	string	Right margin in pixels
`margin_bottom`	string	Bottom margin in pixels
`margin_left`	string	Left margin in pixels
`print_background`	string	`"1"` to include background colors/images
`displayHeaderFooter`	boolean	`true` to render custom header/footer HTML
`custom_header`	string	HTML for the page header
`custom_footer`	string	HTML for the page footer
`header_font_size`	string	Font size for the header (e.g. `"9px"`)

For header/footer HTML you can use these built-in CSS classes:

date — current date
title — document title
url — document URL
pageNumber — current page number
totalPages — total number of pages

See Headers and Footers for detailed examples.

Asynchronous generation

For large documents or batch jobs, add async=true as a query parameter:

curl -X POST "https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf?template_id=TEMPLATE_ID&async=true" \
  -H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"company_name": "Acme Corp"}'

The response returns a transaction_ref immediately. Set up a webhook to be notified when the PDF is ready.

Regional endpoints

Choose the endpoint closest to your users:

Region	Base URL
US (default)	`https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/`
EU	`https://rest-eu.apitemplate.io/v2/`
Australia	`https://rest-au.apitemplate.io/v2/`
Singapore	`https://rest-sg.apitemplate.io/v2/`

SDKs

Official client libraries handle authentication, serialization, and error handling for you:

Language	Repository
C#	apitemplateio-csharp
Python	apitemplateio-python
JavaScript	apitemplateio-javascript
PHP	apitemplateio-php
Java	apitemplateio-java

Which method should you choose?

Template-based is ideal when you have a fixed layout that gets reused with different data — invoices, reports, certificates. You design the template once and the API fills it in.
Raw HTML is best when your application dynamically generates the HTML, or you need a quick one-off PDF without setting up a template.
URL-based is best for converting existing web pages — dashboards, articles, or any page that's already live.
Markdown is best when your content is already written in Markdown — documentation, README files, knowledge-base articles, or reports. You skip the HTML authoring entirely and let the API handle the conversion.

Next steps

Code/HTML Template Editor — build your first template
Visual Template Editor — drag-and-drop editor for non-technical users
Markdown to PDF blog post — in-depth guide with styling and template workflows
REST API reference — full list of endpoints and parameters
Full API Reference v2 — complete API documentation

1. Generate a PDF from a template​

API reference​

How it works​

Example request (cURL)​

Example request (C#)​

Example request (Python)​

Example response​

2. Generate a PDF from raw HTML​

API reference​

Example request (cURL)​

Example request (C#)​

Example request (Python)​

Example response​

3. Generate a PDF from a URL​

API reference​

Example request (cURL)​

Example request (C#)​

Example request (Python)​

Example response​

4. Generate a PDF from Markdown​

API reference​

Example request (cURL)​

Example request (C#)​

Example request (Python)​

Example response​

Settings object​

Asynchronous generation​

Regional endpoints​

SDKs​

Which method should you choose?​

Next steps​

1. Generate a PDF from a template

API reference

How it works

Example request (cURL)

Example request (C#)

Example request (Python)

Example response

2. Generate a PDF from raw HTML

API reference

Example request (cURL)

Example request (C#)

Example request (Python)

Example response

3. Generate a PDF from a URL

API reference

Example request (cURL)

Example request (C#)

Example request (Python)

Example response

4. Generate a PDF from Markdown

API reference

Example request (cURL)

Example request (C#)

Example request (Python)

Example response

Settings object

Asynchronous generation

Regional endpoints

SDKs

Which method should you choose?

Next steps