PDF Export Guide
Purpose: Use this reference when Launch must turn Markdown or HTML reports into stable PDF output without changing the report content.
Contents
- Preferred export paths
- Repo scripts and assets
- Tool selection
- Mermaid handling
- Troubleshooting
Preferred Export Paths
Use this order unless the request explicitly requires another tool:
| Priority | Path | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | scripts/html-to-pdf.sh |
You already have HTML output and want the most robust repo-native path |
| 2 | node scripts/puppeteer-pdf.js input.html output.pdf |
You have Node/Puppeteer available and need HTML -> PDF |
| 3 | md-to-pdf |
You only have Markdown and need a fast direct export |
| 4 | pandoc |
You need higher-quality typesetting or LaTeX-based control |
| 5 | marp --pdf (Marp CLI) |
Slide-shaped report from Markdown front-matter (marp.app) |
| 6 | ASCII + browser print | Mermaid or CSS compatibility is poor and a safe fallback is needed |
Pandoc 3.x notes (pandoc.org/releases.html):
- 3.8.3 added
asciidoc,pptx,xlsxas input formats andbbcodeas output. - 3.9 added WASM-targeted builds for in-browser conversion.
--pdf-engineacceptsgroff,lualatex,xelatex,wkhtmltopdf,weasyprint,typst. For Japanese reports,lualatexorxelatexwith system CJK fonts remains the most reliable path;typstis a fast modern alternative when LaTeX is unavailable.
Repo Scripts And Assets
| Asset | Role |
|---|---|
scripts/html-to-pdf.sh |
A4 HTML -> PDF conversion with method selection and validation |
scripts/puppeteer-pdf.js |
Puppeteer fallback for HTML -> PDF |
styles/report-style.css |
Report styling for PDF-friendly layout |
templates/client-report.html |
HTML shell for client reports |
Tool Selection
HTML -> PDF
./scripts/html-to-pdf.sh client-report-YYYY-MM-DD.html
./scripts/html-to-pdf.sh --method chrome client-report-YYYY-MM-DD.html output.pdfNotes:
- Default timeout is
60s. - Supported methods:
chrome,wkhtmltopdf,puppeteer. - The script checks the PDF header and end-of-file marker, then publishes the result atomically. Small valid PDFs are allowed; these envelope checks do not replace a full PDF parser.
Direct Markdown -> PDF
md-to-pdf client-report-YYYY-MM-DD.md --stylesheet styles/report-style.cssPandoc
pandoc client-report-YYYY-MM-DD.md -o report.pdf \
--pdf-engine=lualatex \
-V geometry:margin=20mmMermaid Handling
Use one of these strategies:
| Strategy | Use when |
|---|---|
| Native rendering | md-to-pdf or browser-based export can execute Mermaid safely |
| Pre-render to SVG | You need deterministic PDF output |
| ASCII fallback | Rendering is unstable or PDF portability matters more than visual richness |
ASCII fallback is the safest default for client-facing PDF reports.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Action |
|---|---|
| Japanese text is garbled | Use system Japanese fonts and the repo stylesheet |
| Mermaid does not render | Pre-render diagrams or switch to ASCII |
| PDF header or end-of-file marker is missing | Treat as failed export and retry with another method |
| Output is not a valid PDF | Fail the export; do not claim success |
| CSS layout breaks across pages | Prefer HTML template + stylesheet + Chrome/Puppeteer path |