PlutoPrint

PlutoPrint is a lightweight and easy-to-use Node.js library for generating high-quality PDFs and images directly from HTML or XML content. It is based on PlutoBook's robust rendering engine and provides a simple API to convert your HTML into crisp PDF documents or vibrant image files. This makes it ideal for reports, invoices, or visual snapshots.

Invoices	Tickets

Installation

npm install plutoprint

PlutoPrint relies on PlutoBook, the native rendering engine. On Windows and Linux with 64-bit Intel/AMD (x86_64) systems, prebuilt PlutoBook binaries are included with the package, so no additional setup is needed.

On macOS, you need to install PlutoBook separately using Homebrew:

brew update
brew install plutobook
npm install plutoprint

For other CPU architectures or if you are building from source, PlutoBook must be installed manually. Please follow the installation guide for detailed instructions on dependencies and building from source.

If PlutoBook is installed in a custom location, you can specify its paths by setting these environment variables before installing PlutoPrint:

PLUTOBOOK_INC — Path to the directory containing PlutoBook header files.
PLUTOBOOK_LIB — Path to the PlutoBook library file or linker flags.

Example using direct paths:

export PLUTOBOOK_INC="/path/to/plutobook/include"
export PLUTOBOOK_LIB="/path/to/libplutobook.so"
npm install plutoprint

Example using linker flags:

export PLUTOBOOK_INC="/path/to/plutobook/include"
export PLUTOBOOK_LIB="-L/path/to/plutobook/lib -lplutobook"
npm install plutoprint

Quick Usage

const { createBook } = require('plutoprint');

const book = createBook({ size: 'a3' });
book.loadHtml('<h1>Hello World</h1>');
book.writeToPdf('hello.pdf');

Generating PDF

const { createBook } = require('plutoprint');

// Create a new book with A4 size
const book = createBook({ size: 'a4' });

// Load HTML content from URL
book.loadUrl('https://www.gutenberg.org/files/11/11-h/11-h.htm');

// Export the entire document to PDF
book.writeToPdf('hello.pdf');

// Export pages 2 to 15 (inclusive) in order
book.writeToPdf('hello-range.pdf', { pageStart: 2, pageEnd: 15 });

// Export pages 15 to 2 (inclusive) in reverse order
book.writeToPdf('hello-reverse.pdf', { pageStart: 15, pageEnd: 2, pageStep: -1 });

// Export the entire document to a PDF buffer
const allPagesBuffer = book.writeToPdfBuffer();
console.log(`Generated entire document PDF buffer: ${allPagesBuffer.length} bytes`);

// Export only page 1 to a PDF buffer
const pageOneBuffer = book.writeToPdfBuffer({ pageStart: 1, pageEnd: 1 });
console.log(`Generated page 1 PDF buffer: ${pageOneBuffer.length} bytes`);

Generating PNG

const { createBook } = require('plutoprint');

// Create a new book with custom dimensions
const book = createBook({ width: '1280px', height: '720px', media: 'screen' });

// Load HTML content from URL
book.loadUrl('https://example.com');

// Outputs an image at the document’s natural size
book.writeToPng("hello.png");

// Outputs a 320px wide image with auto-scaled height
book.writeToPng("hello-width.png", { width: 320 });

// Outputs a 240px tall image with auto-scaled width
book.writeToPng("hello-height.png", { height: 240 });

// Outputs an 800×200 pixels image (may stretch/squish content)
book.writeToPng("hello-fixed.png", { width: 800, height: 200 });

// Outputs a 4K resolution image (3840×2160) to a buffer
const pngBuffer4k = book.writeToPngBuffer({ width: 3840, height: 2160 });
console.log(`Generated 4K PNG buffer: ${pngBuffer4k.length} bytes`);

Generating QR Codes

Quick example of using -pluto-qrcode(<string>[, <color>]) to create QR codes with optional colors.

const { createBook } = require('plutoprint');

const HTML_CONTENT = `
<table>
  <tr>
    <th class="email">Email</th>
    <th class="tel">Tel</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <th class="website">Website</th>
    <th class="github">GitHub</th>
  </tr>
</table>
`;

const USER_STYLE = `
body {
  margin: 0;
  height: 100vh;
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
  background: #f7f7f7;
  font: 16px Arial;
}

table {
  border-spacing: 2rem;
  background: #fff;
  padding: 2rem;
  border: 1px solid #ccc;
  border-radius: 16px;
}

th::before {
  display: block;
  width: 130px;
  height: 130px;
  margin: 0 auto 0.8rem;
}

.email::before   { content: -pluto-qrcode('mailto:[email protected]', #16a34a); }
.tel::before     { content: -pluto-qrcode('tel:+1234567890', #2563eb); }
.website::before { content: -pluto-qrcode('https://example.com', #ef4444); }
.github::before  { content: -pluto-qrcode('https://github.com/plutoprint', #f59e0b); }
`;

const book = createBook({ width: '864px', height: '624px', margin: 0 });
book.loadHtml(HTML_CONTENT, { userStyle: USER_STYLE });
book.writeToPng("qrcard.png");
book.writeToPdf("qrcard.pdf");

Expected output:

API Reference

This document describes the public API exposed by the library. All APIs are synchronous unless otherwise stated.

`SizeType`

Predefined identifiers representing common paper sizes.

export type SizeType =
  | 'a3'
  | 'a4'
  | 'a5'
  | 'b4'
  | 'b5'
  | 'letter'
  | 'legal'
  | 'ledger';

Name	Size
`a3`	`297mm x 420mm`
`a4`	`210mm x 297mm`
`a5`	`148mm x 210mm`
`b4`	`250mm x 353mm`
`b5`	`176mm x 250mm`
`letter`	`8.5in x 11in`
`legal`	`8.5in x 14in`
`ledger`	`11in x 17in`

`MediaType`

Predefined identifiers representing media types used for CSS @media queries.

export type MediaType = 'print' | 'screen';

`LengthType`

A length value specified either as a number in points (1/72 inch) or as a string with a unit.

export type LengthType = number | string;

`BookOptions`

Options used when creating a Book instance.

export interface BookOptions {
    size?: SizeType;
    media?: MediaType;
    width?: LengthType;
    height?: LengthType;
    margin?: LengthType;
    marginTop?: LengthType;
    marginRight?: LengthType;
    marginBottom?: LengthType;
    marginLeft?: LengthType;
    title?: string;
    subject?: string;
    author?: string;
    keywords?: string;
    creator?: string;
    creationDate?: Date;
    modificationDate?: Date;
}

Property	Type	Default	Description
`size`	`SizeType`	`a4`	Specifies the page size.
`media`	`MediaType`	`print`	Specifies the media type.
`width`	`LengthType`		Specifies the page width.
`height`	`LengthType`		Specifies the page height.
`margin`	`LengthType`	`72pt`	Specifies the page margin for all sides.
`marginTop`	`LengthType`		Specifies the top page margin.
`marginRight`	`LengthType`		Specifies the right page margin.
`marginBottom`	`LengthType`		Specifies the bottom page margin.
`marginLeft`	`LengthType`		Specifies the left page margin.
`title`	`string`		Set PDF document title.
`subject`	`string`		Set PDF document subject.
`author`	`string`		Set PDF document author.
`keywords`	`string`		Set PDF document keywords.
`creator`	`string`		Set PDF document creator.
`creationDate`	`Date`		Set PDF document creation date.
`modificationDate`	`Date`		Set PDF document last modification date.

`LoadOptions`

Base options shared by all load methods.

export interface LoadOptions {
  userStyle?: string;
  userScript?: string;
}

Property	Type	Default	Description
`userStyle`	`string`		Specifies the user-defined CSS style to apply after content is loaded.
`userScript`	`string`		Specifies the user-defined JavaScript to run after content is loaded.

`LoadContentOptions`

Options for loading text-based content, extending LoadOptions.

export interface LoadContentOptions extends LoadOptions {
  baseUrl?: string;
}

Property	Type	Default	Description
`baseUrl`	`string`		Specifies the base URL used to resolve relative URLs within the content.

`LoadDataOptions`

Options for loading raw data buffers, extending LoadContentOptions.

export interface LoadDataOptions extends LoadContentOptions {
  mimeType?: string;
  textEncoding?: string;
}

Property	Type	Default	Description
`mimeType`	`string`		Specifies the MIME type of the data being loaded.
`textEncoding`	`string`		Specifies the text encoding to use when interpreting the data.

`WritePdfOptions`

Options for exporting a book to PDF.

export interface WritePdfOptions {
  pageStart?: number;
  pageEnd?: number;
  pageStep?: number;
}

Property	Type	Default	Description
`pageStart`	`number`	`MIN_PAGE_COUNT`	Specifies the first page to export (inclusive).
`pageEnd`	`number`	`MAX_PAGE_COUNT`	Specifies the last page to export (inclusive).
`pageStep`	`number`	`1`	Specifies the step between pages to export.

`WritePngOptions`

Options for exporting a book to PNG images.

export interface WritePngOptions {
  width?: number;
  height?: number;
}

Property	Type	Default	Description
`width`	`number`		Specifies the output image width in pixels.
`height`	`number`		Specifies the output image height in pixels.

`Book`

Represents a document that can be rendered, paged, and exported to PDF or PNG.

`Book Constructor`

Creates a new Book instance.

Book(options?: BookOptions);

Parameter	Type	Description
`options`	`BookOptions`	Optional settings used to configure the book.

`Book Properties`

readonly pageCount: number;
readonly documentWidth: number;
readonly documentHeight: number;
readonly viewportWidth: number;
readonly viewportHeight: number;

Property	Type	Modifiers	Description
`pageCount`	`number`	`readonly`	The number of pages in the document.
`documentWidth`	`number`	`readonly`	The width of the document in pixels.
`documentHeight`	`number`	`readonly`	The height of the document in pixels.
`viewportWidth`	`number`	`readonly`	The width of the viewport in pixels.
`viewportHeight`	`number`	`readonly`	The height of the viewport in pixels.

`Book.loadUrl`

Loads the document from the specified URL.

loadUrl(url: string, options?: LoadOptions): this;

Parameter	Type	Description
`url`	`string`	The URL to load.
`options`	`LoadOptions`	Optional settings to apply when loading the content.

Returns

Type	Description
`this`	The current `Book` instance, allowing method chaining.

`Book.loadHtml`

Loads the document from the specified HTML content.

loadHtml(content: string, options?: LoadContentOptions): this;

Parameter	Type	Description
`content`	`string`	The HTML content to load.
`options`	`LoadContentOptions`	Optional settings to apply when loading the content.

Returns

Type	Description
`this`	The current `Book` instance, allowing method chaining.

`Book.loadXml`

Loads the document from the specified XML content.

loadXml(content: string, options?: LoadContentOptions): this;

Parameter	Type	Description
`content`	`string`	The XML content to load.
`options`	`LoadContentOptions`	Optional settings to apply when loading the content.

Returns

Type	Description
`this`	The current `Book` instance, allowing method chaining.

`Book.loadData`

Loads the document from the specified raw data buffer.

loadData(buffer: Buffer, options?: LoadDataOptions): this;

Parameter	Type	Description
`buffer`	`Buffer`	The raw data buffer to load.
`options`	`LoadDataOptions`	Optional settings to apply when loading the data.

Returns

Type	Description
`this`	The current `Book` instance, allowing method chaining.

`Book.loadImage`

Loads the document from the specified image data buffer.

loadImage(buffer: Buffer, options?: LoadDataOptions): this;

Parameter	Type	Description
`buffer`	`Buffer`	The image data buffer to load.
`options`	`LoadDataOptions`	Optional settings to apply when loading the data.

Returns

Type	Description
`this`	The current `Book` instance, allowing method chaining.

`Book.writeToPdf`

Writes the document to a PDF file.

writeToPdf(path: string, options?: WritePdfOptions): void;

Parameter	Type	Description
`path`	`string`	The file path where the PDF will be saved.
`options`	`WritePdfOptions`	Optional settings to control PDF output, such as page range and step.

`Book.writeToPdfBuffer`

Writes the document to a PDF buffer.

writeToPdfBuffer(options?: WritePdfOptions): Buffer;

Parameter	Type	Description
`options`	`WritePdfOptions`	Optional settings to control PDF output, such as page range and step.

Returns

Type	Description
`Buffer`	A buffer containing the generated PDF data.

`Book.writeToPng`

Writes the document to a PNG file.

writeToPng(path: string, options?: WritePngOptions): void;

Parameter	Type	Description
`path`	`string`	The file path where the PNG image will be saved.
`options`	`WritePngOptions`	Optional settings to control the PNG output, such as width and height.

`Book.writeToPngBuffer`

Writes the document to a PNG buffer.

writeToPngBuffer(options?: WritePngOptions): Buffer;

Parameter	Type	Description
`options`	`WritePngOptions`	Optional settings to control the PNG output, such as width and height.

Returns

Type	Description
`Buffer`	A buffer containing the generated PNG data.

`createBook`

Creates and returns a new Book instance.

export function createBook(options?: BookOptions): Book;

Parameter	Type	Description
`options`	`BookOptions`	Optional settings to configure the new `Book` instance.

Returns

Type	Description
`Book`	A new `Book` instance configured with the provided options.

Build Metadata

export const plutobookVersion: string;
export const plutobookBuildInfo: string;

Property	Type	Description
`plutobookVersion`	`string`	The PlutoBook version as a string in the format 'major.minor.micro'.
`plutobookBuildInfo`	`string`	The PlutoBook build information, including build date, platform, and compiler details.

Page Constants

export const MIN_PAGE_COUNT: number;
export const MAX_PAGE_COUNT: number;

Property	Type	Description
`MIN_PAGE_COUNT`	`number`	Defines an index that is guaranteed to be less than any valid page count.
`MAX_PAGE_COUNT`	`number`	Defines an index that is guaranteed to be greater than any valid page count.

Unit Constants

export const UNITS_PT: number;
export const UNITS_PC: number;
export const UNITS_IN: number;
export const UNITS_CM: number;
export const UNITS_MM: number;
export const UNITS_PX: number;

Property	Type	Description
`UNITS_PT`	`number`	The conversion factor for points (1 pt).
`UNITS_PC`	`number`	The conversion factor for picas (12 pt).
`UNITS_IN`	`number`	The conversion factor for inches (72 pt).
`UNITS_CM`	`number`	The conversion factor for centimeters (72 / 2.54 pt).
`UNITS_MM`	`number`	The conversion factor for millimeters (72 / 25.4 pt).
`UNITS_PX`	`number`	The conversion factor for pixels (72 / 96 pt).

License

PlutoPrint is licensed under the MIT License, allowing for both personal and commercial use.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 9 Commits
.github		.github
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
binding.gyp		binding.gyp
find-plutobook.js		find-plutobook.js
index.d.ts		index.d.ts
index.js		index.js
index.test-d.ts		index.test-d.ts
package.json		package.json
plutoprint.c		plutoprint.c

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PlutoPrint

Installation

Quick Usage

Generating PDF

Generating PNG

Generating QR Codes

API Reference

SizeType

MediaType

LengthType

BookOptions

LoadOptions

LoadContentOptions

LoadDataOptions

WritePdfOptions

WritePngOptions

Book

Book Constructor

Book Properties

Book.loadUrl

Book.loadHtml

Book.loadXml

Book.loadData

Book.loadImage

Book.writeToPdf

Book.writeToPdfBuffer

Book.writeToPng

Book.writeToPngBuffer

createBook

Build Metadata

Page Constants

Unit Constants

License

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Languages

`SizeType`

`MediaType`

`LengthType`

`BookOptions`

`LoadOptions`

`LoadContentOptions`

`LoadDataOptions`

`WritePdfOptions`

`WritePngOptions`

`Book`

`Book Constructor`

`Book Properties`

`Book.loadUrl`

`Book.loadHtml`

`Book.loadXml`

`Book.loadData`

`Book.loadImage`

`Book.writeToPdf`

`Book.writeToPdfBuffer`

`Book.writeToPng`

`Book.writeToPngBuffer`

`createBook`

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