Use a different PDF library

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 21 views

Introduction

In this article, we will explore how to convert a web page to a PDF file using Python and Selenium WebDriver. Selenium is an open-source tool used for automating web browsers, and it can be used to scrape web pages and perform other tasks. We will use Selenium to load the web page and then use the pdfkit library to convert the page to a PDF file.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you will need to have the following installed:

Python 3.x
Selenium WebDriver
pdfkit library
wkhtmltopdf executable (this is a requirement for pdfkit to work)

You can install the required libraries using pip:

pip install selenium pdfkit

Step 1: Install wkhtmltopdf

wkhtmltopdf is a command-line tool that converts HTML to PDF. It is a requirement for the pdfkit library to work. You can download the executable from the official website: https://wkhtmltopdf.org/downloads.html

Once you have downloaded the executable, add it to your system's PATH.

Step 2: Set up Selenium WebDriver

To use Selenium WebDriver, you will need to set up a WebDriver instance. In this example, we will use the ChromeDriver. You can download the ChromeDriver from the official website: https://chromedriver.chromium.org/downloads

Once you have downloaded the ChromeDriver, add it to your system's PATH.

Step 3: Convert Web Page to PDF

Now that we have set up Selenium WebDriver, we can use it to load the web page and convert it to a PDF file. Here is an example code snippet:

from selenium import webdriver
from pdfkit import from_string
import os
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
url = "http://online.mytemscloud.com/TD/26.1/HtmlHelp/index.html#page/User%2520Guide%2FTEMS%2520Discovery%2520User Guide&quot;
driver.get(url)
html_content = driver.page_source
pdf_content = from_string(html_content, url)
with open("output.pdf", "wb") as f:
f.write(pdf_content)
driver.quit()

In this code snippet, we first set up a WebDriver instance using the ChromeDriver. We then load the web page using the driver.get() method. We get the HTML content of the web page using the driver.page_source attribute. We then convert the HTML content to a PDF file using the from_string() function from the pdfkit library. Finally, we save the PDF file to a file named "output.pdf".

Tips and Variations

Here are some tips and variations to keep in mind:

Use a different WebDriver: You can use a different WebDriver, such as FirefoxDriver or EdgeDriver, by changing the webdriver argument in the webdriver.Chrome() function.
Use a different PDF library: You can use a different PDF library, such as pdfwriter or fpdf, by changing the from_string() function in the code snippet.
Add custom CSS: You can add custom CSS to the web page by using the driver.execute_script() method to inject CSS into the page.
Use a different output format: You can use a different output format, such as PNG or JPEG, by changing the with open() statement in the code snippet.

Conclusion

Introduction

In our previous article, we explored how to convert a web page to a PDF file using Python and Selenium WebDriver. In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about converting web pages to PDF using Python and Selenium WebDriver.

Q: What is Selenium WebDriver?

A: Selenium WebDriver is an open-source tool used for automating web browsers. It can be used to scrape web pages, perform other tasks, and convert web pages to PDF files.

Q: What is wkhtmltopdf?

A: wkhtmltopdf is a command-line tool that converts HTML to PDF. It is a requirement for the pdfkit library to work.

Q: How do I install wkhtmltopdf?

A: You can download the executable from the official website: https://wkhtmltopdf.org/downloads.html Once you have downloaded the executable, add it to your system's PATH.

Q: How do I set up Selenium WebDriver?

A: To use Selenium WebDriver, you will need to set up a WebDriver instance. In this example, we will use the ChromeDriver. You can download the ChromeDriver from the official website: https://chromedriver.chromium.org/downloads Once you have downloaded the ChromeDriver, add it to your system's PATH.

Q: How do I convert a web page to a PDF file using Python and Selenium WebDriver?

A: Here is an example code snippet:

from selenium import webdriver
from pdfkit import from_string
import os
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
url = "http://online.mytemscloud.com/TD/26.1/HtmlHelp/index.html#page/User%2520Guide%2FTEMS%2520Discovery%2520User Guide&quot;
driver.get(url)
html_content = driver.page_source
pdf_content = from_string(html_content, url)
with open("output.pdf", "wb") as f:
f.write(pdf_content)
driver.quit()

Q: Can I use a different WebDriver?

A: Yes, you can use a different WebDriver, such as FirefoxDriver or EdgeDriver, by changing the webdriver argument in the webdriver.Chrome() function.

Q: Can I use a different PDF library?

A: Yes, you can use a different PDF library, such as pdfwriter or fpdf, by changing the from_string() function in the code snippet.

Q: Can I add custom CSS to the web page?

A: Yes, you can add custom CSS to the web page by using the driver.execute_script() method to inject CSS into the page.

Q: Can I use a different output format?

A: Yes, you can use a different output format, such as PNG or JPEG, by changing the with open() statement in the code snippet.

Conclusion

In this article, we have answered some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about converting web pages to PDF using Python and Selenium WebDriver. We have provided example code snippets and explanations to help you get started with converting web pages to PDF files using Python and Selenium WebDriver.