n8n-nodes-wkhtmltopdf

An n8n community node for converting HTML or webpage URLs to PDF using wkhtmltopdf.

This package is a maintained fork of an original HTML → PDF node, with fixes and improvements for:

• Better error handling
• Improved compatibility (Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker)
• More configuration and output options

Quick n8n installation

pnpm add n8n-nodes-wkhtmltopdf

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✨ Features

• Convert raw HTML to PDF
• Convert URL/webpage to PDF
• Output formats:
  • Base64
  • Binary (n8n binary property)
  • File path on disk
• Configurable:
  • Page size (A4, A3, A5, Letter, Legal)
  • Orientation (Portrait / Landscape)
  • Margins
  • JavaScript execution
  • Custom wkhtmltopdf options (CLI flags)
• Supports self-hosted n8n (including Docker)

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📦 Installation

As an n8n community node (pnpm)

From your n8n installation directory:

pnpm add n8n-nodes-wkhtmltopdf

n8n will automatically pick it up as a community node on restart (for recent versions with community nodes support enabled).

Local / custom nodes folder

If you manage custom nodes manually:

git clone https://github.com/<your-user>/n8n-nodes-wkhtmltopdf.git
cd n8n-nodes-wkhtmltopdf
pnpm install
pnpm build

Then copy or mount this folder into your n8n custom nodes directory, for example:

~/.n8n/custom/n8n-nodes-wkhtmltopdf

Restart n8n and the node should appear in the editor.

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🛠 wkhtmltopdf Requirement

This node requires wkhtmltopdf to be installed and reachable from n8n.

The node will try common default paths:

OS	Default Path Checked
Windows	C:\\Program Files\\wkhtmltopdf\\bin\\wkhtmltopdf.exe
Linux	/usr/bin/wkhtmltopdf
macOS	/usr/local/bin/wkhtmltopdf

You can also configure a custom path in the node options if your installation is elsewhere.

Install on macOS

brew install wkhtmltopdf

Install on Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install wkhtmltopdf

Install on CentOS / RHEL / Fedora

sudo yum install wkhtmltopdf
# or
sudo dnf install wkhtmltopdf

Install on Windows

Download and install from: https://wkhtmltopdf.org/downloads.html

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🐳 Using in Docker

If you are running n8n in Docker, most images do not include wkhtmltopdf by default.

Note: n8n 2.x ships as an Alpine-based hardened image with no package manager, so apt-get install wkhtmltopdf no longer works. The binary has to be copied in from a prebuilt source.

Local testing with docker compose

This repo includes a ready-to-run stack (docker-compose.yml + docker/) that builds an n8n image with wkhtmltopdf baked in and auto-installs this node from your local build:

pnpm build                 # produce dist/ on the host
docker compose up --build  # build the image and start n8n + a sample web server

Then open http://localhost:5678, add an HTML to PDF node, and test either HTML Content mode or HTML URL mode against http://web/ (the bundled nginx sample page). After changing the node code:

pnpm build
REINSTALL_WKHTMLTOPDF_NODE=true docker compose up -d --force-recreate n8n

See docker/Dockerfile for how wkhtmltopdf is added (prebuilt surnet/alpine-wkhtmltopdf binary + its runtime libraries/fonts) — reuse that pattern in your own image if you self-host n8n on the Alpine images.

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🚀 Usage

1. In the n8n editor, search for “HTML to PDF (wkhtmltopdf)”.

2. Select Input Type:

   • HTML Content → paste or map raw HTML
   • URL → provide a web address

3. Choose Output Format:

   • Base64 → returns a Base64 string
   • Binary → attaches PDF to an n8n binary property
   • File Path → write to disk in the container/host

4. Configure PDF options:

   • Page size, orientation, margins
   • Enable JavaScript
   • Optional custom wkhtmltopdf flags

5. Execute the workflow and use the PDF in downstream nodes.

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⚙️ Configuration Options

Input

• HTML Content Direct HTML string to convert.

• HTML URL URL of a webpage to convert. The node will pass the URL to wkhtmltopdf.

Output

• Base64 Returns the PDF as a Base64-encoded string.

• Binary Exposes the PDF via a binary property (for use with other n8n nodes like Email, FTP, etc.).

• File Path Saves the PDF to the local filesystem. Useful in Docker with a mounted volume.

PDF Settings

• Page Size: A4, A3, A5, Letter, Legal, etc.
• Orientation: Portrait / Landscape
• Margins: Top, Right, Bottom, Left
• Enable JavaScript: Enable or disable JS execution for the page.
• Custom Options: Raw CLI flags passed directly to wkhtmltopdf.

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🐞 Troubleshooting

wkhtmltopdf: command not found

wkhtmltopdf is not installed or not in PATH.

• Check: which wkhtmltopdf
• Install it inside your host / container
• Configure a custom path in the node if required

Exit code 127 / 139 or blank PDF

Often due to missing system libraries or fonts. On Debian/Ubuntu, try:

apt-get install -y xfonts-base fontconfig libxrender1 libxext6

Also, for dynamic/JS-heavy pages:

• Add --javascript-delay 2000
• Add --enable-local-file-access if you load local resources

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🧩 Development

Clone and install:

git clone https://github.com/<your-user>/n8n-nodes-wkhtmltopdf.git
cd n8n-nodes-wkhtmltopdf
pnpm install
pnpm build

You can then symlink or mount the repo into your n8n custom nodes folder for live development.

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📄 License

MIT