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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteIf the same HTML produces different text sizes in wkhtmltopdf on Windows and Linux, first align the wkhtmltopdf build, fonts, and rendering options. The difference is often in the rendering environment—not the CSS declaration alone. A useful diagnostic starting point is wkhtmltopdf --zoom 1.33 --dpi 96 --minimum-font-size 0 input.html output.pdf, but it is not a universal correction: the right values must be validated against a fixed test page, especially because --dpi has no effect on X11-based systems.
Why the same CSS can produce different-sized text
wkhtmltopdf does not render CSS in a vacuum. Its output depends on the browser engine and build, the operating system’s DPI behavior, the fonts available to that system, and the options used for conversion. If any of those differ, a declaration such as font-size: 12px can result in a PDF whose text looks different or whose measured layout changes.
DPI, zoom, and CSS units
CSS units are interpreted through the rendering stack. Windows display settings and scaling can affect the environment in which wkhtmltopdf runs. A headless Linux process commonly runs with a different, fixed DPI context. The project’s usage documentation lists 96 DPI as the default for --dpi and notes that this option has no effect on X11-based systems.
There is also a version-history trap: wkhtmltopdf maintainers said that a change standardized DPI at 96 across supported platforms, where earlier Linux behavior used 72 DPI. That historical change means an upgrade can alter apparent text size even if the HTML and CSS are unchanged. The 72-to-96 figures describe earlier and later defaults discussed by maintainers, not a guaranteed percentage difference in every document.
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Fonts and font metrics
Having a font listed in CSS does not prove that both machines found and used the same font file. If the requested font is missing or cannot be loaded, the renderer may use a fallback with different glyph widths, x-height, and line spacing. On Linux, font discovery also depends on fontconfig and freetype2 and their configuration. Matching the CSS while leaving the font files or runtime configuration uncontrolled is not a reproducible test.
Viewer and display scaling
A PDF can have matching page geometry and still look different on screen if two viewers, displays, or zoom settings differ. Always inspect both outputs in the same PDF viewer at the same zoom before concluding that the PDF itself has changed.
Fix the difference in a controlled order
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Record the two environments
On each machine, save the complete output of
wkhtmltopdf --version, the exact conversion command, OS and distribution details, whether the process is headless or attached to X11, and the container or VM image if applicable. Record the font files and formats installed, relevant fontconfig configuration, and the PDF viewer used for inspection. The wkhtmltopdf project’s support guidance asks for the version and a reproducible HTML/CSS/JavaScript test case; these details help distinguish a rendering difference from a viewing difference. -
Use the same wkhtmltopdf build
Pin the same version and build on Windows and Linux, including the relevant Qt/WebKit build where known. The project’s downloads page lists 0.12.6 as its stable series, released June 11, 2020; that release date is not a claim that it is the newest or best choice for every deployment. What matters for comparison is that both systems use the same tested build. If the mismatch began after an upgrade, test the prior and new builds against the same fixture before changing CSS.
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Install and verify identical fonts
Copy the exact font files used by the document to both environments rather than relying on similarly named fonts installed by the operating system. On Linux, verify that fontconfig can discover those files under the configuration used by the wkhtmltopdf process. In packaged deployments,
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Make scaling options explicit
Run a baseline with the options you intend to keep explicit. The following is a diagnostic starting point, not a universal production setting:
wkhtmltopdf --zoom 1.33 --dpi 96 --minimum-font-size 0 input.html output.pdfThe usage documentation states that
--dpidefaults to 96 and has no effect on X11-based systems. Maintainer guidance suggested--zoom 1.33as a fit for a Windows 96-DPI default when exact measurements are needed. Treat that zoom value as a hypothesis to validate: zoom changes page geometry as well as apparent text size, and it may not be appropriate for another DPI context or layout. Pin the tested values in your conversion command or CI configuration.Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
Remove hidden desktop state
Do not rely on an interactive desktop session for a reproducible conversion. Windows UI scaling and remote-desktop sessions can leave different DPI states even when the visible display setting seems unchanged. Run conversions under a controlled service account, VM, or container, and record whether a display server is involved. On Linux, remember that the documented limitation on
--dpiapplies to X11-based systems. -
Check web-font loading and formats
If a web font appears on Windows but not Linux, reduce the page to a self-contained
@font-facedeclaration that points to the font file and test a known-good format. An issue reporter said converting a problematic font to OTF and referencing it with@font-facefixed that particular case. This is a case-specific workaround, not a guarantee that OTF will fix every font-loading problem.Rank #3
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Use a minimum font size only for a real policy
--minimum-font-sizeand the library settingweb.minimumFontSizecan impose a floor on rendered text. Use them only when the document has a requirement that text not fall below a specified size. A floor can change small text selectively; it does not make font metrics, DPI, or missing fonts match. -
Compare outputs in the same viewer
Open both PDFs in the same viewer, at the same zoom, and compare a minimal fixture. If page geometry and text placement match but the screen appearance does not, investigate viewer or display scaling. If geometry differs, return to the build, fonts, DPI/zoom, and command options. This same-viewer check is particularly useful before compensating with CSS.
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Build a minimal cross-platform test fixture
Use a small HTML file that removes unrelated page styles and includes the exact target font. Keep the same file on both systems. Include the relevant unit types and enough text to reveal both height and width differences:
- An 8px sample.
- A 9pt sample.
- A 10px sample.
- A 12px sample.
- A paragraph using the target web font, with a distinctive sentence long enough to compare wrapping.
Make page size and margins identical in both commands, and do not change multiple variables at once. First compare the output with the same build and fonts; then change only the DPI/zoom options if necessary. If the samples differ in width or line wrapping, suspect font substitution or font metrics as well as scale. If only the visual size in the viewer differs while the PDF geometry is the same, investigate display and viewer zoom instead.
Keep production conversions reproducible
Once the fixture matches, preserve the environment that produced it. A reliable conversion setup is a pinned binary/build, pinned font files and configuration, explicit page geometry and rendering options, and a test fixture that runs in CI or another controlled environment. Keep the exact command alongside the fixture so that a future upgrade can be compared against the known output.
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When comparing deployments, check these variables as a group rather than assuming the operating system name explains the discrepancy:
- wkhtmltopdf version and build, including Qt/WebKit patch level where available.
- Operating system, display mode, and headless versus X11 execution.
- Effective DPI and zoom.
- Exact font files and formats, plus Linux fontconfig/Freetype configuration.
- Page size, margins, and
--minimum-font-size. - The PDF viewer and zoom used for inspection.
Common symptoms and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause to check | Practical next step |
|---|---|---|
| Text changed after upgrading wkhtmltopdf | The new build may use a different DPI baseline or rendering behavior. | Compare both builds using the same test fixture, fonts, and command; pin the build that meets the layout requirement. |
| Linux text wraps differently despite matching CSS | A different font was found, fontconfig differs, or a font failed to load. | Verify the exact files and formats visible to the conversion process; check its fontconfig configuration and FONTCONFIG_PATH where applicable. |
--dpi does not change the Linux output |
The process may be using X11, where the usage documentation says --dpi has no effect. |
Confirm the execution/display mode and evaluate zoom and the complete rendering environment rather than assuming the DPI flag overrides it. |
| PDF looks different, but printed or measured geometry matches | Viewer zoom or display scaling may differ. | Open both files in the same viewer at the same zoom before altering conversion settings. |
| Only tiny text is too small | A minimum-font-size policy or an unexpectedly small CSS size may be involved. | Inspect the CSS and command/library minimum-font-size setting; use a floor only if the document requires one. |
| Web font works on Windows but falls back on Linux | The font resource may not load or be discoverable in the Linux runtime. | Test a self-contained @font-face fixture and a known-good font format; verify discovery before changing size declarations. |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does changing CSS from px to pt fix Windows/Linux differences?
Not by itself. Unit conversion still passes through the renderer’s DPI and font metrics, so first match the build, fonts, and rendering environment.
Is 1.33 the correct zoom value for every Windows and Linux setup?
No. It is maintainer guidance for a Windows 96-DPI default condition and should be validated against your own fixture.
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