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To render Arabic correctly in a Django PDF, make three separate choices: declare xhtml2pdf’s Arabic RTL mode with <pdf:language name="arabic"/>, embed a TrueType font that contains the Arabic glyphs, and use lang="ar" on the document when PDF language metadata matters. Add dir="rtl" where HTML direction semantics are appropriate, then inspect the generated PDF with the exact xhtml2pdf version and font used in deployment.
The minimum template change
xhtml2pdf processes the HTML and CSS that Django gives it; there is no separate Django setting that enables Arabic. Put the RTL declaration in the markup scope containing the Arabic content and assign an embedded Arabic-capable font to that content.
<html lang="ar">
<head>
<style>
@font-face {
font-family: ArabicText;
src: url("fonts/MarkaziText-Regular.ttf");
}
.arabic {
font-family: ArabicText;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<pdf:language name="arabic"/>
<p class="arabic">مرحبا بالعالم</p>
<p>English text remains left-to-right.</p>
</body>
</html>This is the documented pattern using Markazi Text as an example font. Make sure the TTF path is resolvable by the converter in the production environment; a path that works in a development checkout may fail when templates and static files are packaged differently.
What each language and direction setting does
pdf:language activates xhtml2pdf RTL behavior
Use <pdf:language name="arabic"/> for Arabic. The documented RTL values also include hebrew, persian, urdu, pashto, and sindhi. In RTL mode, text runs are laid out from right to left, paragraphs are right-aligned unless you override that, and table columns flow in the opposite direction so the first cell is rightmost.
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dir="rtl" supplies HTML direction semantics
Add dir="rtl" to an element or container when the semantic HTML direction should be explicit:
<div dir="rtl" class="arabic">
<p>نص عربي مع English داخل السطر</p>
</div>Use it together with the xhtml2pdf language declaration when appropriate, but test mixed Arabic and Latin strings. RTL and bidirectional layout behavior has changed between xhtml2pdf releases.
lang="ar" is document metadata, not shaping
The special xhtml2pdf value arabic is an RTL-processing instruction, not a BCP 47 language tag. It does not by itself set the PDF /Lang entry. Put lang="ar" on the root HTML element when screen readers, PDF/UA checkers, or other consumers should identify the document as Arabic. You can use lang="en" on an English fragment inside an Arabic document when that fragment needs an explicit language.
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Why built-in PDF fonts fail
The built-in Base-14 families—Helvetica, Times-Roman, and Courier—do not contain Arabic glyphs. Selecting one of them can produce missing characters, boxes, or blank output. An embedded font is required for reliable Arabic rendering.
Define the font with @font-face
Use a TTF file and reference it in CSS:
@font-face {
font-family: ArabicText;
src: url("fonts/MarkaziText-Regular.ttf");
}
body { font-family: ArabicText; }
.latin { font-family: Helvetica; }
Font-family lists are matched per character in the current guide. You can therefore provide a fallback list for mixed scripts, but every character must exist in at least one specified font. If no listed font contains a character, xhtml2pdf warns about the missing glyph and the PDF may show a blank or a box.
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Check joining and shaping, not just glyph coverage
Arabic letters change form according to their position and neighboring letters. ReportLab does not perform shaping itself; xhtml2pdf chooses contextual letter forms. The font guide cautions that some OpenType-oriented fonts contain base Arabic characters but few or no presentation forms. Such a font can contain the letters yet still render them unjoined. Test words with isolated, initial, medial, and final forms, plus punctuation and numerals, rather than checking only a single character.
Integrate the template in Django
A typical view renders the HTML template and passes it to xhtml2pdf’s PDF response helper. The exact helper setup depends on your project, but the Arabic work belongs in the template and CSS:
from django.http import HttpResponse
from django.template.loader import get_template
from xhtml2pdf import pisa
def invoice_pdf(request, invoice_id):
template = get_template("billing/invoice.html")
html = template.render({"invoice_id": invoice_id})
response = HttpResponse(content_type="application/pdf")
response["Content-Disposition"] = 'inline; filename="invoice.pdf"'
result = pisa.CreatePDF(html, dest=response)
if result.err:
return HttpResponse("PDF generation failed", status=500)
return responseKeep the font file available to the process that calls pisa.CreatePDF. If you use relative URLs, configure xhtml2pdf’s link and file-resolution callbacks or switch to a deployment path that the converter can read. A missing font URL is a deployment error, not an Arabic-language setting problem.
Arabic tables, alignment, and mixed content
Tables
With Arabic RTL mode enabled, xhtml2pdf reverses table column flow: the first cell is rendered on the right. Do not assume that a Django list written left-to-right will occupy the visual columns you expect. Build a small table fixture containing headers, numbers, dates, and Arabic labels, then verify the visual order in the PDF.
Mixed Arabic and Latin text
URLs, invoice numbers, email addresses, currency symbols, and English product names often appear inside Arabic sentences. Wrap fragments with appropriate language and direction where needed:
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<p dir="rtl" class="arabic">
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</p>Inspect punctuation, parentheses, decimal separators, and adjacent Latin text. A string can have correct glyphs but still appear visually confusing if its directional runs are not delimited.
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RTL declarations right-align paragraphs by default. For a centered heading or a left-aligned Latin block, override the alignment explicitly:
.arabic-title { text-align: center; }
.latin-block { direction: ltr; text-align: left; }Version and deployment checks
Version behavior matters. The documentation landing page displayed 0.2.21, while the latest font and release-note pages displayed 0.2.20 and the stable HTML API displayed 0.2.19. The 0.2.20 release notes, dated 2026-09-15, describe changes to RTL layout, mixed-direction handling, Arabic joining, and font fallback. Check the package actually installed in your application before relying on a version-specific result:
python -c "import xhtml2pdf; print(getattr(xhtml2pdf, '__version__', 'unknown'))"
pip show xhtml2pdfPin the version in your deployment, include the exact font files in the build artifact, and regenerate a known Arabic fixture after upgrades. The 0.2.20 notes say Arabic letters are no longer replaced by empty boxes when a font has no presentation form for them; that release-note statement is not a guarantee that every font will join correctly in every document.
Testing checklist before production
- Render isolated, connected, and mixed Arabic words.
- Include Arabic punctuation, Arabic-Indic digits if your data uses them, Latin numbers, URLs, and currency symbols.
- Test paragraphs, headings, nested spans, lists, and tables.
- Open the PDF in more than one viewer and zoom in to check glyph outlines and joining.
- Confirm the output metadata language if accessibility requires
/Lang. - Run the test with the same xhtml2pdf version, operating system, font files, and URL-resolution configuration used in production.
Troubleshooting common failures
Arabic appears as boxes or disappears
Cause: a Base-14 font or another font without the required glyphs is being used, or the TTF URL cannot be resolved. Fix: embed an Arabic-capable TTF with @font-face, apply that family to the Arabic element, and verify the converter can open the file from its deployment path.
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Letters appear but do not connect
Cause: the font has base Arabic glyphs but lacks presentation forms expected by xhtml2pdf’s contextual selection. Fix: try a font documented to work with xhtml2pdf, such as Markazi Text, and test the actual words your application emits. Upgrading xhtml2pdf can change joining behavior, so retest after upgrades.
Arabic is present but runs left-to-right
Cause: the RTL language declaration is missing or outside the markup being converted. Fix: place <pdf:language name="arabic"/> in the relevant document scope and use dir="rtl" on semantic containers where needed.
English fragments or numbers are scrambled
Cause: bidirectional runs are ambiguous, especially inside tables and punctuation-heavy strings. Fix: wrap Latin fragments in dir="ltr", set their language where useful, and test the complete mixed string rather than separate words.
The PDF is visually Arabic but accessibility tools report no language
Cause: pdf:language controls RTL processing; it is not the PDF language metadata tag. Fix: add lang="ar" to the root HTML element and validate the resulting PDF with your accessibility tooling.
A table’s columns seem reversed
Cause: RTL mode intentionally places the first table cell on the right. Fix: reorder the template cells to match the intended visual reading order, or use an explicit LTR container for a table that is genuinely left-to-right.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Django need a separate Arabic or RTL setting for xhtml2pdf?
No. Arabic handling occurs in the HTML/CSS passed to xhtml2pdf. Declare pdf:language, embed and apply an Arabic-capable font, and use HTML direction and language attributes where appropriate.
Can I use Helvetica for Arabic if I also declare RTL?
No. Helvetica, Times-Roman, and Courier are Base-14 PDF fonts without Arabic glyphs. Embed a suitable TTF instead.
Is lang="ar" a replacement for pdf:language?
No. lang="ar" identifies the document language, while pdf:language name="arabic" activates xhtml2pdf’s RTL processing.
Why should I retest after upgrading xhtml2pdf?
RTL layout, mixed-direction handling, Arabic joining, and font fallback have changed across releases, including changes described in the 0.2.20 release notes.
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