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ArchiveBox’s PDF plugin uses Chrome to print a rendered web page to a PDF. PDF capture is documented as enabled by default; to make the setting explicit for future captures, run archivebox config --set PDF_ENABLED=true, then add a page with archivebox add 'https://example.com'. Look for output.pdf in that page’s snapshot output.
Enable PDF capture for ArchiveBox
The PDF plugin prints the current rendered page through ArchiveBox’s shared Chrome session. Its documented setting is PDF_ENABLED, whose default is true. To explicitly enable it in persisted configuration, run:
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archivebox config --set PDF_ENABLED=trueThe plugin documentation also lists SAVE_PDF and USE_PDF as aliases. See the ArchiveBox PDF plugin configuration for the settings applicable to your installed version.
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Persist the setting
archivebox config --set PDF_ENABLED=true stores the setting for later use. ArchiveBox also accepts configuration in the data folder’s ArchiveBox.conf. These options suit repeated captures, but the effective value can depend on configuration scope.
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Set it for one command
On a Unix-like shell, prefix the archive command with the environment variable:
PDF_ENABLED=true archivebox add 'https://example.com'This supplies a process-level default; it does not necessarily override a more-specific persisted Crawl or Snapshot setting. ArchiveBox’s configuration documentation explains the configuration sources and scope behavior: configuration reference.
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Capture a page and find its PDF
- Ensure Chrome or Chromium is available to ArchiveBox and that Chrome integration is enabled.
- Set
PDF_ENABLED=truepersistently or for the command, as appropriate. - Add the page, for example:
archivebox add 'https://example.com'. - Open the resulting snapshot output and locate
output.pdf.
ArchiveBox’s repository identifies output.pdf as the headless-Chrome printed PDF output: ArchiveBox repository.
Provide the browser dependency
PDF printing requires Chrome/Chromium. The project documents CHROME_BINARY for selecting the browser executable and CHROME_ENABLED for browser integration. The official Docker image or the project’s dependency installation can provide the required browser dependencies; use the installation instructions for the ArchiveBox version you run.
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Do not confuse Chrome with pdftoppm: the browser generates the PDF, while the Poppler utility is used to render the PDF’s first page for a card thumbnail.
Adjust timeout and resolution only when needed
PDF_TIMEOUTcontrols PDF generation timeout and is documented with a default of 60 seconds. Increase it if a slow page needs more time to render.PDF_RESOLUTIONcontrols PDF page resolution and is documented with a default of1440,2000; it falls back to the sharedRESOLUTIONsetting.CHROME_RESOLUTIONis the browser viewport setting and also falls back toRESOLUTION.PDFTOPPM_BINARYselects the Poppler renderer used for the first-page card thumbnail; it does not select the browser that creates the PDF.
These are documented configuration values, not guarantees that every release uses identical defaults. Check the configuration reference for your installed version before changing them: ArchiveBox configuration.
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Know whether the URL is a web page or already a PDF
The PDF plugin prints a rendered web page. If the URL itself returns a PDF file, ArchiveBox’s staticfile plugin downloads that file instead; enabling page printing is a separate capture path. This distinction matters when a snapshot contains a downloaded PDF but no newly printed page PDF. The plugin documentation describes both paths: PDF plugin reference.
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No output.pdf appears
- Check that
PDF_ENABLEDis true at the scope used by the crawl that made the snapshot. - Confirm Chrome integration is enabled and Chrome/Chromium is installed at the configured
CHROME_BINARYpath. - Check the specific snapshot output for
output.pdf, rather than expecting the file at the data-folder root.
The setting appears to be ignored
Inspect the effective configuration and the Crawl or Snapshot settings for the run. Environment variables seed process-level defaults, while persisted Machine, Persona, Crawl, or Snapshot settings can take precedence according to scope. Changing an environment variable later does not silently rewrite a Crawl’s stored configuration.
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The page times out or renders incompletely
For pages that take longer to render, consider increasing PDF_TIMEOUT above its documented 60-second default. Investigate general TIMEOUT or Chrome-specific settings only if the failure points to those settings; changing the PDF timeout will not fix a missing browser dependency.
The URL is a direct PDF link
Check the static-file capture output. The page-printing plugin is for rendered web pages and is not the mechanism that downloads an existing PDF response.
The thumbnail is missing
Check whether the configured PDFTOPPM_BINARY utility is available. Its role is the first-page card thumbnail, so a thumbnail problem does not by itself show that Chrome failed to create the PDF.
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If you need a screenshot rather than an ArchiveBox snapshot, ScreenshotNeo returns a page capture or PDF from one GET request. For a screenshot call:
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for options and PDF parameters. ScreenshotNeo removes cookie banners, popups and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages and failed loads are not billed. Its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo.
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