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To convert a webpage to PDF with ScreenshotMachine, send a GET request to https://pdfapi.screenshotmachine.com/ with your customer key as key and the page address as url. Save the response body as a .pdf file. The service renders the webpage; it does not convert a local browser tab or an existing file.
Make a basic URL-to-PDF request
First obtain a ScreenshotMachine customer key through its account flow. Keep the key on a server or in a protected local environment; do not put it in public client-side code or commit it to a public repository. The PDF API guide documents key and url as the required parameters.
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This cURL command encodes both parameter values and writes the response to output.pdf:
curl -G "https://pdfapi.screenshotmachine.com"
--data-urlencode "key=YOUR_CUSTOMER_KEY"
--data-urlencode "url=https://example.com"
> output.pdfReplace the key and example address with your own. The documented endpoint also appears with a trailing slash; use the endpoint form shown in the official ScreenshotMachine PDF API guide. The official examples show downloading or streaming the generated output. Check the saved file with a PDF reader before relying on it in a production workflow.
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What the command does
-Gmakes cURL send the parameters as a GET query.--data-urlencodeencodes parameter values, including the webpage URL.> output.pdfredirects the response body to a file. It does not print the document to your terminal.
The API documentation describes the request inputs and output examples, but does not establish a response-code contract or detailed error taxonomy. If you need programmatic error handling, verify the current API behavior with the vendor rather than assuming every response is a PDF.
Choose the PDF layout and page state
Begin with the defaults, then change only the options that address a concrete rendering need. ScreenshotMachine’s API documentation describes these parameters:
| Parameter | Documented behavior | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
paper |
Defaults to letter. Listed choices include legal, ledger, tabloid, and ISO A0–A6. |
Match the intended print or reading format. |
orientation |
portrait is the default; landscape is also supported. |
Use landscape for content whose width is more important than its height. |
media |
Defaults to screen. screen retains browser-like appearance; print removes web-specific graphics or elements not needed for print. |
Choose whether on-screen fidelity or print-oriented styling matters more. |
bg |
Defaults to bg, which includes the page background; nobg omits it. |
Omit backgrounds when you want a simpler document or do not need background styling. |
delay |
Defaults to 200 ms. Documented values range from 0 to 10000 ms in 200 ms increments. | Add wait time if a page animation or delayed rendering needs to finish before capture. |
scale |
Defaults to 100%; documented values range from 10 to 200. The vendor notes that a smaller scale can reduce page count. | Adjust content zoom when layout or pagination needs correction. |
click |
Accepts a CSS selector for an element to click before capture. | Use when a page interaction, such as a consent choice, must occur before rendering. |
hide |
Accepts comma-separated CSS selectors for elements to hide. | Remove an overlay or other unwanted element from the captured page. |
For example, add the documented parameters to the cURL request as additional encoded values. The exact selector and option values depend on the target page:
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curl -G "https://pdfapi.screenshotmachine.com"
--data-urlencode "key=YOUR_CUSTOMER_KEY"
--data-urlencode "url=https://example.com"
--data-urlencode "paper=A4"
--data-urlencode "orientation=portrait"
--data-urlencode "media=print"
--data-urlencode "bg=bg"
--data-urlencode "delay=1000"
--data-urlencode "scale=100"
> output.pdfUse a delay only if the page needs it: a larger delay adds time to the request and cannot guarantee that a page’s own asynchronous content has finished. The documented delay values advance in 200 ms increments.
Pass cookies, language, and browser context
The API guide also documents cookies, accept-language, and user-agent for shaping the request context. Cookies are a semicolon-separated list of name-value pairs. Use URL encoding for values containing reserved characters; passing raw punctuation in query values can change how the request is parsed.
curl -G "https://pdfapi.screenshotmachine.com"
--data-urlencode "key=YOUR_CUSTOMER_KEY"
--data-urlencode "url=https://example.com/account"
--data-urlencode "cookies=session=VALUE; preference=VALUE"
--data-urlencode "accept-language=en-US"
--data-urlencode "user-agent=Mozilla/5.0"
> account.pdfOnly send cookies you are authorized to use, and treat session values as credentials. The click and hide options can help with consent banners or other page elements, but select a click action carefully: it may change page state before the PDF is produced.
Protect requests made from public pages
A customer key embedded in public HTML can be copied and reused by others. The vendor’s guide describes an optional hash for requests originating in public HTML: calculate the MD5 digest of the exact url parameter value concatenated with the account’s secret phrase, then send that digest as hash. When a secret phrase is configured in account settings, the documentation says missing or incorrect hashes are ignored. That behavior is not equivalent to protecting a secret kept in a server-side integration, so avoid exposing the secret phrase itself.
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Be precise about the URL used in the calculation: the documented input is the exact URL parameter value concatenated with the secret phrase. If you encode or normalize the URL differently between calculating the hash and making the request, the values may not match. Consult the current API instructions for the vendor’s hash example and account-specific setup.
Use the language examples or SDKs
The official API page includes examples for Bash, Node.js, Python, PHP, Java, C#, Perl, and VB. Its Node.js example uses the official package to generate the API URL and pipe the returned stream to a file. The vendor’s Python example repository demonstrates building options, generating the API URL, and saving the output: screenshotmachine-python on GitHub. Prefer a standard URL/query encoder or the vendor’s SDK over assembling a query string by hand.
When using a language HTTP client, request the endpoint with key and url, then write the response bytes—not a text-decoded response—to a file opened in binary mode. The vendor documentation does not establish a specific timeout guarantee, PDF size limit, or retention policy, so check with ScreenshotMachine if those properties are requirements for your application.
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Troubleshoot common implementation problems
- The saved file is not a readable PDF: Confirm the request URL and parameters, and inspect the HTTP response before treating its body as a document. The available API guide does not provide a full error-code mapping.
- The target URL includes query parameters or punctuation: Encode the entire
urlvalue using cURL’s--data-urlencodeor your language’s query-encoding utility. Do not concatenate an unescaped webpage URL into the API endpoint. - A selector with
#or other reserved characters behaves unexpectedly: Encode theclickorhidevalue as a query parameter. The guide specifically calls out percent-encoding selector values and other reserved characters. - The page is captured before an animation or delayed content appears: Increase
delaywithin the documented 0–10000 ms range, using 200 ms increments. A delay is a wait, not proof that every page resource has loaded. - The PDF looks unlike the webpage: Compare
media=screenwithmedia=print, and check whetherbgornobgmatches the intended output. Adjust paper, orientation, and scale for pagination. - A consent banner or overlay obscures content: Try a suitable
clickselector if the page has an actionable control, or ahideselector if removal is appropriate. Selectors are page-specific. - A signed public request is rejected or behaves inconsistently: Check that the hash uses the exact URL parameter value plus the configured secret phrase, and that the URL sent is the value used to calculate it. Keep the phrase private.
Or skip the browser setup
If you want a screenshot or PDF workflow without building and maintaining the rendering request yourself, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. Its one-call endpoint returns a clean screenshot in PNG, JPEG, or WebP, or a PDF. For a PDF response, save the returned bytes with a .pdf filename; its documented API call uses the url parameter and your access key:
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-d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY
--data-urlencode url=https://example.com
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does ScreenshotMachine take a URL or a local HTML file?
The documented PDF endpoint takes a webpage address in its `url` parameter; the guide does not establish a local-file input workflow.
Best Value
- Scanner type: Document
- Connectivity technology: USB
- With Auto Scan Mode, the scanner automatically detects what you're scanning
- Digitize documents and images
Can I use a URL that does not include `https://`?
The guide says the scheme prefix is optional, but including `https://` makes the target address explicit.
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What does ScreenshotMachine document about storing generated PDFs?
The API examples show saving or streaming the response, but the available documentation does not establish a data-retention policy.
Quick Recap
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