The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Use Playwright to open a page in a browser, then call page.pdf(). By default, the PDF uses print CSS, Letter paper, no paper margins, and omits background graphics. Choose the media mode and page geometry deliberately, and wait for your site’s content to be ready before exporting.
Generate a website PDF with Playwright
This JavaScript example uses Chromium, navigates to a URL, and writes the resulting PDF to page.pdf in the current working directory:
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const { chromium } = require('playwright');
(async () => {
const browser = await chromium.launch();
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await page.pdf({ path: 'page.pdf', format: 'A4' });
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
})();Install Playwright and its browser binary in your project before running the script. The documented installation command is npx playwright install; see the Playwright browser installation guide. Playwright versions require corresponding browser binaries, so reinstall them when updating Playwright if needed. The code shows the basic flow; the target website may need an additional readiness check before capture.
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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Playwright’s official Page API documentation states: “page.pdf() generates a pdf of the page with print css media.” For navigation and the Page model, see the Pages guide.
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- Scanner type: Document
- Connectivity technology: USB
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- Digitize documents and images
Choose print CSS or screen CSS
page.pdf() uses print media by default. That can change layout or hide elements compared with what a visitor sees on screen. To render using screen styles instead, emulate screen media before exporting:
await page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' });
await page.pdf({ path: 'page.pdf', format: 'A4' });Use print media when the page has print-specific styles or should behave like a conventional printout. Use screen media when the PDF should retain the screen layout. Check the resulting PDF: the site’s CSS determines which elements and styles appear in either mode.
Set paper size, margins, and page ranges
The API defaults to Letter paper with no paper margins. You can use a preset such as A4, define dimensions, or let the page’s own @page CSS take precedence.
| Option | What it controls | Important behavior |
|---|---|---|
format |
Paper preset, such as A4 or Letter |
Takes precedence over width and height. |
width, height |
Paper dimensions | Accept units including px, in, cm, and mm; bare numbers are treated as pixels. |
margin |
Paper margins | No paper margins are used by default. |
preferCSSPageSize |
Whether CSS @page sizing takes priority |
When true, CSS page size takes priority; otherwise content is scaled to fit the selected paper size. |
pageRanges |
Which pages to include | For example, 1-5, 8. |
scale |
Content scale | Defaults to 1; accepted range is 0.1–2. |
For example, set A4 paper, practical margins, and a limited page range like this:
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- SIMPLE FILE MANAGEMENT — Scanner allows the creation of searchable PDFs with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and convert scans to editable Word or Excel files effortlessly; Designed for home and office document scanning
await page.pdf({
path: 'report.pdf',
format: 'A4',
margin: { top: '12mm', right: '12mm', bottom: '12mm', left: '12mm' },
pageRanges: '1-5, 8'
});When the site’s CSS defines the intended paper dimensions, use preferCSSPageSize: true rather than assuming an A4 or Letter preset will match it.
Include background colors and graphics
Background graphics are excluded by default. Set printBackground: true to include them:
await page.pdf({ path: 'page.pdf', format: 'A4', printBackground: true });Playwright’s Page API documentation notes that PDF generation modifies colors for print by default and identifies the CSS property -webkit-print-color-adjust as guidance for forcing exact colors. The page’s CSS and browser rendering affect the result, so inspect the PDF when color fidelity matters.
Add PDF headers and footers
Set displayHeaderFooter: true to enable header and footer templates, then provide headerTemplate and/or footerTemplate. Template scripts are not evaluated, and the page’s styles are not visible inside the templates. Treat them as separate template content rather than assuming the site’s CSS will style them.
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Save to a file or use the returned buffer
With path, Playwright writes the PDF to disk; a relative path is resolved from the current working directory. If you omit path, page.pdf() returns a PDF buffer. That lets your application handle the bytes—for example, pass them to another function or save them using its own file-storage flow.
const pdfBuffer = await page.pdf({ format: 'A4' });
// Use pdfBuffer in your application.Wait for the page to be ready before printing
Navigation alone does not guarantee that an application has finished rendering the content you want in the PDF. A page may load data after its initial document, or render content only after a user-interface state is reached. Make readiness specific to the target site rather than relying on a fixed delay for every page.
For a known page element that marks readiness, wait for that selector before exporting:
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await page.goto('https://example.com');
await page.locator('#report-ready').waitFor();
await page.pdf({ path: 'report.pdf', format: 'A4' });Replace #report-ready with a selector that actually appears when the desired content is ready. The PDF method’s output and timing should be checked against the site’s own rendering behavior.
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- FAST SPEEDS - Scans color and black and white documents a blazing speed up to 16ppm (1). Color scanning won’t slow you down as the color scan speed is the same as the black and white scan speed.
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- WORKS YOUR WAY – Use the Brother free iPrint&Scan desktop app for scanning to multiple “Scan-to” destinations like PC, Network, cloud services, Email and OCR. (2) Supports Windows, Mac and Linux and TWAIN/WIA for PC/ICA for Mac/SANE drivers. (3)
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Browser support and installation scope
Playwright supports Chromium, WebKit, and Firefox for browser automation, but browser binaries need to match the Playwright version. The browser guide documents npx playwright install and recommends updating Playwright and reinstalling browsers as versions change.
For Chromium automation through Chrome or Edge, Playwright’s BrowserType API documentation says it works best with the Chromium version bundled with Playwright and does not guarantee compatibility with other browser versions. Separately, Playwright’s MCP PDF Export page says that PDF generation in that MCP tool is Chromium-only. That limitation is specific to the MCP export feature, not a general statement about every Playwright API or binding.
Troubleshooting Playwright website PDFs
- The PDF does not match the screen layout: PDF generation defaults to print CSS. Call
page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' })beforepage.pdf()if the screen styles are the intended output. - Backgrounds or color blocks are missing: Set
printBackground: true. If colors still differ, check the page’s print color CSS and the API documentation’s-webkit-print-color-adjustguidance. - Content is cut off or scaled unexpectedly: Confirm whether
formatis overridingwidthandheight, review margins, and check whether the page uses CSS@page. UsepreferCSSPageSize: truewhen its CSS page size should win. - The exported page is missing content: Navigation may have completed before the application rendered the content. Wait for a site-specific ready selector or other application readiness signal before calling
page.pdf(). - Playwright cannot launch its browser: Install the browser binaries for your installed Playwright version with
npx playwright install. After updating Playwright, update the corresponding browser binaries as well. - A Chrome or Edge executable behaves unexpectedly: Playwright documents best compatibility with its bundled Chromium and does not guarantee compatibility with other browser versions.
- The output file is not where expected: Relative
pathvalues resolve from the process’s current working directory. Use an explicit path or check that directory.
Or skip the browser setup
If you only need a screenshot or PDF from a URL, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. One GET request can return a PDF; use the PDF option in the API request. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request parameters.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpFor a PDF, set the PDF output option documented by the API. ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie or consent banners like a visitor and removes 60+ known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and responses identify the page verdict and billing status in X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for AI agents, including Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The Free plan includes 1,000 shots a month without a card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.
Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free plan: 1,000 screenshots a month, no card required.
Further reading
- Playwright Page API
- Playwright browser installation and version guidance
- Playwright BrowserType API
- Playwright MCP PDF Export
- Playwright Pages guide
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I print a page with Playwright?
Navigate to the page with Playwright, then call page.pdf(). It generates a PDF using print CSS unless you emulate screen media first.
Can Playwright save a PDF without writing a file?
Yes. Omit the path option and page.pdf() returns a PDF buffer.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
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