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Start with the font file, not EmbedFonts. SelectPdf documents TTF and WOFF as the supported web-font formats. Make sure the conversion can resolve and download the Google Fonts stylesheet and its final font URLs, give slow pages enough load time, and test Blink or Chromium when WebKit cannot render the page’s modern CSS or JavaScript. The EmbedFonts setting does not make a missing web font load.
What SelectPdf must do before a font appears
A Google Fonts declaration is only the beginning of the chain. During conversion, SelectPdf has to load the HTML, resolve the stylesheet URL, fetch the stylesheet’s font-file URL, accept the file format, finish loading before rendering, and then draw the glyphs with the selected rendering engine. A failure at any one of those stages can leave you with a fallback font or blank text.
SelectPdf’s troubleshooting guidance identifies TTF and WOFF as the web-font types it supports. If the CSS ultimately supplies another format, provide a TTF or WOFF resource instead. Do not infer the format from the family name; inspect the actual network request or the CSS returned to the converter.
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Inspect the final CSS and requests
Open the page in a normal browser, inspect the Google Fonts stylesheet, and follow each src URL in the @font-face rules. The important question is what the conversion host receives, not what your source HTML appears to reference. Confirm that at least one usable face is exposed as TTF or WOFF and that the URL is reachable from the machine running SelectPdf.
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Supply a supported fallback face when necessary
If your stylesheet only exposes an unsupported format, host a TTF or WOFF copy and reference it explicitly. Keep the weight and style declarations aligned with the face you request so SelectPdf does not silently choose a different local fallback.
@font-face {
font-family: "Example Sans";
src: url("https://your-domain.example/fonts/example-sans-regular.woff2") format("woff2"),
url("https://your-domain.example/fonts/example-sans-regular.woff") format("woff");
font-weight: 400;
font-style: normal;
}
The example shows why you must check the actual served formats. SelectPdf’s documented requirement is TTF or WOFF; if the browser chooses a different source than SelectPdf can use, put a supported source first or provide a dedicated stylesheet for PDF conversion.
2. Make every URL resolvable in an HTML-string conversion
Pass a correct baseUrl
When you call ConvertHtmlString, relative references such as css/site.css, fonts/regular.woff, images, and scripts need a base location. SelectPdf uses the baseUrl overload to calculate full URLs. Without it, a page that works at a web address can lose its stylesheet or font when supplied as an in-memory string.
using SelectPdf;
var converter = new HtmlToPdf();
var html = File.ReadAllText("template.html");
PdfDocument document = converter.ConvertHtmlString(
html,
"https://www.example.com/"
);
document.Save("output.pdf");
document.Close();
Use a base URL that is reachable by the conversion process and that matches the directory context of your relative references. Alternatively, change the HTML and CSS to resolvable absolute URLs. Apply this check to the Google Fonts stylesheet as well as the font files it references.
Check deployment-specific access
The official guidance establishes URL resolution and loading time as relevant checks, but it does not prescribe a fix for every proxy, certificate, authentication, or network-policy failure. Test from the same host, container, or cloud service that runs SelectPdf. A browser on your workstation proving that a font loads does not prove that the converter’s runtime can fetch it.
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3. Give remote resources time to finish
REST API timing defaults
SelectPdf’s REST API uses a default min_load_time of one second and a default max_load_time of 30 seconds. The documented maximum for max_load_time is 120 seconds. Increase the applicable value when the page or font service is slow, but treat a longer timeout as a diagnostic and reliability setting, not a guarantee that a failed request will succeed.
If render_on_timeout is enabled, SelectPdf can return partially loaded content. A PDF that was created successfully may therefore still contain fallback fonts. Record whether the response timed out and inspect the output instead of treating HTTP success as proof that all resources loaded.
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.NET navigation timeout
SelectPdf’s .NET troubleshooting example uses a 120-second MaxPageLoadTime when diagnosing navigation timeouts:
using SelectPdf;
var converter = new HtmlToPdf();
converter.Options.MaxPageLoadTime = 120;
PdfDocument document = converter.ConvertUrl("https://www.example.com");
document.Save("output.pdf");
document.Close();
Property names and available options vary by integration. Match the setting to the SelectPdf package and API surface you deploy, and distinguish a navigation timeout from a font-format or URL-resolution error.
4. Compare rendering engines when WebKit falls short
WebKit is SelectPdf’s default engine. SelectPdf’s current guidance recommends trying Blink or Chromium when modern HTML, CSS, or JavaScript is not rendered correctly by WebKit. This is a controlled diagnostic: keep the input and timing settings constant, change only the engine, and compare the resulting font and layout.
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Chromium availability
SelectPdf identifies Chromium as introduced in v26.2. Its May 14, 2026 announcement describes improved support for modern CSS, flexbox and grid layouts, web fonts, and current JavaScript. The current documentation describes Chromium as available across supported .NET targets, but deployment still depends on the correct engine package and runtime installation. Check the engine installation instructions for your target before selecting it in production.
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Engine decision checklist
- Does the page depend on CSS features or JavaScript that WebKit does not render correctly?
- Is the selected engine supported by your .NET target and deployment environment?
- Can the required engine files be installed in a constrained environment such as an Azure Web App?
- Does changing engines alter only the font problem, or also pagination and layout?
An engine change cannot repair an unreachable font URL. First establish that a supported TTF or WOFF is fetched; then use engine comparison for rendering differences.
5. Do not use EmbedFonts as a download switch
SelectPdf’s v26.3 API reference states that HtmlToPdfOptions.EmbedFonts does not control downloaded web fonts. Web fonts are always embedded because they are not installed on the machine. Consequently, setting EmbedFonts = true cannot make a Google font load, repair a bad URL, or convert an unsupported file format.
Use the property only for the behavior it documents for installed fonts. Diagnose web fonts separately by checking the request, supported format, timing, and renderer.
A repeatable diagnostic procedure
- Capture the browser-facing CSS. Identify every
@font-facerule used by the requested family, weight, and style. - Confirm the file type. Verify that SelectPdf can receive TTF or WOFF, not merely a family name or a CSS declaration.
- Test from the conversion host. Resolve the stylesheet and font URLs from the same runtime that performs conversion.
- Fix string conversion context. Pass the correct
baseUrltoConvertHtmlString, or use absolute resource URLs. - Allow loading to complete. Review
min_load_time,max_load_time, andrender_on_timeout; note whether the result is partial. - Compare engines. Keep all other inputs fixed and test WebKit against Blink or Chromium when modern content is involved.
- Inspect the PDF. Check the visible glyphs and the document’s font resources. Do not infer success from the absence of an exception.
Common symptoms and fixes
| Symptom | Likely area | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Fallback font, no conversion error | Unsupported format or failed fetch | Inspect the final request; provide TTF or WOFF and verify reachability. |
| All styling is missing | Relative URL resolution | Pass baseUrl to ConvertHtmlString or use absolute URLs. |
| Font appears intermittently | Load timing | Increase the applicable load time and check for timeout or partial rendering. |
| Modern layout and fonts differ | Rendering engine | Compare WebKit with Blink or Chromium and verify package/runtime support. |
Setting EmbedFonts changes nothing |
Wrong control | Continue diagnosing the downloaded web-font request; this property is not the web-font loader. |
Performance, reliability, and edition considerations
Longer page-load limits can increase conversion latency and may allow a slow dependency to determine your throughput. Use a realistic upper bound, monitor timeout outcomes, and avoid hiding partial documents behind a generic success response. Engine changes can also affect pagination and deployment size, so validate representative pages rather than only a one-line font sample.
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SelectPdf’s v26.3 Community Edition is described as free for personal and commercial use, supports web fonts and all four listed engines, and caps generated documents at five pages. The vendor states that PDFs over five pages and specified advanced features require the commercial library. Confirm that edition limit against your document requirements before troubleshooting a multi-page output.
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For SelectPdf-style PDF generation, continue using SelectPdf. For screenshots, the basic call is:
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FAQ
Does using Google Fonts guarantee that SelectPdf will embed the typeface?
No. The renderer must first fetch a supported font resource and complete loading; the Google Fonts brand alone does not establish either condition.
Should I switch engines immediately?
No. Verify URL resolution, file format, and timing first. Then compare engines if the page relies on modern features that WebKit may not render correctly.
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Can ScreenshotNeo replace SelectPdf for a text-searchable PDF?
Not automatically. ScreenshotNeo is a screenshot and capture service; choose SelectPdf when your requirement is HTML-to-PDF document generation and font embedding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does using Google Fonts guarantee that SelectPdf will embed the typeface?
No. The renderer must fetch a supported font resource and finish loading it; the font provider name alone is not sufficient.
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No. Check URL resolution, TTF/WOFF availability, and load timing before comparing WebKit with Blink or Chromium.
Can ScreenshotNeo replace SelectPdf for a text-searchable PDF?
No automatic replacement is implied. ScreenshotNeo is for screenshot and capture workflows; use SelectPdf for HTML-to-PDF generation.
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