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To save a website as a PDF on a recurring schedule, combine a browser capture command or script with a separate scheduler. Chrome Headless can print a page directly to PDF; Playwright can create PDFs with more control over page readiness and print styling. Set the URL, wait behavior, filename and destination, then configure your operating-system scheduler or managed automation environment to run the capture repeatedly.
Choose a PDF or a screenshot image
A screenshot records rendered pixels. A full-page screenshot is one tall image of the page’s scrollable content. A PDF is usually a paginated document generated using print layout, so page breaks, backgrounds and styling can differ. Use PDF when you need a document to save or share; use a screenshot when you need a visual record of the rendered page.
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Playwright’s screenshot guide documents full-page image capture, while its Page API documents PDF generation. By default, Playwright PDFs use print CSS. To render a PDF using screen styles, emulate screen media before generating it.
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Chrome Headless is the most direct option when you want a command-line job without writing a browser automation script. The Chrome for Developers Headless documentation describes --print-to-pdf for saving the target page as a PDF. By default, the file is named output.pdf in the current working directory.
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- Install Chrome or Chromium in the environment where the scheduled job will run, and confirm the executable path.
- Run the capture manually first, substituting your browser path and target URL:
chrome --headless --print-to-pdf="/absolute/path/archive.pdf" "https://example.com/" - Open the resulting PDF and check that the content and page breaks meet your needs.
- Put the working command in a script or scheduler task, set its working directory or use an absolute output path, and configure how often it runs.
Use Chrome’s --timeout option to bound the wait before capture, or --virtual-time-budget to advance time-dependent page code before capture. These controls affect timing; they do not guarantee that a dynamic site has loaded every image or finished every client-side operation. Check the installed Chrome version’s documentation for current flag behavior.
Chrome also supports --screenshot for image capture. That produces a screenshot image, not a paginated PDF. Choose the output mode that matches the archive you need.
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Use Playwright for scriptable PDF capture
Playwright is appropriate when the job needs browser scripting, a custom readiness condition, or explicit PDF options. The following Node.js example opens a page, waits for it to load, switches to screen media, and writes a PDF. Save it as capture.mjs after installing Playwright in the project with npm install playwright.
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import { chromium } from 'playwright';
const url = process.argv[2] ?? 'https://example.com/';
const output = process.argv[3] ?? 'archive.pdf';
const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: true });
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: 'networkidle', timeout: 60_000 });
await page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' });
await page.pdf({
path: output,
format: 'A4',
printBackground: true,
margin: { top: '12mm', right: '12mm', bottom: '12mm', left: '12mm' }
});
} finally {
await browser.close();
}Run it manually with node capture.mjs "https://example.com/" "/absolute/path/archive.pdf". The networkidle wait is a practical choice, not proof that all page content is ready: pages that keep network connections open may never reach that state, and pages that load content later may need a site-specific wait. Playwright’s PDF options include paper format, margins, page ranges, scale and background printing. Remove page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' }) if you want the default print CSS instead.
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Schedule recurring captures reliably
The browser performs the capture; a separate scheduler starts it at the chosen times. The Chrome and Playwright references explain capture behavior, not setup instructions for a particular scheduler or operating system. Configure the scheduler available in your environment, such as an operating-system task scheduler or managed automation service.
- Use a unique, date-based filename for each run if you need an archive rather than the latest copy. Ensure the destination directory exists and the scheduled account can write to it.
- Specify absolute paths for the browser, script and output where possible. Scheduled processes often run with a different working directory and environment from an interactive terminal.
- Set a suitable timeout and capture wait condition. Test the target page at the scheduled machine’s network location and under the same account.
- Keep logs and monitor failed runs. A scheduled task can start successfully while the page capture itself fails or produces an incomplete document.
- Check that you are permitted to access and archive the target site, especially if captures are frequent or include restricted content.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo offers a website screenshot API that can return a PDF from one GET request. For a scheduled task, store your API key securely and run a request on your chosen schedule. See the API documentation for PDF parameters and current options.
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Troubleshoot scheduled PDF captures
- No PDF appears: Check the scheduler’s logs and exit status, verify the browser executable and script paths, and confirm the scheduled account can write to the destination. Use an absolute output filename rather than relying on the interactive shell’s current directory.
- The PDF is blank or incomplete: The page may need more time or a specific readiness condition. Increase the allowed wait, use Chrome’s timing options, or in Playwright wait for a relevant selector rather than assuming that navigation alone means the page is ready.
- The PDF looks different from the website: Playwright uses print CSS by default. Call
page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' })beforepage.pdf()for screen styling, and enableprintBackgroundif printed backgrounds are needed. - The scheduled run hangs or times out: Check whether the site keeps network activity open, whether it is reachable from the scheduled environment, and whether the configured timeout is realistic. A timeout is a bound, not a guarantee of a complete render.
- Each run overwrites the previous file: Use a date- or time-based output name and confirm the scheduler’s shell expands date values as intended. Test the resulting path manually.
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