Set a single explicit --margin-top value in physical units, and tune --header-spacing separately. The first reserves space at the top of every page; the second controls the gap between a repeated header and the document content. Also remove unintended CSS margins and make the header’s height predictable—otherwise a global page margin alone may not produce a consistent content start.
Set a global top margin and separate header spacing
For a document with a repeated HTML header, start with one page-level margin and an explicit header gap:
wkhtmltopdf
--margin-top 25mm
--header-spacing 0
--header-html header.html
input.html output.pdf--margin-top reserves the top inset on the page. --header-spacing is the gap between the header and the content; it is not another way to set the page margin. The command-line option is measured in millimetres, and its documented default is 0. The corresponding library settings are margin.top and header.spacing.
Use a physical unit such as mm, cm, or in rather than relying on CSS pixels. With no header, set the page margin and reset document margins. With a header, measure its rendered height and allow enough room for the header plus the desired gap. For example, an 18 mm header and a 2 mm content gap suggest starting with a 20 mm top margin, then adding a small allowance if font rendering, borders, or line wrapping could make the header taller.
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The header and content must fit within the reserved area. If the header is clipped or overlaps content, increasing --header-spacing alone may make the problem worse: the header can be pushed outside the page. Adjust --margin-top to give the header and gap sufficient room.
Reset the header document’s default spacing
A separate header HTML file can have its own browser-default body margin. Remove it so it does not introduce an unexpected offset:
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<style>
html, body {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
.header {
height: 18mm;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="header">Invoice report</div>
</body>
</html>The explicit height here is illustrative: set it to the size your actual header needs, and check the rendered result. If its text wraps or an image loads at a different size, the visible header can grow despite a fixed starting margin. Keep content width, font, line-height, borders, and image dimensions stable where a repeatable header height matters.
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Remove competing margins in the main document
CSS margins on html, body, headings, or the first content wrapper can add space on top of the page-level inset. Temporarily clear them while diagnosing the layout, then add back only spacing that serves a specific purpose:
html, body {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
.content {
margin-top: 0;
padding-top: 0;
}Inspect the first element inside the document as well as the body. A heading’s top margin or a wrapper’s padding can make the first page appear to have a larger margin even though later pages begin at the expected position. Keep intentional spacing in one known place rather than stacking page margin, body margin, and first-child margin.
Choose between command-line margins and CSS @page
For one HTML document without a separately injected wkhtmltopdf header, CSS paged-media rules can set the page-box margins:
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@page {
size: A4;
margin-top: 25mm;
margin-right: 15mm;
margin-bottom: 20mm;
margin-left: 15mm;
}
html, body {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}CSS 2.2 defines page margins inside an @page rule and gives @page { margin: 3cm; } as an all-page example. In a wkhtmltopdf workflow with a repeated HTML header, the CLI margin is generally easier to reason about: the header is injected as a separate document and has its own spacing setting. Avoid setting the same intended inset independently in CSS and on the command line unless you have verified how your particular input and build combine them.
| Approach | Use it when | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
--margin-top with optional --header-spacing |
You need a page-level inset, especially with a repeated wkhtmltopdf HTML header. | Header height and spacing both need room inside the page layout. |
CSS @page margins |
You are styling page margins in a single HTML document without a separately injected header. | Reset document margins and avoid unintended extra CSS spacing. |
Keep multiple pages and page objects consistent
With one input document and one global margin, the top inset is the same setting throughout the render. Differences in where content appears can still result from changing header dimensions, CSS margins, or page geometry. A separate issue arises when a command contains multiple page objects with different or missing headers. A wkhtmltopdf issue report for version 0.12.2.1 describes pages using the tallest header’s top-margin value even where another page has no header. That report is historical evidence for a particular scenario, not a guarantee that every build behaves identically.
- If page objects share one PDF, give their headers the same dimensions and use a consistent header setup.
- If headers need materially different heights, consider rendering separate PDFs and merging them with a downstream PDF tool.
- Check page size and orientation as well as margins. A4 is the documented default;
--page-size,--page-height, and--page-widthcan change the available content area and pagination even when--margin-topstays the same.
Verify the result with a repeatable fixture
- Run
wkhtmltopdf --versionand record the binary/build used to generate the PDF. wkhtmltopdf behavior and available options can depend on the build; do not assume a different machine uses the same one. - Temporarily remove top margins and padding from
html,body, headings, and the first content wrapper. - Set one explicit CLI
--margin-topwith a physical unit, and set--header-spacing 0as a baseline if using an HTML header. - Zero the header body’s margin and padding. Make header text, fonts, borders, and image dimensions stable.
- Generate a fixture long enough to span several pages. Add a visible horizontal rule at the intended content start, then compare pages 1, 2, and the last page.
- Once the content start is stable, add back only the needed header gap or CSS spacing, changing one value at a time.
Troubleshoot the common causes of drift
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Every page starts too low. | The global top margin is larger than needed, or header spacing and CSS margins are adding to the inset. | Keep the page margin as the single page-level control; reset document and first-content margins, then set only the required header gap. |
| The header is clipped, missing, or too close to the page edge. | There is not enough top-margin room for the header and its spacing, or the header body has default spacing. | Zero the header body margin and padding, check the header’s rendered height, and increase --margin-top enough to accommodate it. |
| The first page differs from later pages. | The first content element has a top margin or the document’s first-page content is laid out differently from the repeated pages. | Reset the first element and wrapper margins, then inspect the marked content start on each page. |
| Some pages differ when using multiple page objects. | Objects may have different header heights or missing headers; an issue report describes tallest-header behavior in wkhtmltopdf 0.12.2.1. | Standardize header dimensions across objects or render separate PDFs and merge them afterward. |
| Content wraps or pagination changes after changing paper setup. | Page size or orientation changed the available page area. | Set and verify the intended page size and orientation alongside the margin options. |
| A numeric margin seems ignored or inconsistent. | The setting may be in a different place than expected, or another CSS inset may be stacking with it. | Use an explicit unit such as 25mm, check the actual binary with wkhtmltopdf --version, and temporarily clear competing CSS margins. |
Or skip the browser setup
If the goal is to capture a web page rather than configure a wkhtmltopdf installation, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API that can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. The request below captures a URL as WebP; it is an alternative for page capture, not a way to tune a wkhtmltopdf PDF’s page margins.
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One GET request returns the capture. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for API options and output formats.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpimport requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);- Cookie and consent banners are accepted and removed before the shot; newsletter popups and chat widgets are removed too. Each cleanup step can be turned off.
- Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed. Response headers report the page verdict and billing status.
- An MCP server provides
take_screenshot,get_page_info, andcapture_pdftools for AI agents and other MCP clients. - The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Every feature is available on every plan.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does --header-spacing 0 remove the repeated header?
No. It sets the gap between the header and content to zero; use --header-html to specify a header.
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Does this method guarantee identical pagination on every machine?
No. The procedure controls the page inset and reduces common layout differences, but you should verify the actual wkhtmltopdf build and rendered output used in your environment.
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