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How to Wait for Web Fonts to Load Before PDFShift Generates a PDF

Configure PDFShift to poll a global JavaScript function that signals when document.fonts.ready resolves, and account for the wait in the total conversion timeout.
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Use PDFShift’s wait_for option to make conversion wait until a page function reports that document.fonts.ready has resolved. The function must be globally available in the rendered page, and the wait uses part of PDFShift’s total conversion timeout.

Wait for the browser’s font-loading promise

document.fonts.ready resolves when the document’s fonts have finished loading. PDFShift’s documented approach is to set a flag when that promise resolves, then have a named global function return the flag. Set the request’s wait_for value to areFontReady. See PDFShift’s documentation for the current request options.

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let allFontsAreLoaded = false;
document.fonts.ready.then(() => { allFontsAreLoaded = true; });
function areFontReady() {
  return allFontsAreLoaded;
}

PDFShift polls the function until it returns a truthy value. A function that is not globally accessible to the rendered page, or a wait_for value that does not name it, will not provide the intended readiness signal.

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Choose where to put the readiness code

If you can edit the page

Add the flag and function to the page’s JavaScript, ensuring the function is available globally when PDFShift evaluates it. Set wait_for to the function name, areFontReady.

If you cannot edit the page

PDFShift says you can inject the readiness code through its javascript request parameter. The same requirements apply: the injected code must define the globally available function, and wait_for must reference that name.

Allow enough time for loading and conversion

The wait is not separate from the conversion deadline: PDFShift counts page loading, waiting, and PDF conversion toward its total timeout. Its Help Center article states limits of 30 seconds for free accounts and 100 seconds for premium accounts; these are vendor-stated account values, not guaranteed permanent limits. Check the current terms for your account. Time spent loading the page leaves less time for fonts and conversion.

A readiness function is useful beyond fonts. PDFShift describes it as a way for a page to signal that asynchronous work, such as chart rendering, has finished before conversion continues.

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Troubleshoot fonts that are missing or inconsistent

  1. Check JavaScript and function scope. Confirm that JavaScript runs in the conversion and that areFontReady is globally available in the rendered page context.
  2. Wait on font readiness, not an arbitrary delay. The document.fonts.ready promise ties the signal to font loading rather than an assumed number of milliseconds.
  3. Check the total timeout budget. Page load, the readiness wait, and PDF generation all use the same overall conversion time.
  4. Make font delivery more reliable if needed. PDFShift’s guidance suggests trying locally hosted or base64-encoded fonts when remote custom fonts remain unreliable.
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