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CSS shadows disappear in HTML-to-PDF conversion most often because the converter’s rendering engine or version does not support box-shadow, or because print-specific CSS changes the style. Even when supported, blur can look different in a PDF than in a browser. Identify the converter and version first, then inspect the element’s styles in print mode.
Why a browser shadow may disappear in a PDF
“HTML to PDF” is a workflow, not a single renderer. A browser, library, or hosted conversion service may use a different rendering engine—and a different version of that engine—than the browser where the page looks right. CSS support and output fidelity therefore depend on the specific conversion pipeline.
WeasyPrint illustrates why version matters: its version 58 API reference says box-shadow is unsupported, while its current documentation lists the property as supported. Check the documentation for the exact release that generated your PDF rather than relying on advice for another version. WeasyPrint 58 API reference · Current WeasyPrint API reference
Check print styles before changing the converter
A page can use different CSS for printing than for screen display. A declaration may be omitted or overridden inside @media print, so the browser preview and the PDF can legitimately differ. Chrome’s documentation describes print media as controlling the page’s print appearance and explains how to emulate it in DevTools. Emulate CSS media types in Chrome DevTools
- Open the page in Chrome and open DevTools.
- In the DevTools rendering controls, emulate the print media type.
- Select the affected element and inspect its computed
box-shadowvalue. Check whether a print rule removes or overrides it, and whether the relevant stylesheet has loaded.
If the computed print style has no shadow, fix the CSS or override that applies in print mode. If it does have a shadow, continue checking the converter’s support and PDF rendering.
Separate missing shadows from different-looking blur
A shadow that is absent is a different problem from one that is faint, clipped, or blurrier than expected. Current WeasyPrint documentation lists box-shadow as supported but says blur is approximated using gradients; some PDF readers may render it poorly, and extreme blur radii or regions have limitations. In that case, the converter may recognize the property without reproducing the browser’s appearance exactly.
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Try a simple shadow with smaller blur and spread values in the same pipeline. If the result looks wrong, open the PDF in another reader as well: the converter’s output and the PDF viewer’s display are separate variables.
Use this troubleshooting sequence
- Identify the PDF path. Record the product or library, renderer engine if known, and exact version used to create the file.
- Verify support for that release. Check the release-specific documentation for
box-shadowand any blur limitations. - Inspect print-mode styles. Emulate print media in DevTools and check the affected element’s computed style,
@media printoverrides, and stylesheet loading. - Classify the symptom. Determine whether the shadow is wholly absent or present but different in color, extent, or blur.
- Reduce the case. Create a minimal page with one element and a simple shadow, then convert it through the same pipeline. This isolates the rendering behavior from unrelated page CSS.
- Check capture readiness. If styles or dynamic content load late, verify that the page is ready before the PDF capture begins.
These steps help isolate likely causes; they do not guarantee that a particular converter or page is responsible.
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For Chrome Headless, verify the PDF command and timing
Chrome Headless documents --print-to-pdf for generating a PDF, --timeout to set the capture wait limit, and --no-pdf-header-footer to omit generated headers and footers. These flags do not document a switch for enabling box-shadow support. Check the command and capture timing, but do not expect the header/footer option to fix CSS effects. Chrome Headless reference
Print and paged-media behavior can also vary by browser version. Chrome and Firefox support @page; Chrome 131 added generated content for page margins. These details matter when investigating print-specific layout, but they do not establish the cause of a missing shadow on their own. Chrome for Developers: print margin boxes
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