PDF Download API - PromptPDF Documentation

The PDF Download API endpoint allows you to convert document content to PDF format programmatically.

Endpoint

POST https://api.promptpdf.com/v1/pdf

Authentication

This endpoint requires authentication. See the Authentication page for details.

Request Parameters

The request body should be a JSON object with the following parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
content	string	Yes	The document content to convert to PDF
title	string	No	The document title (default: "Document")
filename	string	No	The filename for the PDF (default: "document.pdf")
options	object	No	Additional PDF generation options

PDF Options

The options parameter can include the following properties:

Option	Type	Description
pageSize	string	Page size: "a4", "letter", "legal" (default: "a4")
margins	object	Page margins in points: {top, right, bottom, left}
font	string	Font: "times", "helvetica", "courier" (default: "times")
fontSize	number	Font size in points (default: 12)
lineHeight	number	Line height multiplier (default: 1.5)
includePageNumbers	boolean	Whether to include page numbers (default: true)

Example Request

// Using fetch API
const response = await fetch('https://api.promptpdf.com/v1/pdf', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    content: "123 Maple Street\nAnytown, CA 91234\n\nMarch 19, 2025\n\nCustomer Service Department\nTech Solutions Inc.\n456 Oak Avenue\nAnytown, CA 91235\n\n**Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Defective Laptop**\n\nDear Customer Service Manager:\n\nI am writing to file a formal complaint regarding a defective laptop I purchased from your store on March 10, 2025....",
    title: "Complaint Letter",
    filename: "complaint-letter.pdf",
    options: {
      pageSize: "letter",
      margins: { top: 72, right: 72, bottom: 72, left: 72 },
      font: "times",
      fontSize: 12,
      lineHeight: 1.5,
      includePageNumbers: true
    }
  })
});

// The response is a binary PDF file
const pdfBlob = await response.blob();
const url = URL.createObjectURL(pdfBlob);

// Create a download link
const a = document.createElement('a');
a.href = url;
a.download = 'complaint-letter.pdf';
document.body.appendChild(a);
a.click();
document.body.removeChild(a);
URL.revokeObjectURL(url);

Response

The response is a binary PDF file with the following headers:

Content-Type: application/pdf
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="complaint-letter.pdf"

Error Responses

If an error occurs, the API will return a JSON response with error details:

{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "pdf_generation_failed",
    "message": "Failed to generate PDF",
    "details": "Invalid content format"
  }
}

Alternative PDF Generation Method

If the primary PDF generation method fails, you can try the alternative method:

POST https://api.promptpdf.com/v1/pdf-alt

This endpoint accepts the same parameters as the primary method but uses a different PDF generation engine.

PDF Generation Tips

Use **text** for bold text in your content
Use *text* for italic text in your content
Use - item for bullet points
Use \n for line breaks
Use \n\n for paragraph breaks
Keep document size reasonable for faster processing
Avoid complex formatting for better compatibility

Limitations

Maximum content size: 100,000 characters
Maximum processing time: 30 seconds
Limited support for complex formatting
No support for embedded images (coming soon)
No support for custom fonts (limited to standard fonts)

Next Steps

After downloading a PDF, you may want to:

Store the PDF in your system
Send the PDF via email
Display the PDF in your application