Batch convert HTML to PDFs

Batch converting HTML files to PDFs can be done efficiently using various tools and libraries, depending on your environment and needs. Here’s a detailed guide on how to batch convert HTML to PDF using some common methods:

1. Using Python with pdfkit and wkhtmltopdf

Setup:

• Install wkhtmltopdf (a command-line tool that renders HTML to PDF using WebKit):

  • Download from wkhtmltopdf.org and install it on your system.

• Install Python library pdfkit:

  bash
  CopyEdit
  pip install pdfkit
  

Example Python Script to Batch Convert:

python
CopyEdit
import os
import pdfkit

# Path to your folder with HTML files
html_folder = 'path/to/html_files'
# Output folder for PDFs
pdf_folder = 'path/to/pdf_output'

os.makedirs(pdf_folder, exist_ok=True)

for filename in os.listdir(html_folder):
    if filename.endswith('.html'):
        html_path = os.path.join(html_folder, filename)
        pdf_filename = os.path.splitext(filename)[0] + '.pdf'
        pdf_path = os.path.join(pdf_folder, pdf_filename)
        
        pdfkit.from_file(html_path, pdf_path)
        print(f'Converted {filename} to {pdf_filename}')

2. Using Command Line with wkhtmltopdf in a Batch Script

If you prefer a command-line batch conversion:

• On Linux/Mac:

bash
CopyEdit
mkdir -p pdf_output
for f in html_files/*.html; do
  filename=$(basename "$f" .html)
  wkhtmltopdf "$f" "pdf_output/${filename}.pdf"
done

• On Windows (PowerShell):

powershell
CopyEdit
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path pdf_output
Get-ChildItem -Path html_files -Filter *.html | ForEach-Object {
    $pdfName = "$($_.BaseName).pdf"
    & wkhtmltopdf $_.FullName ("pdf_output" + $pdfName)
}

3. Using Node.js with puppeteer

puppeteer can render HTML pages with full Chromium browser support and export to PDF.

Setup:

bash
CopyEdit
npm install puppeteer

Batch Conversion Script:

javascript
CopyEdit
const fs = require('fs');
const path = require('path');
const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');

(async () => {
  const htmlFolder = './html_files';
  const pdfFolder = './pdf_output';
  if (!fs.existsSync(pdfFolder)) fs.mkdirSync(pdfFolder);

  const files = fs.readdirSync(htmlFolder).filter(f => f.endsWith('.html'));

  const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
  const page = await browser.newPage();

  for (const file of files) {
    const filePath = path.join(htmlFolder, file);
    await page.goto('file://' + path.resolve(filePath), {waitUntil: 'networkidle0'});
    const pdfPath = path.join(pdfFolder, file.replace('.html', '.pdf'));
    await page.pdf({ path: pdfPath, format: 'A4' });
    console.log(`Converted ${file} to PDF`);
  }

  await browser.close();
})();

4. Online or Desktop Tools

• Tools like Adobe Acrobat Pro, PDF24 Creator, or online converters often support batch conversions but may have limitations on size or privacy concerns.

Additional Tips

• For complex HTML with CSS and JavaScript, puppeteer or wkhtmltopdf handle rendering better.

• Adjust PDF options like margins, page size, and headers/footers in the tools’ settings.

• Automate with scripts for large-scale batch processing.

If you want a specific script tailored to your environment or a particular feature like including page numbers or custom headers, just ask!