Generating PDFs has become a crucial feature for many modern web applications, from creating invoices to producing complex data-driven reports. Over the years, various HTML to PDF tools have emerged, each with its own approach and capabilities. In this post, we’ll take a brief look at the evolution of PDF generation solutions — from wkhtmltopdf and PrinceXML (via DocRaptor) to Puppeteer and Playwright — and then walk through a short tutorial on using Playwright (Node.js) to generate a sample PDF in 2025.

In the fast-paced world of modern web development, businesses and developers need an HTML to PDF solution that is both reliable and efficient. Although HTML is the backbone of online content, there are plenty of scenarios like invoicing, legal documents, and offline file storage where converting HTML to PDFs makes all the difference. With a robust HTML to PDF API in place, you can streamline workflows, maintain document consistency, and ensure professional output every time.