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Markdown to PDF

docs/tools/markdown-to-pdf.md

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Markdown to PDF

A full-featured Markdown editor with live preview and one-click PDF export. Write from scratch, upload an existing .md file, or paste content from your clipboard. The editor renders your Markdown in real time and exports a styled PDF using the browser's built-in print engine.

Supported Formats

InputDescription
.md filesUpload via the Upload button
Direct inputType or paste into the editor

How It Works

  1. Open the Markdown to PDF tool. The editor loads with a split view: Markdown source on the left, rendered preview on the right.
  2. Write your Markdown, paste it in, or click Upload to load a .md file.
  3. Toggle between light and dark themes using the theme slider in the toolbar.
  4. Click Export PDF (or press Ctrl/Cmd + S) to generate a PDF via the browser's print dialog.

Features

The editor supports an extensive set of Markdown features beyond the basics:

  • Standard Markdown -- headings, bold, italic, links, images, lists, blockquotes, horizontal rules
  • Code blocks with syntax highlighting for 15+ languages (JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust, SQL, Java, C#, C++, YAML, Bash, and more)
  • Mermaid diagrams -- flowcharts, sequence diagrams, ER diagrams, and other Mermaid chart types render directly in the preview
  • Tables with standard Markdown table syntax
  • Task lists with checkboxes
  • Footnotes, subscript, superscript
  • Definition lists, abbreviations
  • Emoji support (:smile: renders as the emoji)
  • Highlights (==marked text==) and insertions (++inserted text++)
  • Auto-linked URLs -- plain URLs are converted to clickable links
  • Table of contents generation
  • Anchor links on headings

Use Cases

  • Writing project documentation and exporting a polished PDF for stakeholders
  • Creating technical reports with code samples and Mermaid architecture diagrams
  • Converting a GitHub README into a PDF for offline use or printing
  • Drafting a proposal or specification with task lists and tables
  • Generating a styled handout from lecture notes written in Markdown

Tips

  • The PDF output uses the browser's print-to-PDF functionality. In Chrome, you can customize margins and scale in the print dialog before saving.
  • Mermaid diagrams render in the preview but may need a moment to initialize on first use.
  • Use Ctrl/Cmd + S as a keyboard shortcut to export without reaching for the button.