PDF generation

Frappe turns a print format into a PDF with one of three engines.

Applies to Frappe v16 and later.

Engine	Used for	Notes
Chromium	Formats made in the editor (default), Standard, and HTML formats when Print Settings says chrome	Lays out modern HTML and CSS correctly. Downloaded into the bench's `chromium` folder the first time it is needed, or ahead of time with `bench setup-chrome`.
Typst	Formats made in the editor with PDF renderer set to Typst (fast)	Experimental. Much faster, useful for bulk printing. Supports a subset of features.
wkhtmltopdf	HTML formats when Print Settings says wkhtmltopdf	Not maintained. Cannot lay out multi-column or flexbox layouts. Kept for old HTML formats.

Note: wkhtmltopdf is removed in version 17. Every PDF is made with Chromium, and formats set to wkhtmltopdf switch to Chromium when you migrate.

Which engine prints a format

A format made in the editor uses its own PDF renderer setting: Chromium, or Typst.
Any other format uses its own PDF Generator if set.
Otherwise, the PDF Generator in Print Settings.

The editor checks a format before you can pick Typst, and lists anything that blocks it:

Custom HTML blocks and field templates;
custom CSS on the format or on fields, when it uses properties Typst cannot translate;
barcodes other than QR codes;
images loaded from a web address;
colours that are not hex codes;
letter heads with custom CSS, HTML, or a web image.

If a format with Typst gains one of these later, printing fails with a clear message instead of silently switching engines.

Problem	What to check
Columns stack on top of each other in the PDF	The format is printed with wkhtmltopdf. Set PDF Generator to chrome in Print Settings.
The first PDF takes a long time	Chromium is being downloaded. Later PDFs are fast.
PDF fails on a server without internet	Chromium cannot be downloaded. Run `bench setup-chrome` where internet is available, or set `chromium_path` in `common_site_config.json` to an installed Chromium.
Fonts look different in the PDF	Use a Google Font name in the format's Font, so the PDF engine can load it.