md-to-pdf

Use when converting markdown files to PDF with styling, code highlighting, and CJK support

MD to PDF Conversion

Overview

Converts markdown files to styled PDF documents using Node.js, marked, and puppeteer-core. Supports Chinese/CJK text, code syntax highlighting, tables, and images.

When to Use

• User asks to convert a .md file to PDF
• Need to generate a printable document from markdown
• Creating offline documentation or reports
• Sharing formatted technical documents

Prerequisites

• Node.js installed (v18+ recommended)
• Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser installed

Quick Start

# Convert a markdown file to PDF
node convert.js input.md

# Specify output file
node convert.js input.md output.pdf

# Without page numbers
node convert.js input.md --no-page-numbers

Installation

First-time setup in the target project directory:

mkdir -p .md-to-pdf-tool && cd .md-to-pdf-tool
npm init -y
npm install marked@4.3.0 puppeteer-core@19.11.1

Then copy the convert.js script from this skill's directory.

Features

Feature	Support
Headings (H1-H6)	Styled with hierarchy
Code blocks	Syntax highlighting via highlight.js
Tables	Bordered with zebra striping
Lists	Bulleted and numbered
Images	Embedded (relative paths resolved)
Links	Clickable in PDF
CJK/Chinese	Full support
Page numbers	Bottom center by default

Customization

Edit the CSS in convert.js to customize:

• Font: Change font-family in body style
• Colors: Modify color and background values
• Margins: Adjust --marginTop, --marginBottom, etc. in options
• Code theme: Change pre and code background colors

Common Issues

Issue	Solution
Browser not found	Set CHROME_PATH or EDGE_PATH environment variable
Permission denied	Use Edge instead of Chrome, or run with elevated permissions
ESM module errors	Use marked@4.3.0 and puppeteer-core@19.11.1 (CommonJS compatible)
Large file timeout	Increase timeout in page.setContent() options

Implementation

The conversion script uses:

1. marked - Parse markdown to HTML
2. puppeteer-core - Launch headless browser to render HTML
3. Page.pdf() - Generate PDF from rendered page

See convert.js in this skill directory for the complete implementation.