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Generate PDFs in PHP with These Top Libraries in 2025

Marcelo | Founder of pdforge

Feb 3, 2025

Overview: Best Libraries for PDF Generation in PHP

PHP offers powerful ways to create top-notch PDF documents for everything from invoicing to data reporting. This post explores top pdf libraries php 2025 and aims to equip developers with actionable insights. It highlights three approaches: browser-based libraries for converting html to pdf, non-browser-based libraries for programmatic creation, and a third-party API option.

Three Types of PHP PDF Generation Solutions

Browser-based libraries: Render HTML and CSS into PDFs for fast, styled exports or invoices.
Non-browser-based libraries: Use low-level drawing commands to build PDFs from scratch, perfect for custom layouts.
Third-party API solutions: Offload rendering to the cloud for scalable and flexible document generation, ideal for modern laravel SaaS deployments.

Browser-Based PDF Libraries: Convert HTML to PDF

Browser-based libraries rely on a rendering engine to process HTML/CSS and produce a nicely formatted PDF. This method simplifies tasks involving tables, inline styles, and rapid theming.

Generate PDFs with Dompdf

Dompdf interprets HTML/CSS, making it straightforward to convert templated pages into PDFs.

Installation and Setup

Sample Code for an HTML Invoice

require 'vendor/autoload.php';

use Dompdf\Dompdf;

$dompdf = new Dompdf();

$html = <<<HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <style>
    body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; }
    header { text-align: center; font-size: 24px; margin-bottom: 20px; }
    footer { position: fixed; bottom: 0; width: 100%; text-align: center; font-size: 12px; }
    table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 20px; }
    th, td { border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 8px; text-align: left; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <header>My Company - Invoice</header>

  <table>
    <tr><th>Item</th><th>Quantity</th><th>Price</th></tr>
    <tr><td>Product A</td><td>2</td><td>\$10</td></tr>
    <tr><td>Product B</td><td>1</td><td>\$15</td></tr>
  </table>

  <footer>Page 1 of 1</footer>
</body>
</html>

When projects call for mid-range styling or a quick html to pdf approach, Dompdf works efficiently.

Explore more details in the full guide on Dompdf .

Generate PDFs with mPDF

mPDF also converts HTML/CSS to PDFs but features greater multilingual support and robust page formatting.

Installation and Configuration

Sample Code for a Styled Document

require 'vendor/autoload.php';

$mpdf = new \Mpdf\Mpdf();

// HTML content with headers, footers, table
$html = <<<HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <style>
    body { font-family: DejaVu Sans, sans-serif; }
    header { text-align: center; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 20px; }
    footer { text-align: center; font-size: 12px; position: fixed; bottom: 0; width: 100%; }
    table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 20px; }
    th, td { border: 1px solid #000; padding: 8px; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <header>Sales Report</header>

  <table>
    <tr><th>Item</th><th>Quantity</th><th>Price</th></tr>
    <tr><td>Product X</td><td>3</td><td>\$12</td></tr>
    <tr><td>Product Y</td><td>5</td><td>\$8</td></tr>
  </table>

  <footer>Powered by mPDF</footer>
</body>
</html>

mPDF excels in international projects or large documents with advanced typographical requirements.

Explore more details in the full guide on mPDF.

Non-Browser-Based PDF Libraries: Generate PDFs with Canvas API

Non-browser-based libraries create documents through drawing commands, giving developers deeper control over layouts without relying on a rendering engine.

Generate PDFs with TCPDF

TCPDF supports advanced features like vector graphics and barcodes, catering to flexible pdf generation needs.

Installation

Sample Code for Headers, Footers, and Tables

TCPDF is preferable for exacting layout requirements that go beyond simple HTML rendering.

Explore more details in the full guide on TCPDF.

Generate PDFs with FPDF

FPDF is a small, standalone library that doesn’t require external dependencies. It uses explicit positioning to place content on each page.

Download and Basic Usage

1. Download fpdf.php from the official site.

2. Include and instantiate the class.

Sample Code with Header, Footer, and Table

FPDF works best for straightforward documents or smaller projects where speed and low overhead matter.

Explore more details in the full guide on FPDF.

Third-Party API for PDF Generation: Scalable and No-Code Solutions

These services allow developers to generate PDFs via cloud-based endpoints, freeing local servers from heavy rendering tasks and easing integration with laravel or other frameworks.

Generate PDFs using pdforge

pdforge is a third-party pdf generation API. You can create beautiful reports with flexible layouts and complex components with an easy-to-use opinionated no-code builder. Let the AI do the heavy lifting by generating your templates, creating custom components or even filling all the variables for you.

You can handle high-volume PDF generation from a single backend call.

Here’s an example of how to generate pdf with pdforge via an API call:

You can create your account, experience our no-code builder and create your first layout template without any upfront payment clicking here.

Comparison Between the Best PHP PDF Library in 2025

Conclusion

Every solution meets different needs under the umbrella of best libraries for pdf generation.

Browser-based libraries (Dompdf and mPDF) offer elegant html to pdf transformations, while non-browser-based tools (TCPDF and FPDF) provide custom, programmatic control.

Choose third-party pdf generation APIs, like pdforge, if you don't want to waste time maintaining pdfs layouts and their infrastructure or if you don't want to keep track of best practices to generate PDFs at scale.