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Guides for PDF development

Guides, tutorials, and tips for working with PDFs: from free tools to programmatic generation.

iLovePDF vs Smallpdf vs PDF4.dev: which free PDF tool is best in 2026?

Compare iLovePDF, Smallpdf, and PDF4.dev on privacy, limits, tools, and developer features. Find the best free PDF tool for your use case in 2026.

Apr 3, 202612 min read

AI & PDF

AI document generation: complete guide for developers (2026)

AI document generation lets you create PDFs, invoices, and reports from natural language prompts. Full guide covering MCP, LLM workflows, and production APIs.

Apr 2, 202612 min read

PDF Security

How to redact a PDF permanently (and why highlighting isn't enough)

Learn how to permanently redact sensitive text and images in PDFs. Covers free browser tools, Python scripts, and why simple highlighting fails security audits.

Apr 1, 20269 min read

Tutorials

How to generate a PDF from Google Sheets (4 methods)

Export Google Sheets data to PDF automatically: built-in export, Apps Script automation, Zapier/Make no-code workflows, and API-based generation for production use.

Mar 30, 20268 min read

PDF Manipulation

How to delete pages from a PDF (free, fast, no upload required)

Delete pages from a PDF in seconds, free and without uploading files. Browser-based tool, Python script, Node.js API, and command-line methods covered.

Mar 30, 202610 min read

PDF Manipulation

How to add page numbers to a PDF (free, online, no install)

Add page numbers to any PDF in seconds. Free online tool, no upload required. Also covers programmatic methods using Python, Node.js, and pdf-lib.

Mar 27, 202610 min read

PDF Manipulation

How to reorder PDF pages (free online and programmatic methods)

Rearrange PDF pages in any order, free and in your browser, or automate page reordering with JavaScript, Python, and pdf-lib. No upload needed.

Mar 26, 202611 min read

PDF Manipulation

How to extract text from a PDF (free online and programmatic methods)

Extract text from any PDF in seconds, free and online, or automate it with JavaScript, Python, and the PDF.js API. No signup required for the free tool.

Mar 25, 202611 min read

Comparisons

Best PDF generation APIs in 2026: a developer comparison

Compare the best PDF generation APIs in 2026: PDF4.dev, PDFMonkey, DocRaptor, Gotenberg, and wkhtmltopdf. Pricing, features, and code examples.

Mar 24, 202611 min read

AI & PDF

AI invoice generator: build one with Claude and PDF4.dev in 10 minutes

Generate professional PDF invoices with AI using Claude and PDF4.dev. Full tutorial with Node.js code, Handlebars templates, and MCP integration examples.

Mar 23, 202611 min read

PDF Conversion

How to convert HTML to PDF: complete guide (2026)

Convert HTML to PDF online, in the browser, or via API. Free tool, browser printing, Node.js, Python, PHP, and REST API methods compared.

Mar 22, 202611 min read

Comparisons

Playwright vs Puppeteer for PDF generation: a practical comparison (2026)

Playwright vs Puppeteer for PDF generation: API differences, CSS support, performance benchmarks, and when to use a managed PDF API instead.

Mar 20, 202611 min read

Developer Guides

PDF generation in Next.js: a complete guide for App Router

Generate PDFs in Next.js 14+ App Router using server actions, API routes, and Playwright. Includes React-to-PDF, dynamic templates, and PDF4.dev API examples.

Mar 19, 202611 min read

Developer Guides

Generate PDFs from HTML in PHP: Dompdf, Playwright, and REST APIs compared

Generate PDFs from HTML in PHP using Dompdf, headless Chromium, or a REST API. Covers Laravel, Symfony, dynamic templates, fonts, and production tips.

Mar 18, 202610 min read

AI & PDFPillar

What is the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and how to use it for PDF generation

MCP lets AI agents call external tools directly. Learn what MCP is, how the protocol works, and how to connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or VS Code to a PDF API in under 3 minutes.

Mar 18, 202610 min read

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