Code to PDF

About Code to PDF

This Code to PDF tool exports source code into a clean, readable PDF using a monospace layout. It is useful for reviews, documentation, snippets, printed handouts and offline sharing.

The conversion runs in your browser and supports both file upload and manual paste input.

jsPDF Text Rendering Basics

jsPDF uses a coordinate system measured in points (1 point = 1/72 inch):

• Page position: Origin (0, 0) is top-left corner
• Text baseline: y-coordinate positions the text baseline, not the top
• Font settings: setFont() and setFontSize() must be called before each text operation
• Line height: Manual increment (typically 12-14pt for 9pt font)
• Page breaks: Detect when y exceeds page height, call addPage(), reset y

Code PDF Generation Implementation

const pdf = new jsPDF("p", "pt", "a4");
const margin = 36;
const pageHeight = pdf.internal.pageSize.getHeight();
let y = margin;

// Title in bold Helvetica
pdf.setFont("helvetica", "bold");
pdf.setFontSize(14);
pdf.text(title, margin, y);
y += 22;

// Code in monospace Courier
pdf.setFont("courier", "normal");
pdf.setFontSize(9);

lines.forEach((line, index) => {
  const content = showLineNumbers
    ? String(index + 1).padStart(4, " ") + "  " + line
    : line;
  const wrapped = pdf.splitTextToSize(content, usableWidth);

  wrapped.forEach(segment => {
    if (y > pageHeight - margin) {
      pdf.addPage();
      pdf.setFont("courier", "normal");
      pdf.setFontSize(9);
      y = margin;
    }
    pdf.text(segment, margin, y);
    y += 12; // Line height
  });
});

pdf.save("code.pdf");

Supported File Extensions

Line Number Formatting

// Add line numbers with padding
const lineNumber = String(index + 1).padStart(4, " ");
const prefixedLine = lineNumber + "  " + codeLine;

// Output:
//    1  function hello() {
//    2    console.log("Hello");
//    3  }

// Benefits:
// - Easy reference during code reviews
// - Helps locate specific lines in printed docs
// - Aligns with IDE line numbering conventions

PDF Font Options for Code

Code PDF Best Practices

• Font size: 9-11pt for monospace code, 12-14pt for titles
• Line height: 12-14pt (1.3-1.5x font size) for readability
• Margins: 36pt minimum for binding and annotations
• Line length: 80-100 characters for portrait, 120+ for landscape
• Line numbers: Include for code reviews and documentation
• Headers: Add filename and timestamp for version tracking
• Page numbers: Add footer with page numbers for multi-page docs