Convert a text, Markdown or HTML document to PDF

The thing to know first: this does not convert .docx. Doing that faithfully means implementing Word’s layout — styles, numbering, sections, floating objects, tables, fields, and the line-breaking rules that decide where page seven ends — and everybody who offers it is shelling out to LibreOffice, which is not installed on this server. So the tool refuses a .docx instead of returning something that looks nearly right. What it does convert is the formats a document often actually is: plain text, Markdown and HTML. Headings, paragraphs, lists, quotations and code blocks are set in the fonts we ship and flowed onto real pages.

It does not accept .docx, .doc, .odt, .rtf or .pages. Those need a word processor to render them, and there is not one on this server.

Convert text or Markdown to PDF

No account. Your upload is deleted after 2 hours, the result after 24 hours.

How it works

  1. Upload a .txt, .md or .html file. Those are the formats accepted. A .docx is refused with an explanation of what to use instead, rather than half-converted into something you would have to check line by line.
  2. Choose the paper and the type. A4 or Letter, the margin, the text size and one of four typefaces. Markdown headings become real headings, at sizes worked out from the body size you set.
  3. Download it and read the page breaks. Text is flowed onto pages, so a heading can land at the foot of one. Read the seams before the document goes anywhere that matters.

What the options do

The form above lists the options this tool is running today, straight from the server. This is what they are for.

Page size
A4 or Letter — the paper the text is flowed onto. Changing it re-flows the document rather than scaling it, so the page count moves with it.
Margin (mm)
White space around the text block. Twenty is the sensible default; thirty gives a narrower, easier column and more pages; five is for something that has to fit into as few sheets as possible.
Text size (pt)
The size body text is set at, from 7 to 18 points. Headings are sized relative to it, so this scales the whole document rather than only the paragraphs. Eleven reads well both on paper and on screen.
Typeface
One of four fonts we ship. Helvetica and Open Sans are sans-serif and suit a document read on a screen; Times New Roman and PT Serif suit one that will be printed. Any font the source file asked for is ignored, because there is no styling engine to ask.

What this tool does not do

  • It does not accept .docx, .doc, .odt, .rtf or .pages. Those need a word processor to render them, and there is not one on this server.
  • There are no images. A Markdown image reference or an HTML img tag contributes nothing to the page.
  • There is no CSS, so a styled HTML file arrives as the same words in the same order, set in the typeface you chose here.
  • Tables become rows of text rather than ruled tables. A wide table stays readable and stops looking like a table.
  • There are no headers, footers, page numbers or table of contents. Add page numbers and header and footer do those to the finished PDF.
  • Page breaks fall where the page runs out. Headings are not kept with the text below them and there is no widow or orphan control.

What happens to your file

The file is uploaded because Word to PDF runs on our server rather than in the browser tab. It is kept for at most 2 hours and the result you download for 24 hours, then a scheduled job deletes both — a job has to be able to read the file while it runs, and you have to be able to retry a failed conversion without re-uploading. Neither needs longer.

Nothing about the contents is logged, and no one reads your documents. The retention page lists the same numbers the code enforces, and the privacy policy says who can reach the storage they sit in.

Questions

Can it convert my .docx?
No. Rendering a Word document faithfully means implementing Word’s layout engine, and the practical answer everybody uses is LibreOffice, which is not installed here. The tool refuses the file rather than returning something nearly right, because nearly right in a document is worse than a clear no.
What should I use for a .docx instead?
Word itself — File, Save as, PDF — or LibreOffice Writer, or Google Docs, all of which export a PDF with the layout intact. If all you need is the words, save the document as .txt or .md and convert that here.
Which formats does it actually take?
Plain text (.txt), Markdown (.md and .markdown) and HTML (.html and .htm). In Markdown, headings, lists, quotations, code blocks and emphasis are all understood.
Why has my styling been ignored?
Because there is no CSS engine on the server. An HTML file is read for its structure, and the appearance of the result comes entirely from the page size, margin, text size and typeface you choose here.
How is this different from the HTML to PDF tool?
The layout engine is the same one; the difference is the door in. HTML to PDF also takes a web address and fetches it for you. This one takes a file and understands Markdown and plain text as well as HTML. If you already have a file, either will do the same thing to it.
Can I convert several files into one PDF?
Not in a single run — this takes one file at a time. Convert them separately and use merge, which also lets you put a bookmark at the start of each one so the result can be navigated.