To generate PDFs from HTML in an application, you typically need to set up rendering, load fonts and images, check pagination, process requests, and store the output. You also need to track completed and failed renders and make the files available to users.
Tembuilder is an HTML/CSS-to-PDF rendering platform, providing this workflow through a web application and API. Prepare HTML/CSS in a template, supply JSON data for each document, and retrieve the PDF once rendering completes.
The template controls presentation; JSON data supplies the content that changes between renders. You can update the design without keeping all of its HTML/CSS in the calling application’s source code.
How it works
- Create an HTML/CSS template. Write and edit layouts in the editor, import a template, or use one from the Marketplace. Define the data fields the template accepts.
- Preview and publish. Save the design, check its Defaults in PDF preview and inspect fonts, images, and page breaks, then publish the version you want to use.
- Render and retrieve the PDF. Submit the template, version, and JSON data through the API or Run. Track the status and download the file after a successful render.
HTML/CSS is stored in the template. Render API requests reference that template and supply data for the run, rather than submitting an arbitrary HTML page directly.
Template management
In the web app, you can:
- Edit HTML/CSS, fonts, images, paper size, margins, headers, and footers.
- Define parameters to insert JSON data into document content.
- Manage template versions, revision history, and variants.
- Preview PDFs, test renders in the Run, and inspect output in Renders.
See Get to know Tembuilder concepts for the complete workflow and The template editor for editor navigation.
API integration
Your application submits render requests with a project API key. Tembuilder accepts the request and processes it as a job; the initial response does not contain the completed PDF.
Track the status through the API or receive webhook notifications. Once the job succeeds, download the PDF to store it or deliver it to a user. See Render API reference.
Use cases
Render reports from system data, create certificates for individual recipients, or generate quotes from order details. These are examples of the same HTML/CSS → PDF workflow; your template determines the content and presentation.
Get started
- Create your first PDF: try the workflow with a sample template in the app.
- Render API reference: integrate rendering into your application.
- Connect an AI assistant through MCP: let an agent read and help edit project templates.