pfpdf

A command-line tool that turns Markdown documents into print-quality PDFs with first-class support for Japanese typesetting. It supports GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM), cover pages, tables of contents, page breaks, math, code highlighting, and raw HTML. Rendering uses the Vivliostyle CLI and Chromium.

Japanese README: README.ja.md

The official website (template gallery and tutorial) is published with GitHub Pages from this repository. The docs branch is a generated deployment artifact (a single orphan commit force-pushed by the Pages workflow); do not edit it or base work on it.

Quick start

With Node.js and npm installed, no installation step is needed:

npx @pfnet-research/pfpdf@latest --input document.md --output document.pdf

When you pass a directory, pfpdf combines the *.md files directly inside it into a single PDF, ordered by filename:

npx @pfnet-research/pfpdf@latest --input docs --output docs.pdf

Pin the version in CI and long-lived documentation:

npx --yes @pfnet-research/pfpdf@0.1.0 --input docs --output docs.pdf

First run: pfpdf automatically downloads Chromium for PDF rendering. The download may be several hundred megabytes. Subsequent runs use the cached browser, and documents that rely only on built-in features such as math and code highlighting can then be converted offline.

Features

• GFM Markdown — use standard GitHub syntax for tables, task lists, strikethrough, autolinks, nested lists, and more
• Japanese-friendly emphasis — これは**「重要」**です renders as <strong> even with adjacent full-width punctuation
• Math and code highlighting — $...$ / $$...$$ and fenced code blocks work with bundled assets
• BibTeX bibliographies — point to .bib files in front matter and use \cite{key} for numbered citations, a formatted reference list, and internal PDF links; see the bibliography tutorial
• Raw HTML — inline and block HTML pass through for trusted documents
• Templates and logo injection — a research-oriented academic, a long-form book, a space-efficient compact, a neutral default, a warm and casual notebook, a corporate pfn, and a dense, code-first technical template are bundled; select a template, table-of-contents policy, and local logo in front matter, and override them from the CLI when needed. Custom templates may carry a default logo, while CLI template and logo overrides can use local paths or Git repository locators. No logo is bundled
• Redistributable bundled fonts — no dependency on OS fonts by default; host fonts are an explicit opt-in via --host-fonts / --font-dir
• Managed rendering — uses the bundled Vivliostyle CLI and its standard browser management, with an optional explicit browser path

Supported environments

OS / architecture	Support level
macOS aarch64 (Apple Silicon)	Primary
Linux x86_64	Primary
Windows x86_64	Additional
Linux aarch64	Additional

CI verifies PDF generation with a real browser in all four environments. The minimum Node.js version and the pinned Vivliostyle CLI, browser, and font versions are recorded in package.json and package-lock.json.

On Linux, Chromium requires additional system libraries. See the tutorial troubleshooting chapter and run:

npx @pfnet-research/pfpdf@latest --doctor

Trust model (important)

pfpdf converts trusted documents of your own.

• Raw HTML and <script> elements run as-is in the browser during conversion; pfpdf does not sanitize or sandbox them
• Documents can reference any local file readable by the pfpdf process and may access remote resources
• Do not convert Markdown from untrusted sources
• You are responsible for the availability and reproducibility of remote resources

See SECURITY.md and the design security chapter.

Documentation

The Japanese documents are canonical; English translations mirror the same structure.

Document	Japanese	English
Tutorial	docs/tutorial.ja/	docs/tutorial.en/
Design	docs/design.ja/	docs/design.en/

PDF versions are attached to each GitHub Release. To build them locally, run make docs.

License

New pfpdf code is distributed under the MIT License. Licenses for bundled and dependent third-party software—including Vivliostyle CLI under AGPL-3.0, MathJax, highlight.js, and the bundled fonts—are listed in THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for contribution guidelines and SECURITY.md for vulnerability reporting.