DEV Community

IronSoftware
IronSoftware

Posted on

How to Convert HTML to PDF in C# ( A Simple Guide)

#csharp #dotnet

The need to convert HTML pages into PDF format is more frequent than ever — whether you’re archiving site content, preparing invoices, generating reports, or exporting styled documents server-side. In the .NET world, developers often look for a reliable library to make this happen. One of the strongest candidates is IronPDF.

Here’s a complete guide to using IronPDF to convert HTML to PDF in C#, along with best practices and common workflows researched from DEV.to Community articles.

*Written by Jacob Mellor, CTO at Iron Software. Jacob created IronPDF and leads a team building .NET document processing libraries. Flagship being on PDF *

🔧 How to Use HTML-to-PDF in C

  1. Install IronPDF via NuGet.
  2. Import the IronPDF namespace.
  3. Instantiate a PDF renderer.
  4. Provide HTML content (string, file path, or URL).
  5. Generate the PDF.
  6. Save the PDF to disk.

Why IronPDF?

IronPDF is a comprehensive .NET library that simplifies PDF generation. Using IronPDF, developers can:

  • Convert HTML content (strings, local files, or URLs) into PDF documents. (
  • Include full support for HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, external resources (images, stylesheets), fonts, etc.
  • Render modern web layouts accurately — not just basic HTML + tables.
  • Work seamlessly in .NET Core, .NET Framework, and across multiple platforms.

In short: IronPDF gives you modern HTML rendering + .NET-native PDF generation, which makes it a top choice for enterprise apps, APIs, or any backend that needs to output polished PDFs.

Basic Usage Examples

✅ HTML String → PDF 

using IronPdf;

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello, PDF!</h1>");
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

This works for quick, simple HTML content — ideal for small documents, email attachments, or dynamically generated pages.

📄 HTML File → PDF

If you have a full HTML template (with external CSS, JS, and assets), you can convert it directly:

var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf("template.html");
pdf.SaveAs("report.pdf");
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Useful when you maintain templates (e.g. invoices, reports) separately on disk, and fill them with dynamic data before conversion.

🌐 URL → PDF (Web Page Capture)

IronPDF can fetch and render an entire live web page — including JS-rendered content — then convert it to PDF:

renderer.RenderingOptions.EnableJavaScript = true;
renderer.RenderingOptions.CssMediaType = PdfCssMediaType.Print;
renderer.RenderingOptions.WaitFor.RenderDelay(3000);  // wait for JS
var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://example.com/dashboard");
pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Great for archiving reports, dashboards, or any page that requires full browser-like rendering.

When to Use HTML-to-PDF

  • Generating invoices, receipts, or billing documents.
  • Creating reports dynamically for users.
  • Archiving web pages, dashboards, or content for compliance/backup.
  • Exporting data-driven pages (e.g. charts, tables) to printable PDFs.
  • Offering “Download as PDF” functionality in web apps.

Thanks to full HTML/CSS/JS support, IronPDF works well for any document that might resemble a web page — not just simple static templates.

Alternatives & Landscape Context

While IronPDF is powerful, it's not the only path. Some other options, each with trade-offs:

  • Open-source wrappers around older engines (like WebKit via wkhtmltopdf / DinkToPdf) — often brittle with modern layouts.
  • Commercial or enterprise libraries (like Aspose.PDF) — more powerful but heavier, and sometimes more complex to configure.

In most contemporary .NET applications (especially for HTML/CSS heavy content, dynamic data, or JS-driven pages), IronPDF tends to strike the best balance of simplicity, fidelity, and maintainability.

Conclusion: HTML-to-PDF Done Right

Converting HTML to PDF in C# no longer needs to be a hacky afterthought. With IronPDF, you get:

  • Full HTML5/CSS3/JS support
  • Easy .NET integration
  • Multiple input modes (string, file, URL)
  • Reliable rendering of modern layouts

For any use case involving invoices, reports, document exports, or web-to-PDF conversion, IronPDF stands out as a solid, production-ready choice.

Top comments (0)