Description

n8n-nodes-pdfmill


Generate branded PDF and PNG documents from an n8n workflow — invoices,
quotes, reports, certificates, packing slips — powered by pdfmill.
Workflow data in, finished document out. No Chrome to host.

This is a community node for n8n. It is a thin client over
the pdfmill render engine: it does not render anything itself, it calls the API
and hands you the document as a binary that flows straight into Gmail, Google
Drive, Slack, S3, or anywhere else.

Install

In n8n (self-hosted or Cloud that allows community nodes):

Settings → Community Nodes → Install, then enter:

n8n-nodes-pdfmill

Or from a shell in your n8n instance:

npm install n8n-nodes-pdfmill

Credential — “pdfmill API”

1. Create an API key in the pdfmill dashboard → API Keys.
2. In n8n, add a pdfmill API credential:
– API Key — the key you just created.
– Base URL — leave as https://api.pdfmill.dev (only change it for a
self-hosted engine).
3. Click Test — n8n verifies the key against the engine. Green means you’re ready.

Your key rides n8n’s credential system: it is never a node parameter and never logged.

The node — “Generate PDF”

One node, two operations:

1. Generate from Template

Render one of your pdfmill templates with data.

| Field | What it is |
|—|—|
| Template Name or ID | Pick from your account (dropdown, loaded live), or set an ID via an expression. |
| Data | The values merged into the template’s {{variables}}. Defaults to {{ $json }} — the incoming item — so the happy path is a single field. |
| Format | PDF (default) or PNG. |
| Put Output File in Field | Binary property to hold the document (default data). |
| Options | Page size, landscape, margins, scale, print background, file name. |

2. Generate from HTML

Render raw HTML you supply (usually an expression that maps HTML from an earlier
node). Same Data / Format / Options / output fields. {{handlebars}}
variables in the HTML are filled from Data.

Output

• Binary: the rendered document on the chosen property (default data),

with the correct filename + MIME type — chain it straight into an email/upload node.

• JSON metadata: { success, source, template, format, pages, bytes, durationMs, requestId, fileName, mimeType }.

Worked example — invoice → email (5 minutes)

1. Manual Trigger (or a Stripe/webhook trigger in production).
2. A node that produces the invoice data (a Set/Code node, or your real mapping).
3. PDFmill → operation Generate from Template → template Invoice →
Data {{ $json }} → Format PDF.
4. Gmail → Send → add a binary attachment from the data property.

Five ready-made versions of this (payment→invoice→email, row→certificate→Drive,
form→report→Slack, scheduled summary, order→packing-slip) are in
gallery/ — import them directly.

Errors

Every engine error surfaces with its code, a plain message, and a
requestId (quote it to support). n8n’s Continue On Fail is honored — a
failing item passes an { error, code, requestId } down the branch while good
items in the batch still render.

| Code | HTTP | Meaning | What to do |
|—|—|—|—|
| UNAUTHORIZED | 401 | Missing/invalid API key | Fix the pdfmill credential. |
| QUOTA_EXCEEDED | 402 | Monthly document cap reached | Upgrade the plan, or wait for the next period. |
| INVALID_REQUEST | 400 | Malformed request/data | Check the Data and Options. |
| TEMPLATENOTFOUND | 404 | No such template ID | Pick a template from the dropdown. |
| PAYLOADTOOLARGE | 413 | Request data too large | Reduce the payload. |
| OUTPUTTOOLARGE | 422 | Rendered document too large | Simplify the template/data. |
| RENDER_TIMEOUT | 504 | Render exceeded the time limit | Simplify the template, reduce size. |
| RENDER_FAILED | 500 | The engine could not render | Check the template/HTML + data. |
| BUSY | 429 | Rate-limited / at capacity | Retry with backoff. |
| MISSING_CREDENTIAL | — | No key/base URL configured | Complete the pdfmill credential. |
| ENGINE_UNREACHABLE | — | Could not reach the engine | Check the Base URL and network. |

Compatibility

• n8n nodes API version 1; requires Node.js >= 20.15 (n8n’s floor).
• The node is a thin client — it works against hosted pdfmill and any

self-hosted pdfmill engine (set the credential Base URL).

Development

pnpm install
pnpm --filter n8n-nodes-pdfmill run build       # tsc → dist + icons
pnpm --filter n8n-nodes-pdfmill run lint         # eslint-plugin-n8n-nodes-base (verification linter)
pnpm --filter n8n-nodes-pdfmill run test         # vitest (engine HTTP mocked)

A real node↔engine integration render is gated on env (see
scripts/integration-n8n.md):

PDFMILLENGINEURL=http://localhost:8080 PDFMILLAPIKEY=... 
  pnpm --filter n8n-nodes-pdfmill run test

License

MIT