All solutionsPDF generation API

PDF Automation API for Invoices and Documents

Design the document in a visual editor or import your HTML. Send your data and get back a PDF with your fonts, links and page breaks right.

Start generatingPDF docs

100 free credits every month · no credit card · 1 credit per page

No browser to babysit

No headless Chrome server to run. You make one HTTP call.

Multi-page in one file

Every page takes its own data and lands in the same file.

Your fonts, sharp at any size

Text and shapes are vectors. Upload TTF, OTF or WOFF.

Ready for the print shop

CMYK, 300 dpi and margins, set per document.

Developer experience

Send JSON and get a finished PDF back

Send a template ID and your document data, and get back a link to the PDF. Multi-page templates come back as one file, over REST or any SDK.

curl -X POST https://api.orshot.com/v1/studio/render \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ORSHOT_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "templateId": 1234,
    "modifications": {
      "recipient_name": "Zara Adeyemi",
      "title": "Certificate of Excellence",
      "date": "Mar 6, 2026"
    },
    "response": { "type": "url", "format": "pdf" }
  }'

Node.js install: npm install orshot

import { Orshot } from 'orshot';
const orshot = new Orshot(process.env.ORSHOT_API_KEY);

const { data } = await orshot.renderFromStudioTemplate({
  templateId: 1234,
  modifications: {
    recipient_name: 'Zara Adeyemi',
    title: 'Certificate of Excellence',
    date: 'Mar 6, 2026',
  },
  response: { type: 'url', format: 'pdf' },
});

// data.content → the rendered PDF URL

Python install: pip install orshot

import orshot
client = orshot.Orshot("<ORSHOT_API_KEY>")

response = client.render_from_studio_template({
  "template_id": 1234,
  "modifications": {
    "recipient_name": "Zara Adeyemi",
    "title": "Certificate of Excellence",
    "date": "Mar 6, 2026",
  },
  "response": { "type": "url", "format": "pdf" },
})

Ruby install: gem install orshot

require 'orshot'
client = Orshot::Client.new("<ORSHOT_API_KEY>")

response = client.render_from_studio_template({
  'template_id' => 1234,
  'modifications' => {
    'recipient_name' => 'Zara Adeyemi',
    'title' => 'Certificate of Excellence',
    'date' => 'Mar 6, 2026',
  },
  'response' => { 'type' => 'url', 'format' => 'pdf' },
})

PHP install: composer require rishimohan/orshot

<?php require 'vendor/autoload.php';

use Orshot\Client;
$client = new Client("<ORSHOT_API_KEY>");

$response = $client->renderFromStudioTemplate([
  'templateId' => 1234,
  'modifications' => [
    'recipient_name' => 'Zara Adeyemi',
    'title' => 'Certificate of Excellence',
    'date' => 'Mar 6, 2026',
  ],
  'response' => [ 'type' => 'url', 'format' => 'pdf' ],
]);
Works withNo-code, code, and AI agents.
ZapierZapierMakeMaken8nn8nAirtableAirtableMCP ServerMCP ServerGoogle SheetsGoogle SheetsAll integrations
One template, three outputs

One template can be an image, a PDF or a video

The template, the parameters and the SDKs are the same for all three. Set response.format and you get an image, a PDF or a video.

pngjpgwebpavif

Images

Social posts, OG images, ads and carousels from one template.

  • Every layer changeable per request
  • AI text and AI images from a prompt
  • Any size from one design with Smart Resize
Image Generation API
pdfcmyk300 dpi

PDFs

This page

Invoices, certificates, reports and tickets, ready to print.

  • Multi-page documents in one file
  • Clickable links and page ranges
  • Text that flows onto new pages
mp4webmmovmkvgif

Videos

Reels, product clips and slideshows with sound and captions.

  • Voiceover, music and captions per video
  • AI footage from a prompt or a photo
  • Pages become scenes with transitions
Video Generation API
Design

Design the document once and let your data fill it in

Build invoices, certificates and reports in Orshot Studio, our visual editor, or import your HTML. Mark a layer as dynamic and it becomes a field you fill.

  • A4, US Letter and custom sizes
  • Custom fonts and your brand library
  • Flow text for documents of any length
Explore Orshot Studio
Integrate

A working PDF request that is ready to copy

Every template comes with its request filled in, with your template ID, fields and key. Switch the format to PDF and test it on the page.

  • Copy as cURL or an SDK snippet
  • Tabs for Workflows, n8n, Make, Zapier and agents
  • Test a request before you write any code
See the PDF API
Production

Bulk generate PDFs that are each personal

Send your rows through one template and each document is saved with a preview and the values you sent.

  • Every file in a searchable log
  • Signed, time-limited links for private files
  • Deliver to your own S3, R2, Dropbox or Drive
Popular use cases

PDFs people generate, with the request

Each example is a complete request body for POST /v1/studio/render.

SaaS, agencies, marketplaces

A branded invoice on every payment

Send the customer, the line items and the total. Name the file, set the document title and make the pay button clickable.

  1. 1Design the invoice once in Studio
  2. 2Send the values from your billing event
  3. 3Attach the PDF URL to the receipt email
Uses: Render APIRead the guide
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "templateId": 1234,
  "modifications": {
    "invoice_no": "INV-1042",
    "customer": "Acme Corp",
    "item_1": "Design retainer, March",
    "amount_1": "$2,000.00",
    "item_2": "Hosting, 12 months",
    "amount_2": "$480.00",
    "total": "$2,480.00",
    "pay_button": "Pay online",
    "pay_button.href": "https://pay.example.com/inv-1042"
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "pdf",
    "type": "url",
    "fileName": "invoice-1042"
  },
  "pdfOptions": { "title": "Invoice INV-1042" }
}
Course creators, event teams, HR

A certificate for every name on the list

One template, one request per person. Add a verification link so each certificate can be checked.

  1. 1Mark the name, course and date as dynamic
  2. 2Loop your rows and send one request each
  3. 3Email each person their own PDF
Uses: Render APIRead the guide
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "templateId": 1234,
  "modifications": {
    "recipient_name": "Zara Adeyemi",
    "course": "Advanced Data Analysis",
    "date": "Mar 6, 2026",
    "verify_link": "Verify this certificate",
    "verify_link.href": "https://example.com/verify/8F2K1"
  },
  "response": { "format": "pdf", "type": "url" }
}
Analytics, finance, client reporting

Multi-page reports in one PDF

Multi-page templates come back as one document. Prefix a value with its page, or leave the prefix off to set it on every page.

  1. 1Build a cover, a summary and detail pages
  2. 2Use page1@, page2@ for page content
  3. 3Skip the prefix for footers and logos
Uses: Multi-page templatesRead the guide
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "templateId": 1234,
  "modifications": {
    "footer_text": "© 2026 Acme Corp",
    "page1@title": "Q1 2026 Report",
    "page2@title": "Summary",
    "page2@revenue": "$1.2M",
    "page3@title": "Details"
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "pdf",
    "type": "url",
    "includePages": [1, 2, 3]
  }
}
Contracts, articles, whitepapers

Design one page. Get as many as the text needs

Set a text box to Flow and it continues onto new pages on its own. Headers, footers and logos can repeat on every page.

  1. 1Set Text Autofit to Flow on the body text
  2. 2Turn on repeat for the header and footer
  3. 3Send text of any length
Uses: Flow textRead the guide
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "templateId": 1234,
  "modifications": {
    "title": "Service agreement",
    "body": "Your full document text. It can be one page or forty."
  },
  "response": { "format": "pdf", "type": "url" }
}
Flyers, business cards, brochures

Files a print shop will accept

Text and shapes are vectors, so they stay sharp at any size. Switch to CMYK, set the resolution and control the margins.

  1. 1Set colorMode to cmyk for the print shop
  2. 2Pick 72, 150 or 300 dpi
  3. 3Use 0px margin for full bleed designs
Uses: PDF optionsRead the guide
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "templateId": 1234,
  "modifications": { "headline": "Spring sale" },
  "response": { "format": "pdf", "type": "url" },
  "pdfOptions": {
    "colorMode": "cmyk",
    "dpi": 300,
    "margin": "0px"
  }
}
Email attachments, large catalogs

Photo heavy PDFs, a fraction of the size

Compress the photos inside the PDF. Text, shapes and transparency are never touched, and QR codes still scan.

  1. 1Set imageFormat to jpeg
  2. 2Tune imageQuality, 85 is print quality
  3. 3Cap image resolution with maxImageDpi
Uses: PDF image compressionRead the guide
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "templateId": 1234,
  "response": { "format": "pdf", "type": "url" },
  "pdfOptions": {
    "imageFormat": "jpeg",
    "imageQuality": 85,
    "maxImageDpi": 300
  }
}
Emails, no-code tools, spreadsheets

A PDF from a URL, no API call

Turn on Dynamic URL for a template. Put the values in the query string and the link returns the PDF. Set a usage limit and an expiry.

Uses: Dynamic URLRead the guide
  1. 1Enable Dynamic URL on the template
  2. 2End the file name with .pdf
  3. 3Fill the values in the query string
GET
https://api.orshot.com/v1/studio/dynamic-url/ticket-482.pdf
  ?templateId=1234&name=Sam%20Lee&seat=B14&sign=...
Schools, communities, internal tools

Let anyone make their own PDF

Template Forms turn a template into a public form. People fill it in, press Generate and download the file. No Orshot account needed.

Uses: Template FormsRead the guide
  1. 1Open the template and enable the form
  2. 2Choose the formats, rate limit and expiry
  3. 3Share the link
Teams using Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor

Ask for the document in plain words

Connect Orshot to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor. The agent can design the template from a brief, fill it in and hand you the PDF.

Uses: AI agentsSee how agents work
  1. 1Connect Orshot to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or another AI agent
  2. 2Describe the document you want
  3. 3Get the PDF link back
Prompt
Create an A4 invoice template in our brand colors, then generate invoice INV-1042 for Acme Corp with two line items as a PDF.
Per request control

Set margins, links and pages per document

The template sets the defaults. Anything below can be set for a single document.

Text, images and single words

APIStudioAgents

Replace a whole layer, or only the placeholder words inside it.

{id}
New text or image URL for a layer
{id}:{placeholder}
Fill a {{placeholder}} inside a sentence
page2@{id}
Target a layer on one page
canvasBackgroundColor
Page color, HEX, RGBA or a gradient
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "modifications": {
    "customer": "Acme Corp",
    "logo": "https://example.com/logo.png",
    "greeting:name": "Sarah",
    "greeting:city": "New York",
    "page2@title": "Summary",
    "page1@canvasBackgroundColor": "#0f172a"
  }
}
Full reference

Restyle a layer without a new template

APIStudioAgents

Position, size, color, fonts and effects are set by adding a key to the layer id.

.x .y .width .height
Move or resize any layer
.color .fontSize .fontFamily
Text color, size and any Google or custom font
.textAlign .lineHeight .letterSpacing
Paragraph settings
.fill .stroke .strokeWidth
Shape colors and outlines
.opacity .borderRadius
Fade layers, round images
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "modifications": {
    "total.color": "#0F766E",
    "total.fontSize": "32px",
    "total.fontFamily": "Space Grotesk",
    "status_badge.fill": "#DCFCE7",
    "stamp.opacity": "0.6"
  }
}
Full reference

Clickable text and images

APIStudio

Add .href to any dynamic text or image. Links work in PDF output only.

{id}.href
Open a URL when the layer is clicked
mailto:
Email links work too
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "modifications": {
    "pay_button": "Pay online",
    "pay_button.href": "https://pay.example.com/inv-1042",
    "support_email": "support@acme.com",
    "support_email.href": "mailto:support@acme.com",
    "qr_image.href": "https://example.com/verify/8F2K1"
  }
}
Full reference

Write the text or make the image with AI

APIStudioAgents

Add .prompt to a text layer for AI copy, or to an image layer for an AI image. Send a normal value too and it is used if generation fails.

{textId}.prompt
AI writes the text
{imageId}.prompt
AI generates the image
{id}.contentType
Treat a text slot as an image, or the reverse
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "modifications": {
    "summary": "Fallback summary text",
    "summary.prompt": "Summarise Q1 results in two friendly sentences",
    "cover_image.prompt": "abstract teal waves, soft light, minimal"
  }
}
Full reference

Title, margins, resolution and color

API

Everything about the file itself lives in pdfOptions.

pdfOptions.title
Title shown in browser tabs and PDF readers
pdfOptions.margin
Space around the design, in px
marginTop / Bottom / Left / Right
Override one side
pdfOptions.dpi
72 for screen, 150 or 300 for print
pdfOptions.colorMode
rgb for screens, cmyk for print shops
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "pdfOptions": {
    "title": "Spring Sale Flyer",
    "margin": "20px",
    "marginBottom": "60px",
    "dpi": 300,
    "colorMode": "cmyk"
  }
}
Full reference

Compress the photos, keep the text sharp

API

Only embedded photos are re-encoded. Vectors, transparency, links and fonts stay as they are.

pdfOptions.imageFormat
auto leaves images untouched, jpeg compresses them
pdfOptions.imageQuality
1 to 100, default 85
pdfOptions.maxImageDpi
Downsample above this, default 300
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "pdfOptions": {
    "imageFormat": "jpeg",
    "imageQuality": 85,
    "maxImageDpi": 300
  }
}
Full reference

Which pages end up in the file

APIStudio

Pick pages one by one, give a range, or let flow text add pages for you. You are billed per page in the final PDF.

response.includePages
Only these pages, for example [1, 3, 5]
pdfOptions.rangeFrom / rangeTo
A continuous range of pages
Flow text
Overflow pages are added automatically
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "response": {
    "format": "pdf",
    "type": "url",
    "includePages": [1, 3, 5]
  }
}

// or a range
{
  "pdfOptions": { "rangeFrom": 2, "rangeTo": 4 }
}
Full reference

How you get the file

APIAgents

A hosted URL or the raw file, with your own file name. Run big documents in the background.

response.type
url or binary
response.fileName
Your file name. Also used as the title
response.mode
async returns a job at once
webhook_url
Called when the job finishes
POST /v1/studio/render
{
  "templateId": 1234,
  "response": {
    "format": "pdf",
    "type": "url",
    "fileName": "q1-report",
    "mode": "async"
  },
  "webhook_url": "https://acme.com/hooks/orshot"
}
Full reference
Workflows

Generate invoices from a spreadsheet without code

Ready-made workflows take a trigger and your template, then deliver the finished PDF where it needs to go.

Browse all workflows

Generate an invoice PDF for every order

Turn a spreadsheet of orders into clean invoice PDFs, one per row, filed automatically.

Documents
View workflow

Issue certificates for everyone on your list

Generate a personalized certificate for every row in a Google Sheet, in one run.

Documents
View workflow

Generate invoice PDFs from Airtable records

Turn each Airtable record into an invoice or receipt PDF and save it to Google Drive or Dropbox.

Documents
View workflow
Everything included

Everything the PDF API does

Every PDF feature, grouped by where you use it. Weighing your options? See PDF generator APIs compared.

In Studio

Design it once, visually

Layout
  • A4, US Letter and custom sizes
  • Multi-page templates
  • Flow text that adds pages on its own
  • Repeat headers and footers on every page
  • Smart Stacking moves layers when the one above grows
Type
  • Custom fonts and every Google Font
  • Fit, truncate, overflow and flow text modes
  • Different styles inside one text box
  • Placeholders inside sentences
Workflow
  • Import designs from Canva and Figma
  • Brand colors, fonts and logos in one library
  • Version history
  • Public forms that generate the PDF
Explore Orshot Studio
In the API

One endpoint, every option

Generate
  • Single and multi-page PDFs
  • Pick pages or a page range
  • Hosted URL or the raw file
  • Async jobs with polling or webhooks
  • PDFs from a signed URL, no API call
Customize
  • Swap text and images per request
  • Fill single words inside a sentence
  • Change color, size and font per request
  • Clickable links on text and images
  • AI text and AI images from a prompt
Print and file
  • RGB or CMYK
  • 72, 150 or 300 dpi
  • Margins, overall or per side
  • Document title and file name
  • Photo compression for smaller files
PDF API docs
With agents

Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other AI agents

Create
  • Design a document template from a brief
  • Use your brand colors, fonts and logos
  • Edit a template by describing the change
Generate and ship
  • Generate one PDF or a whole batch
  • Wait on big documents without timing out
  • Build scheduled workflows
See agent setup

Generate your first PDF in five minutes

The free plan includes 100 credits every month. A PDF costs 1 credit per page.

Start generatingRead the docs