PDF Snapshot adds a “Download PDF” button to your posts and pages. When a visitor clicks it, the plugin captures the page, converts it to a PDF, and either shows a preview popup (with Print and Download buttons) or downloads it immediately — your choice.
Key features
- Two capture modes: the full themed page (with excluded sections removed), or just the title and post content.
- Choose exactly which sections to exclude: header, navigation, footer, sidebars, comments, and any CSS selector you specify (e.g.
.newsletter-signupor#related-posts) to identify additional elements to remove from the PDF. - Preview popup with Print and Download actions, or immediate download — configurable.
- Available as a shortcode (
[pdf_snapshot]), a Gutenberg block, and optional automatic injection into all posts and/or pages. - PDF-native running header (page title) and footer (page numbers), independent of the page’s own HTML header/footer.
- Configurable paper size and orientation.
- Automatic image downscaling to keep generation fast.
- Built-in caching: a page’s PDF is only regenerated when its content actually changes.
- Access control (public or logged-in users only) and a configurable rate limit to prevent abuse.
How it works
Version 1.0 generates PDFs entirely on your own server using the open-source Dompdf library — no external service, no added monthly cost, works on ordinary WordPress hosting. This means very JavaScript-heavy embeds (like some interactive maps or live widgets) may not appear in the PDF exactly as they do on screen; ordinary text, images, and layout convert reliably.
Third-Party Libraries
PDF Snapshot bundles Dompdf (LGPL-2.1) to generate PDFs entirely on your own server, along with its own dependencies (php-svg-lib, php-font-lib, php-css-parser, masterminds/html5, thecodingmachine/safe — all LGPL/MIT licensed). No external service or API call is used for PDF generation.