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HTML to PDF Conversion and PDF Compression Automation

This workflow enables the automatic conversion of HTML content to PDF files and their compression, facilitating document archiving and sharing. Users can easily generate PDFs by manually triggering the process and efficiently compress them to reduce file size, saving storage space and transmission bandwidth. Additionally, it supports retrieving PDFs from specified URLs for compression, catering to various scenarios and significantly enhancing the flexibility and efficiency of document processing, making it suitable for businesses, developers, and content creators.

Workflow Diagram
HTML to PDF Conversion and PDF Compression Automation Workflow diagram

Workflow Name

HTML to PDF Conversion and PDF Compression Automation

Key Features and Highlights

This workflow supports converting HTML content into PDF files and efficiently compressing both newly generated and existing PDF documents. A key highlight is the integration of custom JavaScript nodes that flexibly handle HTML input and PDF compression. It supports generating PDFs from static HTML as well as compressing PDFs obtained via specified URLs, catering to diverse use cases.

Core Problems Addressed

  • Automates rapid conversion of web pages or HTML content into PDF format for convenient document archiving and sharing.
  • Reduces PDF file sizes to save storage space and bandwidth, enhancing file loading speed.
  • Enables secondary compression of existing online PDF files, increasing file processing flexibility.

Application Scenarios

  • Automated generation of PDF versions of reports, contracts, and other documents within enterprises.
  • Exporting web pages or system screens to PDF format for user download.
  • Compressing existing PDF files for optimized email delivery or cloud storage.
  • Testing HTML-to-PDF conversion and PDF optimization during development processes.

Main Workflow Steps

  1. Manual Workflow Trigger — Initiate the process via the “Test workflow” node.
  2. HTML to PDF Conversion — Input HTML content (example: a simple “Hello World” header) to generate a PDF file.
  3. Compress Generated PDF — Compress the PDF file produced in step 2 to optimize file size.
  4. Set PDF URL — Specify the URL of an online PDF file through a code node.
  5. Compress PDF from URL — Perform compression on the specified online PDF file.

Involved Systems or Services

  • CustomJS API: Executes custom node functions related to HTML-to-PDF conversion and PDF compression.
  • n8n Core Nodes: Includes manual trigger, code nodes, and sticky note nodes for auxiliary explanations.

Target Users and Value

  • Content creators, developers, and operations personnel who need to automatically generate PDFs from HTML content.
  • Enterprise IT departments and document managers requiring bulk PDF size optimization.
  • Technical teams focused on improving file transfer efficiency and reducing storage costs.
  • Users seeking to streamline document generation and optimization through automation.

This workflow delivers a streamlined and efficient node design to fully automate the process from HTML content to compressed PDF, significantly enhancing the convenience and efficiency of document production and management.