FlyingSaucer

Java PDF generator.

Convert your XML/XHTML/CSS to PDF.

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

Flying Saucer can convert html to PDF or Swing.

But FS's rendering pipeline is pluggable at its core.

Implement "OutputDevice", and you get a new render target - the full CSS layout engine stays the same. The PDF and Swing backends are just two OutputDevice implementations.

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

Set paper size and margins right in your CSS — no Java config:

@page {
size: A4 landscape;
margin: 2cm 1.5cm;
}

Flying Saucer honours @page rules fully. The template controls layout; the Java code just calls render(). #Java #PDF #CSS #FlyingSaucerPDF

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

Need a barcode or QR code inside a PDF?

Implement ReplacedElementFactory — map any HTML element to custom-drawn content. Flying Saucer calls your factory during layout and composites the result into the page.

Charts, signatures, stamps — all is possible. #Java #PDF

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

Flying Saucer supports "data:" URIs in HTML and CSS.

Like this:
<img src="data:image/png;base64,iVBOR..."/>

Embed images inline — no external files, no file-system access needed at render time. Great for self-contained report templates.

#Java #PDF

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

No PDF needed? Render XHTML to a BufferedImage instead:

BufferedImage img =
Graphics2DRenderer.renderToImage("<html>...</html>", 800);

Perfect to report thumbnails, email previews, or any pipeline that needs pixels rather than a PDF.

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

Want control access to resources?

Interface `UserAgentCallback` lets you intercept every resource Flying Saucer loads: images, stylesheets, XML (from classpath, DB, S3, CMS).

Or sandbox templates by blocking URLs they shouldn't reach.

One interface, total control.

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

What to create PDF from HTML5/CSS3 input?

Use new module "flying-saucer-chrome-pdf"!

1. Replace "org.xhtmlrenderer:flying-saucer-pdf" by "org.xhtmlrenderer:flying-saucer-chrome-pdf"

2. Generate PDF like a boss:

byte[] pdf =
Html2Pdf.fromHtml(<html>flex/grid/css3</html>");

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

Need to generate multi-page PDF?

Control exactly where your PDF pages break — right from CSS:

.section { page-break-before: always; }
.keep-together { page-break-inside: avoid; }

No Java code changes, no renderer configuration. Just CSS.

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

Need to use custom fonts in your PDF?

Use @font-face in CSS. @flyingsaucerpdf embeds the TTF/OTF directly:

@font-face {
font-family: 'Inter';
src: url('classpath:/fonts/Inter.ttf');
}

No system font installation required. Works in Docker too. #Java #PDF

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

SVG inside your XHTML?

Starting from June 2025, FlyingSaucer supports SVG images.

Embed inline <svg> or reference an external .svg file - FS will render it in PDF.

Vector graphics land in your PDFs at full resolution, sharp at any zoom level. #Java #PDF

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

Flying Saucer implements CSS 2.1.

What that means in practice?

✓ Box model (margin, padding, border)
✓ Floats & positioning
✓ Pseudo-classes (:first-child, :last-child…)
✓ Descendant, sibling & attribute selectors

What you style in your browser renders identically to PDF.

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

Did you know Flying Saucer ships a Swing component?

XHTMLPanel panel = new XHTMLPanel(); panel.setDocument("file:///report.xhtml");

Drop it in a JScrollPane and you get a live, CSS-styled document viewer - no browser needed.

#Java #Swing #FlyingSaucer

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

Generating a PDF from HTML doesn't have to be complicated.

The easiest way:

URL source = new URL("https://t.co/PhDXt9DmrZ");

byte[] pdf = Html2Pdf.fromUrl(source);

That's it. Flying Saucer handles CSS layout, custom fonts, pagination and the whole stack. #Java #PDF

[FlyingSaucer @flyingsaucerpdf]

Meet Flying Saucer, a pure-Java library that turns XHTML+CSS into PDFs, images, and Swing UIs.

Zero native dependencies.
Full CSS 2.1 layout engine.
In production since 2004.

One Java rendering tip per week. Follow along.
#Java #PDF #OpenSource