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HTML to PDF in n8n: Invoices and Reports with One Node (Free Workflow)

Updated October 26, 2026

Short answer: n8n has no built-in "HTML to PDF" node. Add an HTTP Request node that sends your HTML (POST) to https://api.cofferdock.com/pdf with your x-api-key header, set Response Format to File, and the node returns the PDF in the data binary property. Each PDF uses 1 credit, whatever its number of pages.

If you automate with n8n, sooner or later you need a PDF inside a workflow: an invoice for every order, a weekly report, a quote, a ticket or a certificate. You don't need to run Puppeteer, Gotenberg or a server of your own. One HTTP Request node calling the Cofferdock API turns your HTML into a PDF, and the node's output is the PDF file itself.

One thing up front, because people search for it: n8n has no built-in "HTML to PDF" node. The usual way is exactly this: an HTTP Request to an API that renders the HTML.

This is the first page of the real PDF the workflow below returns in n8n:

The fastest way: import the invoice workflow

1. In n8n, create a new workflow and open the ⋯ menu (top right) → Import from URL.
2. Paste this link: https://cofferdock.com/static/blog/n8n/html-to-pdf.json
3. Open the HTML to PDF node and replace YOUR_API_KEY with your key.
4. Click Test workflow. The last node returns the invoice as a PDF file.

You can also download the workflow file and use Import from File, or copy its content and paste it onto the canvas with Ctrl+V. Then replace the Invoice data node with your real trigger: a webhook from your store, a form or a new row in Google Sheets.

What you need

• A Cofferdock account. The free plan gives you 50 credits a month with no card, plenty to test.
• Your API key, created in your dashboard with "+ Create key". It's shown only once, so copy and save it.
• An HTTP Request node in your n8n workflow.

Step by step in the HTTP Request node

• Method: POST
• URL: https://api.cofferdock.com/pdf
• Send Query Parameters: on, add the page size: format = A4 (and margin = 15 if you want 15 mm margins).
• Send Headers: on, add two headers: x-api-key with your key, and Content-Type with the value text/html.
• Send Body: on → Body Content Type Raw → Content Type text/html → in Body, paste your HTML.
• Under Options → Response → Response Format, choose File.

The output is the PDF in the data binary property. In Gmail, add an attachment and type data; in Google Drive → Upload, the input data field is also data.

Fill the PDF with data from your workflow

Switch the Body field to Expression and insert values from earlier nodes:

<h1>Invoice {{ $json.number }}</h1>
<p>Bill to: <strong>{{ $json.customer }}</strong></p>
<p>Date: {{ $now.toFormat('yyyy-LL-dd') }}</p>
<table style="width:100%">
  <tr><td>{{ $json.item }}</td><td style="text-align:right">{{ $json.total }}</td></tr>
</table>

If the trigger brings several orders, n8n runs the node once per order and you get one PDF each. A typical flow is Webhook (new order) → HTTP Request (PDF) → Gmail (send to the customer) → Google Drive (archive).

No HTML at all: the invoice template

Prefer not to design the invoice? Send the built-in invoice template with your data as JSON:

• Body Content Type: JSON → Specify Body: Using JSON
• Remove the Content-Type: text/html header.
• JSON:

{
  "template": "invoice",
  "data": {
    "brand": "Your Company", "number": "INV-1042", "date": "2026-09-15", "client": "Acme Ltd",
    "item1": "Website maintenance", "price1": "€450.00",
    "subtotal": "€450.00", "tax": "€94.50", "total": "€544.50"
  },
  "output": "pdf"
}

All fields are listed at cofferdock.com/templates.json and you can preview the design on the templates page. Texts are escaped, so customer data can't break the layout.

Options you can tweak

Logos, images and web fonts work with their https://… link inside the HTML or CSS. The document is rendered without running JavaScript, so charts drawn with JS won't appear: use images or the chart tool instead.

Page breaks, headers and long tables

• Force a new page before an element with style="break-before: page".
• Avoid splitting a block across pages with style="break-inside: avoid" (useful for table rows and totals).
• Repeat a table header on every page by putting it in <thead>.

Common errors and how to fix them

Prefer to see it in code?

curl -X POST "https://api.cofferdock.com/pdf?format=A4&margin=15" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: text/html" \
  --data-binary "<h1 style='color:#8a5210'>Invoice #1234</h1>" \
  -o invoice.pdf

How much does it cost?

Each PDF uses 1 credit, whatever its number of pages. Every Cofferdock tool draws from the same credit pool: merging, watermarking, password-protecting or numbering the PDF afterwards uses the same subscription.

FAQ

Does n8n have a native HTML to PDF node? No. You do it with the HTTP Request node calling the Cofferdock API, which generates the PDF.

Do I need to know how to code? No. Import the workflow, change the texts and connect your trigger. Or use the invoice template and skip the HTML.

Can I password-protect or merge the PDF? Yes, with another HTTP Request to the protect PDF or merge PDF tools, in the same workflow.

Can I generate PDFs in a loop? Yes. n8n runs the HTTP Request once per incoming item and you get one PDF per item.

Related guides

• HTML to PDF in Make and in Zapier
• HTML to image in n8n
• URL to PDF in n8n: save a whole web page as a PDF

Full reference with every option: HTML to PDF API. No account yet? Create one for free and send your first invoice today.