Guides

Practical walkthroughs for turning workflow data into finished documents — the honest version, with the trade-offs stated and competitor specifics linked and sourced rather than hand-waved.

How to generate PDFs in n8nThe three real options (self-hosted Chrome, a document API, or a focused node), when each fits, a five-minute setup, and patterns for invoices, certificates, and reports.Generate an invoice PDF in n8nA working workflow that turns payment or order data into a branded invoice PDF and emails it — the copy-paste JSON, the Invoice template and its data shape, PDF vs PNG, and the swap to a Stripe trigger. (Generating, not extracting.)Stripe → branded invoice PDF in n8nStripe already emails a Stripe-branded PDF — this is for when you need YOUR branding: on every paid Stripe invoice, map the data and render a custom invoice PDF with pdfmill. The workflow, the Stripe→invoice field mapping, and which event to trigger on.Generate a certificate PDF in n8nTurn a Google Sheet row, LMS webhook, or form into a branded certificate PDF (or PNG) and save it to Drive — the copy-paste workflow, the certificate template and its data shape, and generating a whole cohort in bulk.Generate a report PDF in n8nTwo shapes of report automation — event-driven (form → report → Slack) and scheduled (weekly summary → emailed) — with the working JSON, the report template and its KPI and table data shape, and a fully custom raw-HTML layout.Generate a packing slip PDF in n8nTurn a Shopify or WooCommerce order into a branded packing slip PDF for fulfillment — line items, quantities, ship-to, no prices — with the copy-paste workflow, the data shape, and the swap to a real store trigger.The best PDF API for n8n (2026): how to chooseAn honest way to pick — the four things that actually differ (pricing model, dedicated node vs HTTP Request, hosted vs self-hosted, free tier), the real options compared fairly, and where each fits.

Looking for the step-by-step? Start with the quickstart. Weighing pdfmill against another tool? See the comparisons.