If you’re a web developer looking to create PDF files directly from your PHP applications, the mPDF library is a powerful and easy-to-use tool. In this blog post, I’ll guide you through the basics of using mPDF to generate PDF documents with PHP.
What is mPDF?
mPDF is a popular PHP library that allows you to create PDF files from HTML and CSS code. It’s incredibly versatile and can be used for various purposes, such as generating invoices, reports, or any other type of document that you want to offer as a PDF download.
Getting Started with mPDF
Before you can start generating PDFs, you need to install the mPDF library in your project. This can be easily done using Composer, the PHP package manager. Here’s a quick command to get you started:
composer require mpdf/mpdf
Once mPDF is installed, you can start using it to create PDF files. Here’s a simple example:
require_once __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
$mpdf = new \Mpdf\Mpdf();
$mpdf->WriteHTML('<h1>Hello, World!</h1>');
$mpdf->Output('example.pdf', 'D');
In this example, the mPDF library is used to generate a PDF file with the text “Hello, World!” and prompt the user to download it.
Styling Your PDF
One of the great features of mPDF is that it supports HTML and CSS, so you can style your PDFs just like you would a webpage. You can add images, set fonts, and create complex layouts with ease. Here’s how you can add some basic styling:
$html = '
<h1 style="color: blue;">My First PDF</h1>
<p>This is a PDF document generated with PHP and mPDF.</p>
';
$mpdf->WriteHTML($html);
$mpdf->Output('styled-example.pdf', 'D');
Learn More in My Video Tutorial
If you want to see these steps in action and learn more tips and tricks for using mPDF, check out my latest YouTube video:
I cover everything from installation to advanced usage, so you can confidently add PDF generation to your PHP projects.
Generating PDF files in PHP is easy and straightforward with mPDF. Whether you’re creating simple documents or complex reports, mPDF gives you the flexibility and power you need. I hope this guide has helped you get started!
