Setup

Installation

Install nuxt-pdfmake in your Nuxt project.

Add the module to nuxt.config.ts.

nuxt.config.ts

export default defineNuxtConfig({
  modules: ["nuxt-pdfmake"],
});

Client Usage

Use usePDFMake() in client-side Vue code.

pages/index.vue

<script setup lang="ts">
const downloadPdf = () => {
  const pdfMake = usePDFMake();

  pdfMake
    ?.createPdf({
      content: [
        { text: "Hello from Nuxt PDFMake", fontSize: 18, bold: true },
        "This PDF was generated in the browser.",
      ],
    })
    .download("hello.pdf");
};
</script>

<template>
  <button @click="downloadPdf">Download PDF</button>
</template>

usePDFMake() returns null during server-side rendering. Call it from browser interactions, lifecycle hooks, or client-only code.

Server Usage

Use createPDFBuffer() in Nitro route handlers.

server/api/report.get.ts

export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => {
  const buffer = await createPDFBuffer({
    content: [
      { text: "Server generated PDF", fontSize: 18, bold: true },
      "This PDF was generated in a Nitro route.",
    ],
  });

  setHeader(event, "Content-Type", "application/pdf");
  setHeader(event, "Content-Disposition", 'inline; filename="report.pdf"');

  return buffer;
});

createPDFBuffer(), createPDFBase64(), and useServerPDFMake() are auto-imported in your server/ directory. Use createPDFBase64() when you need a base64 string, for example to return the PDF inside a JSON response or to build a data URI.

server/api/report-base64.get.ts

export default defineEventHandler(async () => {
  const base64 = await createPDFBase64({ content: ["Hello from a Nitro route"] });

  return { filename: "report.pdf", base64 };
});

Fonts

Out of the box the module registers pdfmake's default Roboto font. To use your own fonts, add local files, Google Fonts, CDN fonts, or reuse the families from @nuxt/fonts in the pdfmake.fonts option. See Font Options for every choice.

Next Steps

• Options - configure fonts, the API route, and DevTools
• Devtools - inspect fonts and test PDFs while you develop
• Examples - tables, columns, images, invoices, and more