pdf-to-image-generator

Performant and lightweight Node.js library to convert PDF file/buffer pages to PNG or JPEG files/buffers without binary and OS dependencies*. Designed with high focus on performance and developer experience.

Test/Feature	pdf-to-image-generator	pdf-to-png-converter	pdf-to-img
2-pages-pdf-with-forms	425ms	88% slower	109% slower
large-pdf-with-old-characters	16200ms	9% slower	12% slower
rich-pdf-with-images-form-text	18600ms	2% slower	9% slower
streams support*	✔️	❌	❌
jpeg support	✔️	❌	❌
pausing flow	✔️	❌	❌
resume flow	✔️	❌	❌
stop flow	✔️	❌	❌
get number pages	✔️	❌	❌
get text content	✔️	❌	❌
progression event	✔️	❌	❌
class based API**	✔️	❌	❌

*Not using streams means higher memory consumption, which can lead to a server crash if memory is exhausted (for example, with a certain number of simultaneous requests).

**A class-based API offers more flexibility, allowing for reusable instances and caching, which improves efficiency across multiple conversion processes.

Getting started

Package installation

Installation:

npm install pdf-to-image-generator

Prerequisites

*There are no prerequisites for Windows (tested on 10).

For others OS, please refer to the node canvas dependancies

Documentation

Find the complete documentation here.

Example

// The path of your local PDF
const filePath = path.join(__dirname, '../my_document.pdf');
// Conversion options
const options: PDFToIMGOptions = {
  // the name of the folder where files will be rendered
  outputFolderName: 'upload',
  // controls scaling
  viewportScale: 2,
};

// Load the pdf file
const pdf = await new PDFToImage().load(filePath);

// Get the number of pages of the document
const numPages = pdf.document.numPages;

// Get the text content of the document
const textContent = await pdf.getTextContent();

setTimeout(() => {
  // Simulating a user pausing the conversion flows
  pdf.pause();

  setTimeout(async () => {
    // Resume conversion flows
    await pdf.resume();
  }, 500);
}, 500);

// Listen to a progression event
pdf.on('progress', (data) => {
  console.log(
    `Page: ${data.currentPage}. Total: ${data.totalPages}. Progression: ${data.progress}%`
  );
});

// Notification of end of conversion
pdf.on('end', (data) => {
  console.log('End of conversion.', data);
});

// Convert your PDF to image
const pdfConversion = await pdf.convert(options);
// Other conversion flows with the same pdf but different options...

// Remove generated images on disk
await pdf.removeGeneratedImagesOnDisk();

Developer experience

Focus on developer experience. Properties and methods are exhaustively documented and typed. Use your IDE's autocompletion or hover on properties and methods for help.

File a bug, got a new idea, or want to contribute?

Feel free! Open a ticket.

Changelog

V0.0.3: [MINOR] API changes. Exposing the text content in a separate method. Width and height have been removed from the returned object of conversion.

V0.0.5: [MINOR] Exposing the name of the file in the getTextContent method.

V0.0.6: [MAJOR] API changes, giving more flexibility and offering a cleaner way of options initialisation. Adding pausing, resume and stop methods to give more control over the conversion flow. Adding progression and end events.

V0.0.7: [MINOR] Removal of possible duplicate page index in the option provided by the user and adding verification.

V0.0.8: [MINOR] Addition of a method to remove generated images on disk. Addition of a getter for accessing the loaded pdf document and all its methods. Minor changes to the returned object of conversion.

V0.0.9: [MINOR] Bug path correction.

V1.0.0: [MINOR] Performance improvement and adding child process documentation.

V1.0.1: [MINOR] Bug correction, setting jpeg as default type, changing behavior if empty array of pages is passed (no action is taken) and adding tests.

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