fpdf2

2.8.7 · active · verified Thu Apr 09

fpdf2 is a simple and fast Python library for generating PDF documents, actively maintained as a modern fork of the original FPDF. It supports a wide range of features including text, images, shapes, tables, and SVG rendering. The current version is 2.8.7, and it has a rapid release cadence with frequent updates adding new features and bug fixes.

Warnings

breaking fpdf2 dropped support for Python 3.8. Users on Python 3.8 or older must upgrade their Python version to 3.9+ or pin fpdf2 to a version prior to 2.8.4.
Fix: Upgrade Python to 3.9 or newer. Alternatively, if Python 3.8 must be used, restrict fpdf2 to `<2.8.4` (e.g., `pip install 'fpdf2<2.8.4'`).
gotcha fpdf2 is a modern, maintained fork of the original `fpdf` library (which had its last release in 2013). New users might accidentally follow outdated tutorials or install the original `fpdf` package, leading to missing features or compatibility issues.
Fix: Always install with `pip install fpdf2` and ensure your code uses `from fpdf import FPDF`. Refer to the official `fpdf2` documentation for current API details.
gotcha The default unit for measurements in FPDF (e.g., `FPDF` constructor, `cell`, `line`) is millimeters (mm). This can be a source of confusion for users accustomed to points (pt) or inches (in).
Fix: Specify the desired unit in the `FPDF` constructor (e.g., `pdf = FPDF(unit='pt')` or `pdf = FPDF(unit='in')`). All subsequent measurements will use the chosen unit. You can also convert units manually if needed.

Install

pip install fpdf2 Install fpdf2

Imports

FPDF
```
from fpdf import FPDF
```
While the package name is `fpdf2`, the main class `FPDF` is imported from the `fpdf` module to maintain compatibility with the original FPDF library API.

Quickstart

This quickstart code generates a simple PDF document named 'hello_world.pdf' containing the text 'Hello, World!' using the FPDF class.

from fpdf import FPDF

pdf = FPDF()
pdf.add_page()
pdf.set_font("helvetica", size=12)
pdf.cell(txt="Hello, World!")
pdf.output("hello_world.pdf")

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