How to Save Text as a PDF Without External Services
If you want to convert plain text into a PDF file without relying on third-party APIs or external services, here’s a simple two-step solution using JavaScript nodes and the pdfkit library.
🔧 Step 1: Generate Base64-Encoded PDF from Text
First, create a JavaScript node and paste the following code.
/** @CustomParams
{
"text_content": {
"type": "string",
"title": "Text Content",
"description": "The text content to be included in the PDF file"
}
}
*/
import PDFDocument from 'pdfkit';
export default async function run({ execution_id, input, data, store, db }) {
const textContent = data.text_content;
if (!textContent) {
throw new Error('Text content is required.');
}
const doc = new PDFDocument();
const chunks = [];
doc.on('data', chunk => chunks.push(chunk));
const endPromise = new Promise(resolve => {
doc.on('end', () => {
const pdfBuffer = Buffer.concat(chunks);
const base64 = pdfBuffer.toString('base64');
resolve({ base64 });
});
});
doc.text(textContent);
doc.end();
return await endPromise;
}
Then click Generate params to create an input field for your text:
This node will generate a base64 string that represents your text as a PDF document.
📄 Step 2: Convert Base64 into a BinaryPDF File
Create a second JavaScript node, paste the code below:
/** @CustomParams
{
"base64_string": {
"type": "string",
"title": "Base64 String",
"description": "Base64 encoded data to be written into a PDF file"
}
}
*/
import fs from 'fs';
import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid';
export default async function run({ execution_id, input, data, store, db }) {
try {
// Generate a random file name with .pdf extension
const fileName = `${uuidv4()}.pdf`;
// Ensure base64 data is provided
const base64Data = data.base64_string;
if (!base64Data) {
throw new Error('Base64 data is required.');
}
// Decode base64 data
const binaryData = Buffer.from(base64Data, 'base64');
// Write binary data to a PDF file
fs.writeFileSync(fileName, binaryData);
return {
file: file(fileName)
};
} catch (error) {
console.error(error.message);
return {
error: error.message
};
}
}and also click Generate params to create a field for the base64 string
Then, insert the variable from the previous node (the base64 string) into the base64_string field.
Run the node, and as a result you’ll get a ready-to-use PDF file, which you can download or pass further into your automation flow.
✅ Example Workflow
- Enter your desired text in the
Text Contentfield (e.g.,Hello, world!).
- Run the first node to get a base64 string.
- Paste that base64 string into the second node's
Base64 Stringfield.
- Run the second node and download the resulting
.pdffile.
🔥 That’s it! A simple, local solution with no external dependencies, no fees, and total control.