Title: PDF Snapshot
Author: saumya010
Published: July 27, 2026
Last modified: July 27, 2026
---
Search plugins
# PDF Snapshot
By [saumya010](https://profiles.wordpress.org/saumya010/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/pdf-snapshot.1.0.1.zip)
* [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-snapshot/#description)
* [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-snapshot/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-snapshot/#installation)
* [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-snapshot/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pdf-snapshot/)
## Description
PDF Snapshot adds a “Download PDF” button to your posts and pages. When a visitor
clicks it, the plugin captures the page, converts it to a PDF, and either shows
a preview popup (with Print and Download buttons) or downloads it immediately —
your choice.
**Key features**
* Two capture modes: the full themed page (with excluded sections removed), or
just the title and post content.
* Choose exactly which sections to exclude: header, navigation, footer, sidebars,
comments, and any CSS selector you specify (e.g. `.newsletter-signup` or `#related-
posts`) to identify additional elements to remove from the PDF.
* Preview popup with Print and Download actions, or immediate download — configurable.
* Available as a shortcode (`[pdf_snapshot]`), a Gutenberg block, and optional
automatic injection into all posts and/or pages.
* PDF-native running header (page title) and footer (page numbers), independent
of the page’s own HTML header/footer.
* Configurable paper size and orientation.
* Automatic image downscaling to keep generation fast.
* Built-in caching: a page’s PDF is only regenerated when its content actually
changes.
* Access control (public or logged-in users only) and a configurable rate limit
to prevent abuse.
#### How it works
Version 1.0 generates PDFs entirely on your own server using the open-source Dompdf
library — no external service, no added monthly cost, works on ordinary WordPress
hosting. This means very JavaScript-heavy embeds (like some interactive maps or
live widgets) may not appear in the PDF exactly as they do on screen; ordinary text,
images, and layout convert reliably.
### Third-Party Libraries
PDF Snapshot bundles [Dompdf](https://github.com/dompdf/dompdf) (LGPL-2.1) to generate
PDFs entirely on your own server, along with its own dependencies (php-svg-lib,
php-font-lib, php-css-parser, masterminds/html5, thecodingmachine/safe — all LGPL/
MIT licensed). No external service or API call is used for PDF generation.
## Blocks
This plugin provides 1 block.
* PDF Snapshot Button A button that lets visitors download or print the current
page as a PDF.
## Installation
1. Upload the `pdf-snapshot` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`, or install it through
the Plugins screen directly.
2. If installing from source (not a release zip), run `composer install` inside the
plugin directory to fetch the Dompdf library.
3. Activate the plugin through the “Plugins” screen in WordPress.
4. Visit **Settings PDF Snapshot** to configure capture, delivery, layout, and access
settings.
5. Add the `[pdf_snapshot]` shortcode to a page, insert the “PDF Snapshot Button”
block, or enable automatic injection in the settings.
## FAQ
### Does this work on shared hosting?
Yes. Version 1.0 uses a pure-PHP PDF library (Dompdf) with no external dependencies
beyond what Composer installs — no Node.js, no headless browser, no server configuration
needed.
### Will embedded videos, maps, or interactive widgets show up in the PDF?
Not reliably. The PDF engine does not execute JavaScript, so content that depends
on it (some embeds, live widgets) may appear blank or be omitted. Ordinary content—
text, images, tables, links — converts well.
### Can I control what’s included in the PDF?
Yes. Settings PDF Snapshot lets you exclude the header, navigation, footer, sidebars,
and comments, plus specify additional CSS selectors (e.g. `.newsletter-signup`)
to identify any other elements that should be removed from the generated PDF. These
selectors only pick which elements to strip — no CSS, JavaScript, or PHP code is
ever saved or executed.
### Where are generated PDFs stored?
In `wp-content/uploads/pdf-snapshot-cache/`, if caching is enabled. Cached PDFs
are automatically cleared when the source post is updated.
## Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
## Contributors & Developers
“PDF Snapshot” is open source software. The following people have contributed to
this plugin.
Contributors
* [ saumya010 ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/saumya010/)
[Translate “PDF Snapshot” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/pdf-snapshot)
### Interested in development?
[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pdf-snapshot/), check
out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/pdf-snapshot/), or subscribe
to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/pdf-snapshot/) by
[RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/pdf-snapshot/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).
## Changelog
#### 1.0.1
* Moved the settings screen’s button-style toggle and color-picker initialization
out of an inline `