Generating PDF Reports in Rust: The printpdf Library

Generating PDF Reports in Rust with the printpdf Library

In the modern programming world, Rust is increasingly used for creating high-performance server applications and command-line tools. One of the in-demand tasks is generating PDF reports — whether for analytical dashboards, invoices, or documentation. The printpdf library provides a lightweight and reliable way to create PDF documents in pure Rust without dependencies on external systems (e.g., LaTeX or wkhtmltopdf).

What is printpdf?

printpdf is a pure-Rust library for generating PDF documents from scratch. It supports:

• Text with various fonts (including embedded TrueType/OpenType).
• Vector graphics (lines, rectangles, ellipses).
• Images (PNG, JPEG) with transparency.
• Tables and complex formatting through manual positioning.
• Pages of any size (A4, Letter, custom).

The library does not use external processes, making it ideal for embedding in web services, CLI utilities, or desktop applications in Rust.

Installation

Add to Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]printpdf = "0.7"

You will also need the rusttype crate for working with fonts (it is automatically pulled in as a dependency).

Basic Example: Creating a Simple Report

Let's write a program that creates a PDF with a title, text, and a line. Save the result to a file named report.pdf.

use printpdf::*;use std::fs::File;use std::io::BufWriter;

fn main() {    // Create an A4 document    let (doc, page1, layer1) = PdfDocument::new(        "My Report",        Mm(210.0),        Mm(297.0),        "Layer 1",    );

    // Get a font (built-in Helvetica)    let font = doc.add_builtin_font(BuiltinFont::Helvetica).unwrap();

    // Start drawing on the first layer    let current_layer = doc.get_page(page1).get_layer(layer1);

    // Text: title    current_layer.use_text(        "Sales Report",        24.0,        Mm(20.0),        Mm(270.0),        &font,    );

    // Text: normal    current_layer.use_text(        "Report Date: 2025-03-15",        12.0,        Mm(20.0),        Mm(250.0),        &font,    );

    // Draw a separator line    current_layer.set_outline_color(Color::Rgb(Rgb::new(0.5, 0.5, 0.5)));    current_layer.set_stroke_width(1.0);    current_layer.add_line(        Point::new(Mm(20.0), Mm(240.0)),        Point::new(Mm(190.0), Mm(240.0)),    );

    // Save to file    let file = File::create("report.pdf").unwrap();    let writer = BufWriter::new(file);    doc.save(&mut std::io::BufWriter::new(writer)).unwrap();

    println!("PDF report created: report.pdf");}

This code creates a single-page PDF with a title, date, and a gray line. All coordinates are specified in millimeters (points can also be used).

Adding a Table with Data

Tables are often needed for reports. printpdf does not have built-in table structures, but they are easy to implement manually:

use printpdf::*;use std::fs::File;use std::io::BufWriter;

fn draw_table(    layer: &PdfLayerReference,    font: &IndirectFontRef,    data: Vec<[&str; 3]>,    start_x: Mm,    start_y: Mm,) {    let col_widths = [Mm(40.0), Mm(60.0), Mm(50.0)];    let row_height = Mm(10.0);    let header_bg = Color::Rgb(Rgb::new(0.9, 0.9, 0.9));

    for (row_idx, row_data) in data.iter().enumerate() {        let y = start_y - row_height * (row_idx as f32);

        // Background for header        if row_idx == 0 {            layer.set_fill_color(header_bg);            layer.add_rectangle(                start_x,                y - row_height,