Generating PDF Reports in Rust: printpdf Library

Generating PDF Reports in Rust with the printpdf Library

In modern web development, creating PDF documents remains a popular task — from generating invoices and reports to exporting data. If your project is written in Rust or you use it for the backend, the printpdf library will be a reliable tool for PDF generation. In this article, we will explore the capabilities of printpdf, show code examples, and discuss how to integrate it into an educational project.

What is printpdf?

printpdf is a pure Rust library for creating PDF documents without external dependencies. It allows you to:

• Create multi-page documents with arbitrary content
• Add text with various fonts (including TrueType and OpenType)
• Draw lines, rectangles, ellipses, and complex paths
• Embed images (JPEG, PNG)
• Work with tables and grids
• Manage color spaces (RGB, CMYK, Grayscale)

The main advantage is complete autonomy: no need to install LaTeX, wkhtmltopdf, or other systems. This makes printpdf an ideal choice for the educational website pythonlib.ru, where simplicity of deployment and reproducibility of examples are important.

Installation and First Document

Add the dependency to Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]printpdf = "0.7"

Let's create a simple PDF with text:

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

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

    // Get the default font    let font = doc.add_builtin_font(BuiltinFont::Helvetica).unwrap();

    // Add text    let current_layer = doc.get_page(page1).get_layer(layer1);    current_layer.use_text(        "Hello, PythonLib!",        24.0,        Mm(10.0),        Mm(280.0),        &font    );

    // Save the file    let file = File::create("hello.pdf").unwrap();    let writer = BufWriter::new(file);    doc.save(&mut writer).unwrap();

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

This code creates a single-page PDF with a label. Note: use_text accepts coordinates in millimeters, and the font size in points.

Working with Graphics and Color

printpdf supports drawing primitives. Let's create a report with a line and a filled rectangle:

use printpdf::*;

fn create_report() -> (PdfDocumentReference, PdfPageIndex, PdfLayerIndex) {    let (doc, page, layer) = PdfDocument::new(        "Report",        Mm(210.0),        Mm(297.0),        "Data"    );

    let layer = doc.get_page(page).get_layer(layer);

    // Draw a red line    let points = vec![        (Point::new(Mm(20.0), Mm(250.0)), false),        (Point::new(Mm(190.0), Mm(250.0)), false),    ];    let line = Line {        points,        is_closed: false,    };    layer.set_color(Color::Rgb(Rgb::new(1.0, 0.0, 0.0)));    layer.add_line(line);

    // Filled blue rectangle    let rect = Polygon {        vertices: vec![            (Point::new(Mm(50.0), Mm(200.0)), false),            (Point::new(Mm(150.0), Mm(200.0)), false),            (Point::new(Mm(150.0), Mm(180.0)), false),            (Point::new(Mm(50.0), Mm(180.0)), false),        ],        is_closed: true,    };    layer.set_color(Color::Rgb(Rgb::new(0.0, 0.0, 1.0)));    layer.add_polygon(rect);

    (doc, page, layer)}

Colors are specified in the range 0.0–1.0. For CMYK, use Color::Cmyk(Cmyk::new(0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0)).

Embedding Images

Let's add a logo to the report:

use printpdf::*;use std::fs::Fi