Generating PDF Reports in C# (.NET): iTextSharp, QuestPDF, PDFsharp

Generating PDF Reports in C# (.NET): Overview of the Best Libraries

Creating PDF reports is one of the most common tasks in corporate applications built with C# (.NET). Whether it's exporting data for a client, generating an invoice, or a complex analytical dashboard, you need a reliable tool. In this article, we will review three main libraries: iTextSharp (and its successor iText 7), QuestPDF, and PDFsharp. You will learn which one to choose for a specific task and see working code examples.

1. iTextSharp / iText 7 — Classic and Powerful

iTextSharp is a port of the popular Java library iText for .NET. Version iText 7 (NuGet package itext7) has been completely rewritten and supports a modern API. The library allows you to create PDFs from scratch, edit existing ones, add watermarks, forms, bookmarks, and metadata.

Key features:

• Full control over document structure (paragraphs, tables, images, lists).
• Support for fonts, including Cyrillic (TrueType).
• Working with forms (AcroForms) and digital signatures.
• License: AGPL (commercial use requires purchasing a license).

Example: creating a simple report with a table

using iText.Kernel.Pdf;using iText.Layout;using iText.Layout.Element;

public void CreateReport(string filePath){    using (var writer = new PdfWriter(filePath))    using (var pdf = new PdfDocument(writer))    using (var document = new Document(pdf))    {        document.Add(new Paragraph("Sales Report")            .SetFontSize(20).SetBold());

        Table table = new Table(3);        table.AddCell("Product");        table.AddCell("Quantity");        table.AddCell("Price");

        table.AddCell("Laptop");        table.AddCell("10");        table.AddCell("75000");

        table.AddCell("Mouse");        table.AddCell("50");        table.AddCell("1500");

        document.Add(table);    }}

2. QuestPDF — Modern and Concise API

QuestPDF is a relatively young library (since 2021) that is quickly gaining popularity. Its main feature is a Fluent API reminiscent of working with HTML/CSS. The code is readable and compact. QuestPDF is completely free for commercial use (MIT license).

Features:

• Declarative layout description: containers, columns, rows.
• Built-in support for styles, colors, borders, and backgrounds.
• Automatic text wrapping and table fitting.
• Export to PDF and XPS.

Example: creating a report using QuestPDF

using QuestPDF.Fluent;using QuestPDF.Helpers;using QuestPDF.Infrastructure;

public void CreateInvoice(string filePath){    Document.Create(container =>    {        container.Page(page =>        {            page.Size(PageSizes.A4);            page.Margin(2, Unit.Centimetre);            page.DefaultTextStyle(x => x.FontSize(12));

            page.Header().Text("Invoice No. 123")                .SemiBold().FontSize(24).FontColor(Colors.Blue.Darken2);

            page.Content().Table(table =>            {                table.ColumnsDefinition(columns =>                {                    columns.ConstantColumn(100);                    columns.RelativeColumn();                    columns.ConstantColumn(80);                });

                table.Header(header =>                {                    header.Cell().Text("Name");                    header.Cell().Text("Description");                    header.Cell().Text("Amount");                });

                table.Cell().Text("Consultation");                table.Cell().Text("Architecture development");                table.Cell().Text