Laravel Dompdf

Laravel DOMPDF

Use this skill when a Laravel task involves PDF generation through barryvdh/laravel-dompdf.

Documentation

Use search-docs when it is available for Laravel integration details. For package-specific behavior, inspect:

• config/dompdf.php
• src/PDF.php
• src/ServiceProvider.php
• references/example.md
• references/package.md

Configuration

Laravel auto-discovers the service provider and facade aliases. Publish the config when the app needs local overrides:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Barryvdh\\DomPDF\\ServiceProvider"

Basic Usage

Typical controller flow:

use Barryvdh\DomPDF\Facade\Pdf;

return Pdf::loadView('pdf.invoice', [
    'order' => $order,
])->download('invoice.pdf');

Useful output methods:

• download('file.pdf') returns an attachment response
• stream('file.pdf') renders inline in the browser
• save('path/file.pdf', $disk) stores the generated PDF
• output() returns the raw PDF bytes for mail attachments or custom storage

Examples

Use resources/example.md for copyable Laravel examples covering:

• Downloading a PDF from a Blade view
• Streaming a PDF inline in the browser
• Generating from an HTML string
• Saving to a path or Laravel filesystem disk
• Setting paper size, orientation, DPI, and default font
• Enabling PDF/A mode
• Enabling remote images with trusted hosts

Working Pattern

1. Build a dedicated Blade view for the PDF.
2. Pass only the data the view needs.
3. Generate through Pdf::loadView() unless the source is already HTML or a file.
4. Set paper, orientation, and options explicitly when the document format matters.
5. Test the response headers or persisted file, not just the route status.

Important Package Behavior

• Pdf and PDF facade aliases are both registered by the package.
• loadView() renders a Blade view and then passes the HTML to DOMPDF.
• The service provider binds dompdf, dompdf.options, and dompdf.wrapper into the container.
• setOption() and setOptions() write directly to DOMPDF options.
• setWarnings(true) makes render warnings throw exceptions.
• Since package 3.x, remote access is disabled by default. Enable it deliberately in config/dompdf.php when the PDF must load remote assets.
• Local file access is constrained by DOMPDF chroot; keep assets inside the allowed path.

PDF/A And Embedded Files

For archival PDFs:

• Enable PDF/A in config/dompdf.php or call setPdfA()
• Use embedded fonts such as DejaVu Sans or DejaVu Serif
• Keep the backend on CPDF

For Factur-X / Zugferd style workflows, the package exposes:

• setPdfA()
• setAdditionalXmpRdf()
• addEmbeddedFile()

These methods require the CPDF backend.

Blade And Asset Guidance

• Add <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/> to PDF views that render non-ASCII text.
• Use print-friendly HTML and conservative CSS.
• Use page-break CSS when multi-page layout matters.
• Prefer absolute filesystem paths or confirmed reachable URLs for images and fonts.
• If fonts render incorrectly, check font_dir, font_cache, and whether the font can legally be embedded.

Verification

For HTTP endpoints returning PDFs, verify:

• Content-Type is application/pdf
• Content-Disposition matches download() or stream()
• Generated bytes are non-empty

For saved PDFs, assert the file exists and compare its contents with output() when practical.

Common Pitfalls

• Forgetting to publish or override config/dompdf.php when custom options are needed
• Expecting remote images to work while isRemoteEnabled is still disabled
• Using fonts that are not embedded for PDF/A validation
• Referencing files outside DOMPDF chroot
• Treating browser HTML and DOMPDF HTML/CSS support as identical