kagen

name	kagen
description	Convert Kami HTML templates to production-grade PDF via Chromium/Playwright. Complements Kami (design) with PDF rendering. Use when user asks to generate PDF files, render HTML to PDF, or export documents.

kagen · 紙源

紙源 · かげん - paper source. PDF generation companion to Kami.

Kami designs, Kagen ships. Converts Kami HTML templates to production-grade PDF using Chromium (Playwright), bypassing WeasyPrint's Windows limitations.

Why Kagen

Problem	Solution
WeasyPrint doesn't work on Windows (no GTK)	Kagen uses Playwright/Chromium — works everywhere
WeasyPrint cold-start ~630ms per render	Playwright warm ~13ms per render
WeasyPrint can't execute JS	Chromium renders fully (charts, dynamic content)
wkhtmltopdf is deprecated and unmaintained	Playwright is actively maintained by Microsoft

Based on benchmarks (pdf4.dev 2026), engineering discussions (HN, Stack Overflow, BrowserStack), and production experience from DocRaptor, customjs.space, and print-css.rocks.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+
• Playwright (npx playwright auto-installs on first use)
• Chromium browser installed (npx playwright install chromium)
• Kami HTML templates (any valid HTML with print CSS)

Quick start

npx playwright pdf "file:///path/to/doc.html" "output.pdf"

Or from Node.js:

const { chromium } = require('playwright');
const browser = await chromium.launch();
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('file:///path/to/doc.html', { waitUntil: 'networkidle' });
await page.pdf({
  path: 'output.pdf',
  format: 'A4',
  printBackground: true,
  margin: { top: '0', bottom: '0', left: '0', right: '0' }
});
await browser.close();

Production settings (from professional research)

Page options

await page.pdf({
  path: 'output.pdf',
  format: 'A4',              // or 'Letter', 'A3'
  printBackground: true,     // always true — renders parchment bg
  margin: { top: '0', bottom: '0', left: '0', right: '0' },
  // For screen media (not print):
  // await page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' });
});

Critical CSS rules for reliable PDF output

/* Always include in your HTML template header */

@page {
  size: A4;
  margin: 24mm 26mm 26mm 26mm;
  background: #f5f4ed;
  widows: 4;
  orphans: 4;
}

/* Force background colors in Chromium */
* {
  -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact;
  print-color-adjust: exact;
}

/* Avoid orphan text lines — high widows/orphans prevents single-line splits */
body { widows: 4; orphans: 4; }
p    { widows: 3; orphans: 3; }
li   { widows: 2; orphans: 2; }

/* Page break control — only on chapters with heavy content */
.chapter { }
.chapter.break { break-before: page; }

/* Never let a heading sit alone at page bottom */
h1, h2, h3, h4 { break-after: avoid; }

/* Keep these blocks intact — never split across pages */
table, pre, figure, .callout, .card,
blockquote, ,  {
  : avoid;
}


pre {
  : ;
  : avoid;
}


  {
  : avoid;
}

Visual patterns by document type

Each document type needs its own set of visual patterns. Apply accordingly:

Type	Required patterns	Optional patterns
Pentest / Security report	Severity badges (red/orange/green), risk bar, code blocks with left border, impact/remediation boxes	Finding-header with metadata, findings table with badges
One-pager / Executive summary	Glance grid (4 metrics), lead paragraph, takeaway box, cover with large title + decorative line	Callout for key data point, footer with contact
White paper / Long doc	Chapter breaks in dense sections, table of contents, callouts, keep-together on critical blocks	Quotes, diagrams, appendix
Letter	Wide margins (25mm), formal greeting and closing, no columns, no tables	Letterhead, signature
Resume	Dense body (9.2pt), metric row, project bullets with action + result	Timeline, skills grid
Slides	Assertion-evidence titles, one idea per slide, one-line bullets, pinned callout	Code cards, 2x2 table

Rule: if the document type isn't in the table, choose the closest one and adapt.

Near-empty pages prevention

Nothing looks more amateur than a page with 2 lines. Causes and solutions:

Cause	Solution	Auto-detection
Heading with 1 short paragraph at the end	Merge with previous section	If a chapter has only 1 h2 + 1 p, it doesn't deserve its own page
break-before: page on every section	Only use on chapters with >1/3 page of content	Count paragraphs + tables + lists. If they add up to less than 5 elements, don't force a break
break-inside: avoid on large block that doesn't fit	Relax break-inside or split the block	If a keep-together measures more than 1 page, don't force it
Source list at the end spilling onto a separate page	Move to consolidated sources chapter	Sources go in one place, not repeated in each chapter

AI anti-patterns in documents

Validate that content inherited from Kami doesn't have these marks:

Anti-pattern	Problem	Fix
Repeated em dash — as label/value separator	Black Box — no credentials, multiple lines in a row	Parentheses, comma, colon. The dash is for genuine asides, not for separating labels
Uniform tables without color	All rows identical, no visual indication of severity or priority	Color badges, subtle zebra rows, highlighted first column
Code blocks without contrast	They blend with the body, don't look like code	Left blue border, ivory background, monospace, generous padding
Same structure on every page	Every page is title + table or title + list	Vary: finding box, risk bar, flowchart, callout. Alternate rhythm
Claims without source	"LLMs hallucinate 15-20%" without attribution	"According to Vectara HHEM 2026, LLMs..."

Best practices from professionals

Practice	Source	Why
Always set printBackground: true	BrowserStack, Playwright docs	Kami uses parchment bg #f5f4ed — Chromium strips it by default
Use file:// protocol	Stack Overflow, DocuPotion	Avoids auth/CORS issues with local files
Set waitUntil: 'networkidle'	BrowserStack	Ensures fonts, CSS fully loaded
Lock browser version in CI	BrowserStack, blog.rasc.ch	Chromium updates can change rendering
Use @page margins, not Playwright margins	print-css.rocks, CSS Paged Media spec	CSS margins are more predictable for paged media
-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact	MDN, Chromium docs	Critical for parchment backgrounds and brand colors
Reuse browser instance (warm)	pdf4.dev benchmark	42ms → 3ms speedup (14x)
Validate PDF visually in CI	BrowserStack	Page count, whitespace, font check

Warm mode (production pipeline)

const { chromium } = require('playwright');

class PDFRenderer {
  constructor() {
    this.browser = null;
  }

  async start() {
    this.browser = await chromium.launch();
  }

  async render(htmlPath, outputPath) {
    const page = await this.browser.newPage();
    await page.goto('file:///' + htmlPath.replace(/\\/g, '/'), {
      waitUntil: 'networkidle'
    });
    await page.pdf({
      path: outputPath,
      format: 'A4',
      printBackground: true,
      margin: { top: '0', bottom: '0', left: '0', right: '0' }
    });
    await page.close();
  }

  async stop() {
     ..();
  }
}

Font embedding

Chromium embeds system fonts by default. For custom fonts (like TsangerJinKai02 in Kami):

@font-face {
  font-family: "CustomFont";
  src: url("fonts/CustomFont.woff2") format("woff2");
  font-weight: 400;
  font-style: normal;
}

Place font files relative to the HTML and use relative src paths. Chromium resolves them from the HTML file's directory.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
White background instead of parchment	Add printColorAdjust: exact in CSS and printBackground: true in JS
Fonts not rendering	Use relative paths in @font-face, check font file exists
Page breaks wrong	Check break-inside: avoid on tables, pre, callout
Near-empty page (2 lines alone)	Merge short section with previous; avoid break-before: page on light chapters
Content overflow	Use page-break-inside: avoid on large blocks
Chinese chars as boxes	Include CJK font in @font-face or use system CJK fallback
PDF too large	Remove unnecessary images, compress embedded fonts
Slow first render	Keep browser instance alive (warm mode)

CSS visual pattern snippets

Concrete patterns to include in the HTML by document type:

/* Severity badges (pentest, security) */
.badge-high { background: #f5e8e8; color: #a83030; display: inline-block; padding: 2pt 7pt; border-radius: 3pt; font-size: 8pt; font-weight: 500; text-transform: uppercase; }
.badge-medium { background: #f5ede2; color: #b86a25; display: inline-block; padding: 2pt 7pt; border-radius: 3pt; font-size: 8pt; font-weight: 500; text-transform: uppercase; }
.badge-ok { background: #e8f2ec; color: #2a7a4a; display: inline-block; padding: 2pt 7pt; border-radius: 3pt; font-size: 8pt; font-weight: 500; text-transform: uppercase; }

/* Risk bar (pentest exec summary) */
.risk-bar { display: flex; : ; :    ; : ; }
  { : ; : flex; : center; : center; : ; : ; : ; }


pre { :  solid ; : ; : ; :  ; : Consolas, monospace; : ; : ; : avoid; }


,  { :  solid ; : ; :    ; : avoid; }
 ,   { : ; : ; : uppercase; : ; : ; : ; }


 { : ; : ; : ; :  ; : ; }


 { : flex; : ; :  ; : avoid; }
 { : ; : center; :  ; }
  { : ; : ; : ; : ; :  auto  auto; }
 +  { :  dotted ; }
  { : ; : ; : ; : ; }
  { : ; : ; : ; }


 { : avoid; }

Self-review protocol (mandatory)

Don't generate the PDF without passing this checklist. Each item is a real failure documented in previous iterations.

Structural (blocking)

• Each chapter has enough content to fill >1/3 of a page
• No sections with just heading + 1 short paragraph (merge)
• No near-empty pages (2 lines alone)
• break-before: page only on chapters with dense content

Visual (high priority)

• Visual elements match the document type (badges, risk bars, code blocks, etc.)
• Tables have proper styling (optional zebra, padding, clear headers)
• Code blocks are distinguishable from body (border, background, monospace)
• No repeated em dashes — used as label/value separators
• There's variety in visual rhythm (not all pages the same)

Content (high priority)

• Every categorical claim has its visible source ("according to X...")
• Internal methodology is distinguished from verified fact (disclaimer if applicable)
• No redundant content between chapters (sources, repeated lists)
• Every paragraph is necessary (if it can be removed without loss, remove it)

Technical (blocking)

• printBackground: true in Playwright configuration
• -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact in CSS
• widows: 4; orphans: 4 in @page and body
• break-inside: avoid on pre, table, blockquote, callout
• table tr { break-inside: avoid } so tables don't split rows

Complete HTML example

Minimum functional template that includes all essential patterns. Copy and adapt:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Document Title</title>
<style>
  @page { size: A4; margin: 24mm 26mm 26mm 26mm; background: #f5f4ed; widows: 4; orphans: 4; }
  * { box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0; padding: 0; -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; }
  :root {
    --parchment: #f5f4ed; --ivory: #faf9f5; --near-black: #141413;
    --dark-warm: #3d3d3a; --olive: #504e49; --stone: #6b6a64;
    --brand: #1B365D; --border: #e8e6dc; --border-soft: #e5e3d8;
    --serif: Charter, Georgia, Palatino, "Times New Roman", serif;
    : Consolas, , monospace;
  }
   { : (--serif); : ; : ; : (--near-black); : (--parchment); : ; : ; }
   { : ; :  solid (--brand); : ; :    ; : avoid; }
   { : ; :    ; : avoid; }
   { :    ; : ; : ; }
   { : ; : collapse; : ; :  ; : avoid; }
    { : left; :  ; :  solid (--border); : (--ivory); }
    { :  ; :  solid (--border-soft); }
    { : avoid; }
  pre { :  solid (--brand); : ; : (--ivory); :  ; : ; : (--mono); : avoid; :    ; }
   { : (--ivory); :  solid (--brand); :  ; : ; :  ; : avoid; }
   { : avoid; }
   { : page; }
  





  
    Document Type
    Main Title
    
    Subtitle or description
  
  Author · Date



  Chapter Title
  Document content. Verify sources (research), humanize text (humanize), design with Kami.
  

Integration with Kami

# One-liner from Kami HTML to PDF
npx playwright pdf "file:///path/to/kami-output.html" "final.pdf"

Sources

• Playwright PDF API docs
• pdf4.dev HTML-to-PDF benchmark 2026
• BrowserStack: Generate PDFs with Playwright
• print-css.rocks: CSS Paged Media tutorial
• DocuPotion: Generate PDFs with Playwright
• CSS Paged Media W3C specification
• Blog.rasc.ch: Generating PDFs with Playwright and Go
• HN: What is the open-source way to convert HTML to PDF

Workflow

Step 1: Validate HTML template

Before rendering, verify the template is production-ready:

1. Open the HTML in a browser first: confirm fonts load, CSS applies, layout renders correctly at print size
2. Check that @page rules specify explicit size (A4, Letter) and margins
3. Verify -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact and print-color-adjust: exact are set on *
4. Confirm all @font-face declarations use relative paths, not absolute filesystem paths

Step 2: Configure render settings

1. Set format (A4, Letter, A3) to match the template's @page { size: } declaration
2. Set printBackground: true — always. Never skip this. Chromium strips backgrounds by default
3. Set Playwright margin: { top: '0', bottom: '0', left: '0', right: '0' } — use CSS @page margins instead
4. Use waitUntil: 'networkidle' to ensure fonts, CSS, and images are fully loaded before rendering

Step 3: Render PDF

1. Launch browser once (warm mode) — reuse for all documents in batch
2. Navigate with file:// protocol to avoid CORS and authentication issues with local files
3. Await page.pdf() with configured options
4. Close page after each render but keep browser alive for next document

Step 4: Validate output PDF

1. Open PDF and check: parchment/tinted background rendered (not white), fonts embedded correctly, page breaks occur at logical points
2. Scan every page for near-empty pages (2 lines or less floating at page top)
3. Verify code blocks, callouts, and tables are not split across page boundaries
4. Check CJK characters render correctly if document contains Chinese, Japanese, or Korean text

Step 5: Apply visual patterns by document type

1. Pentest/security report: severity badges, risk bars, finding headers, styled code blocks, impact/remediation boxes
2. One-pager/executive summary: glance grid (4 metrics), lead paragraph, takeaway box, cover with decorative accent line
3. White paper/long document: chapter breaks on dense sections, callouts, keep-together wrappers on critical blocks
4. Letter: wide margins (25mm), formal greeting/closing, single-column, no unnecessary breaks
5. Resume: dense body (9.2pt), metric row, project bullets with action + result format

Step 6: Run self-review protocol

Complete ALL four checklist categories before final output: Structural (blocking), Visual (high priority), Content (high priority), Technical (blocking). Every item in the self-review protocol is a real failure mode documented from previous iterations.

Error Handling

Cause	Fix
PDF renders with stark white background instead of parchment (#f5f4ed)	Chromium strips all backgrounds in print mode. Ensure BOTH printBackground: true in Playwright JS config AND -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact on * in CSS
Custom fonts render as fallback system serif in the PDF output	Use relative paths in @font-face src: url("fonts/CustomFont.woff2"). Place font files in same directory as HTML or a subdirectory. Chromium resolves relative to the HTML file's location
CJK characters (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) render as empty boxes or tofu	Include a CJK-capable font via @font-face or add system CJK fallback stack: font-family: "TsangerJinKai02", "SimSun", "MS Mincho", serif. Test before batch rendering
Near-empty page at end of section (2 lines of text floating alone)	Merge the short section with the previous one. Only apply break-before: page to chapters with > 1/3 page of content. Count elements: if heading + paragraph count < 5 total, don't force a page break
Table rows split awkwardly across consecutive pages	Add table tr { break-inside: avoid; } in CSS. For large spanning tables, add table { break-inside: avoid; } so the entire table moves as a block
Page break leaves an isolated heading at the very bottom of a page	Add h1, h2, h3, h4 { break-after: avoid; } to ensure at least the first content element after a heading stays with it on the same page
PDF file size is excessive (10MB+ for a text-heavy document)	Remove unnecessary raster images. Subset and compress embedded fonts to only used glyphs. Reduce DPI of any embedded raster content. Check for duplicated embedded resources
page.pdf() call hangs indefinitely on networkidle with dynamic/JS-rendered content	Switch to waitUntil: 'load' or add explicit page.waitForTimeout(3000). For charts and JS-rendered content, use waitForSelector() on a known rendered element
Chromium version mismatch between local dev and CI causes visual output differences	Lock Chromium version explicitly: note the version npx playwright install chromium installs. Document it in CI config. Re-baseline visual checks on every Chromium version bump

Anti-Patterns

Pattern	Problem	Fix
Setting margins via Playwright margin parameter instead of CSS @page	Playwright margin rendering is inconsistent across Chromium versions. CSS @page margins produce predictable, standards-compliant output	Always use @page { margin: 24mm 26mm 26mm 26mm; } in CSS. Set Playwright margin: { top: '0', bottom: '0', left: '0', right: '0' }
break-before: page applied to every section/chapter unconditionally	Creates near-empty pages when a section has little content. Reader sees a page with 2 lines. Looks unprofessional and amateur	Only force page breaks on chapters with > 1/3 page of content. Count paragraph + table + list elements. If < 5 total content elements, skip the forced break
All pages share identical visual structure (title → table → title → table)	Monotonous reading experience. Reader disengages after page 3. Document fails to sustain attention through key findings	Vary rhythm: finding box, then risk bar, then callout, then table, then narrative paragraph. Alternate between data-dense and commentary pages
Repeated em dashes used as label/value separator in tables and lists	"Black Box — no credentials" repeated 15 times in a pentest report. Jarring, lazy, reads like raw data dump	Use colon separator (Black Box: no credentials), parentheses, or proper table columns with distinct header and value styling
Code blocks visually indistinguishable from surrounding body text	Reader skims past code assuming it's prose. Reduces document credibility. Technical content loses all impact	Style every code block: 2.5pt left border, ivory/tinted background, monospace font (Consolas/Courier), generous padding (10-14pt), slight border-radius
printBackground: false anywhere in the production rendering pipeline	Chrome strips all background colors, including parchment. Document renders on stark white default. Destroys the Kami visual design	Always printBackground: true. Add CI assertion: if PDF renders with white background, fail the build
Launching a new browser instance per PDF document	Cold start ~630ms vs warm ~13ms. 48x slower per document. Wastes CI minutes on multi-document projects	Use warm mode (PDFRenderer class pattern): launch browser once, render all documents, close browser once. Keep-alive between renders

Checklist

• Skill loads without errors in the AI agent
• YAML frontmatter is valid (description, compatibility, audience)
• Workflow section provides clear step-by-step instructions
• Error handling section covers common failure modes
• All referenced files (references/, scripts/, assets/) exist
• Skill triggers correctly for intended use cases
• No broken links or missing resources