| name | md-to-pdf-cjk |
| description | Convert Markdown files to professional PDF documents with full CJK (Chinese/Japanese/Korean) support. Uses reportlab for reliable rendering without external dependencies like wkhtmltopdf or LaTeX. |
| author | zacjiang |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| tags | markdown, pdf, chinese, japanese, korean, CJK, convert, report, document |
Markdown to PDF (CJK Support)
Convert Markdown to professional PDFs with full Chinese/Japanese/Korean text support.
Why This Exists
Most Markdown-to-PDF tools break on CJK characters, require LaTeX, or need heavy dependencies. This skill uses reportlab for lightweight, reliable PDF generation that works on any server — including 2GB RAM VPS instances.
Usage
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/md_to_pdf.py input.md "Document Title" output.pdf
Features
- ✅ Full CJK text rendering (Chinese, Japanese, Korean)
- ✅ Markdown headings, bold, italic, bullet lists, code blocks
- ✅ Tables with proper column alignment
- ✅ Automatic page breaks and numbering
- ✅ Lightweight — runs on minimal servers (2GB RAM)
- ✅ No LaTeX, no wkhtmltopdf, no Chrome/Puppeteer needed
Supported Markdown Elements
# H1 through #### H4 headings**bold** and *italic*- bullet lists (nested supported)| table | rows | (pipe-delimited tables)`inline code` and code blocks--- horizontal rules
Dependencies
pip3 install reportlab
Font Configuration
The script auto-detects CJK fonts in common locations:
/usr/share/fonts/ (Linux)/System/Library/Fonts/ (macOS)
If no CJK font is found, it falls back to Helvetica (CJK characters will not render). Install a CJK font:
sudo yum install -y google-noto-sans-cjk-ttc-fonts
sudo apt install -y fonts-noto-cjk
Use Cases
- Generate PDF reports from AI analysis (audit reports, summaries)
- Convert documentation to distributable format
- Create invoices, proposals, or contracts in CJK languages
- Batch convert multiple Markdown files to PDF
