ReportLab PDF Generation

Overview

ReportLab is a powerful Python library for programmatic PDF generation. Create anything from simple documents to complex reports with tables, charts, images, and interactive forms.

Two main approaches:

Canvas API (low-level): Direct drawing with coordinate-based positioning - use for precise layouts
Platypus (high-level): Flowing document layout with automatic page breaks - use for multi-page documents

Core capabilities:

Text with rich formatting and custom fonts
Tables with complex styling and cell spanning
Charts (bar, line, pie, area, scatter)
Barcodes and QR codes (Code128, EAN, QR, etc.)
Images with transparency
PDF features (links, bookmarks, forms, encryption)

Choosing the Right Approach

Use Canvas API when:

Creating labels, business cards, certificates
Precise positioning is critical (x, y coordinates)
Single-page documents or simple layouts
Drawing graphics, shapes, and custom designs
Adding barcodes or QR codes at specific locations

Use Platypus when:

Creating multi-page documents (reports, articles, books)
Content should flow automatically across pages
Need headers/footers that repeat on each page
Working with paragraphs that can split across pages
Building complex documents with table of contents

Use Both when:

Complex reports need both flowing content AND precise positioning
Adding headers/footers to Platypus documents (use onPage callback with Canvas)
Embedding custom graphics (Canvas) within flowing documents (Platypus)

Quick Start Examples

Simple Canvas Document

from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter from reportlab.lib.units import inch

c = canvas.Canvas("output.pdf", pagesize=letter) width, height = letter

Draw text

c.setFont("Helvetica-Bold", 24) c.drawString(inch, height - inch, "Hello ReportLab!")

Draw a rectangle

c.setFillColorRGB(0.2, 0.4, 0.8) c.rect(inch, 5inch, 4inch, 2*inch, fill=1)

Save

c.showPage() c.save()

Simple Platypus Document

from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter from reportlab.platypus import SimpleDocTemplate, Paragraph, Spacer from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet from reportlab.lib.units import inch

doc = SimpleDocTemplate("output.pdf", pagesize=letter) story = [] styles = getSampleStyleSheet()

Add content

story.append(Paragraph("Document Title", styles['Title'])) story.append(Spacer(1, 0.2*inch)) story.append(Paragraph("This is body text with bold and italic.", styles['BodyText']))

Build PDF

doc.build(story)

Common Tasks

Creating Tables

Tables work with both Canvas (via Drawing) and Platypus (as Flowables):

from reportlab.platypus import Table, TableStyle from reportlab.lib import colors from reportlab.lib.units import inch

Define data

data = [ ['Product', 'Q1', 'Q2', 'Q3', 'Q4'], ['Widget A', '100', '150', '130', '180'], ['Widget B', '80', '120', '110', '160'], ]

Create table

table = Table(data, colWidths=[2inch, 1inch, 1inch, 1inch, 1*inch])

Apply styling

style = TableStyle([ # Header row ('BACKGROUND', (0, 0), (-1, 0), colors.darkblue), ('TEXTCOLOR', (0, 0), (-1, 0), colors.whitesmoke), ('FONTNAME', (0, 0), (-1, 0), 'Helvetica-Bold'), ('ALIGN', (0, 0), (-1, -1), 'CENTER'),

# Data rows
('ROWBACKGROUNDS', (0, 1), (-1, -1), [colors.white, colors.lightgrey]),
('GRID', (0, 0), (-1, -1), 1, colors.black),

])

table.setStyle(style)

Add to Platypus story

story.append(table)

Or draw on Canvas

table.wrapOn(c, width, height) table.drawOn(c, x, y)

Detailed table reference: See references/tables_reference.md for cell spanning, borders, alignment, and advanced styling.

Creating Charts

Charts use the graphics framework and can be added to both Canvas and Platypus:

from reportlab.graphics.shapes import Drawing from reportlab.graphics.charts.barcharts import VerticalBarChart from reportlab.lib import colors

Create drawing

drawing = Drawing(400, 200)

Create chart

chart = VerticalBarChart() chart.x = 50 chart.y = 50 chart.width = 300 chart.height = 125

Set data

chart.data = [[100, 150, 130, 180, 140]] chart.categoryAxis.categoryNames = ['Q1', 'Q2', 'Q3', 'Q4', 'Q5']

Style

chart.bars[0].fillColor = colors.blue chart.valueAxis.valueMin = 0 chart.valueAxis.valueMax = 200

Add to drawing

drawing.add(chart)

Use in Platypus

story.append(drawing)

Or render directly to PDF

from reportlab.graphics import renderPDF renderPDF.drawToFile(drawing, 'chart.pdf', 'Chart Title')

Available chart types: Bar (vertical/horizontal), Line, Pie, Area, Scatter Detailed charts reference: See references/charts_reference.md for all chart types, styling, legends, and customization.

Adding Barcodes and QR Codes

from reportlab.graphics.barcode import code128 from reportlab.graphics.barcode.qr import QrCodeWidget from reportlab.graphics.shapes import Drawing from reportlab.graphics import renderPDF

Code128 barcode (general purpose)

barcode = code128.Code128("ABC123456789", barHeight=0.5*inch)

On Canvas

barcode.drawOn(c, x, y)

QR Code

qr = QrCodeWidget("https://example.com") qr.barWidth = 2inch qr.barHeight = 2inch

Wrap in Drawing for Platypus

d = Drawing() d.add(qr) story.append(d)

Supported formats: Code128, Code39, EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, ISBN, QR, Data Matrix, and 20+ more Detailed barcode reference: See references/barcodes_reference.md for all formats and usage examples.

Working with Text and Fonts

from reportlab.platypus import Paragraph from reportlab.lib.styles import ParagraphStyle from reportlab.lib.enums import TA_JUSTIFY

Create custom style

custom_style = ParagraphStyle( 'CustomStyle', fontSize=12, leading=14, # Line spacing alignment=TA_JUSTIFY, spaceAfter=10, textColor=colors.black, )

Paragraph with inline formatting

text = """ This paragraph has bold, italic, and underlined text. You can also use colors and different sizes. Chemical formula: H2O, Einstein: E=mc2 """

para = Paragraph(text, custom_style) story.append(para)

Using custom fonts:

from reportlab.pdfbase import pdfmetrics from reportlab.pdfbase.ttfonts import TTFont

Register TrueType font

pdfmetrics.registerFont(TTFont('CustomFont', 'CustomFont.ttf'))

Use in Canvas

c.setFont('CustomFont', 12)

Use in Paragraph style

style = ParagraphStyle('Custom', fontName='CustomFont', fontSize=12)

Detailed text reference: See references/text_and_fonts.md for paragraph styles, font families, Asian languages, Greek letters, and formatting.

Adding Images

from reportlab.platypus import Image from reportlab.lib.units import inch

In Platypus

img = Image('photo.jpg', width=4inch, height=3inch) story.append(img)

Maintain aspect ratio

img = Image('photo.jpg', width=4inch, height=3inch, kind='proportional')

In Canvas

c.drawImage('photo.jpg', x, y, width=4inch, height=3inch)

With transparency (mask white background)

c.drawImage('logo.png', x, y, mask=[255,255,255,255,255,255])

Creating Forms

from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas from reportlab.lib.colors import black, white, lightgrey

c = canvas.Canvas("form.pdf")

Text field

c.acroForm.textfield( name="name", tooltip="Enter your name", x=100, y=700, width=200, height=20, borderColor=black, fillColor=lightgrey, forceBorder=True )

Checkbox

c.acroForm.checkbox( name="agree", x=100, y=650, size=20, buttonStyle='check', checked=False )

Dropdown

c.acroForm.choice( name="country", x=100, y=600, width=150, height=20, options=[("United States", "US"), ("Canada", "CA")], forceBorder=True )

c.save()

Detailed PDF features reference: See references/pdf_features.md for forms, links, bookmarks, encryption, and metadata.

Headers and Footers

For Platypus documents, use page callbacks:

from reportlab.platypus import BaseDocTemplate, PageTemplate, Frame

def add_header_footer(canvas, doc): """Called on each page""" canvas.saveState()

# Header
canvas.setFont('Helvetica', 9)
canvas.drawString(inch, height - 0.5*inch, "Document Title")

# Footer
canvas.drawRightString(width - inch, 0.5*inch, f"Page {doc.page}")

canvas.restoreState()

Set up document

doc = BaseDocTemplate("output.pdf") frame = Frame(doc.leftMargin, doc.bottomMargin, doc.width, doc.height, id='normal') template = PageTemplate(id='normal', frames=[frame], onPage=add_header_footer) doc.addPageTemplates([template])

Build with story

doc.build(story)

Helper Scripts

This skill includes helper scripts for common tasks:

Quick Document Generator

Use scripts/quick_document.py for rapid document creation:

from scripts.quick_document import create_simple_document, create_styled_table

Simple document from content blocks

content = [ {'type': 'heading', 'content': 'Introduction'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'Your text here...'}, {'type': 'bullet', 'content': 'Bullet point'}, ]

create_simple_document("output.pdf", "My Document", content_blocks=content)

Styled tables with presets

data = [['Header1', 'Header2'], ['Data1', 'Data2']] table = create_styled_table(data, style_name='striped') # 'default', 'striped', 'minimal', 'report'

Template Examples

Complete working examples in assets/ :

Invoice Template

assets/invoice_template.py

Professional invoice with:
Company and client information
Itemized table with calculations
Tax and totals
Terms and notes
Logo placement

from assets.invoice_template import create_invoice

create_invoice( filename="invoice.pdf", invoice_number="INV-2024-001", invoice_date="January 15, 2024", due_date="February 15, 2024", company_info={'name': 'Acme Corp', 'address': '...', 'phone': '...', 'email': '...'}, client_info={'name': 'Client Name', ...}, items=[ {'description': 'Service', 'quantity': 1, 'unit_price': 500.00}, ... ], tax_rate=0.08, notes="Thank you for your business!", )

Report Template

assets/report_template.py

Multi-page business report with:
Cover page
Table of contents
Multiple sections with subsections
Charts and tables
Headers and footers

from assets.report_template import create_report

report_data = { 'title': 'Quarterly Report', 'subtitle': 'Q4 2023', 'author': 'Analytics Team', 'sections': [ { 'title': 'Executive Summary', 'content': 'Report content...', 'table_data': {...}, 'chart_data': {...} }, ... ] }

create_report("report.pdf", report_data)

Reference Documentation

Comprehensive API references organized by feature:

references/canvas_api.md
Low-level Canvas: drawing primitives, coordinates, transformations, state management, images, paths
references/platypus_guide.md
High-level Platypus: document templates, frames, flowables, page layouts, TOC
references/text_and_fonts.md
Text formatting: paragraph styles, inline markup, custom fonts, Asian languages, bullets, sequences
references/tables_reference.md
Tables: creation, styling, cell spanning, borders, alignment, colors, gradients
references/charts_reference.md
Charts: all chart types, data handling, axes, legends, colors, rendering
references/barcodes_reference.md
Barcodes: Code128, QR codes, EAN, UPC, postal codes, and 20+ formats
references/pdf_features.md
PDF features: links, bookmarks, forms, encryption, metadata, page transitions

Best Practices

Coordinate System (Canvas)

Origin (0, 0) is lower-left corner (not top-left)
Y-axis points upward
Units are in points (72 points = 1 inch)
Always specify page size explicitly

from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter from reportlab.lib.units import inch

width, height = letter margin = inch

Top of page

y_top = height - margin

Bottom of page

y_bottom = margin

Choosing Page Size

from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter, A4, landscape

US Letter (8.5" x 11")

pagesize=letter

ISO A4 (210mm x 297mm)

pagesize=A4

Landscape

pagesize=landscape(letter)

Custom

pagesize=(6inch, 9inch)

Performance Tips

Use drawImage() over drawInlineImage()
caches images for reuse
Enable compression for large files: canvas.Canvas("file.pdf", pageCompression=1)
Reuse styles - create once, use throughout document
Use Forms/XObjects for repeated graphics

Common Patterns

Centering text on Canvas:

text = "Centered Text" text_width = c.stringWidth(text, "Helvetica", 12) x = (width - text_width) / 2 c.drawString(x, y, text)

Or use built-in

c.drawCentredString(width/2, y, text)

Page breaks in Platypus:

from reportlab.platypus import PageBreak

story.append(PageBreak())

Keep content together (no split):

from reportlab.platypus import KeepTogether

story.append(KeepTogether([ heading, paragraph1, paragraph2, ]))

Alternate row colors:

style = TableStyle([ ('ROWBACKGROUNDS', (0, 1), (-1, -1), [colors.white, colors.lightgrey]), ])

Troubleshooting

Text overlaps or disappears:

Check Y-coordinates - remember origin is bottom-left
Ensure text fits within page bounds
Verify leading (line spacing) is greater than fontSize

Table doesn't fit on page:

Reduce column widths
Decrease font size
Use landscape orientation
Enable table splitting with repeatRows

Barcode not scanning:

Increase barHeight (try 0.5 inch minimum)
Set quiet=1 for quiet zones
Test print quality (300+ DPI recommended)
Validate data format for barcode type

Font not found:

Register TrueType fonts with pdfmetrics.registerFont()
Use font family name exactly as registered
Check font file path is correct

Images have white background:

Use mask parameter to make white transparent
Provide RGB range to mask: mask=[255,255,255,255,255,255]
Or use PNG with alpha channel

Example Workflows

Creating an Invoice

Start with invoice template from assets/invoice_template.py
Customize company info, logo path
Add items with descriptions, quantities, prices
Set tax rate if applicable
Add notes and payment terms
Generate PDF

Creating a Report

Start with report template from assets/report_template.py
Define sections with titles and content
Add tables for data using create_styled_table()
Add charts using graphics framework
Build with doc.multiBuild(story) for TOC

Creating a Certificate

Use Canvas API for precise positioning
Load custom fonts for elegant typography
Add border graphics or image background
Position text elements (name, date, achievement)
Optional: Add QR code for verification

Creating Labels with Barcodes

Use Canvas with custom page size (label dimensions)
Calculate grid positions for multiple labels per page
Draw label content (text, images)
Add barcode at specific position
Use showPage() between labels or grids

Installation

pip install reportlab

For image support

pip install pillow

For charts

pip install reportlab[renderPM]

For barcode support (included in reportlab)

QR codes require: pip install qrcode

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be used when:

Generating PDF documents programmatically
Creating invoices, receipts, or billing documents
Building reports with tables and charts
Generating certificates, badges, or credentials
Creating shipping labels or product labels with barcodes
Designing forms or fillable PDFs
Producing multi-page documents with consistent formatting
Converting data to PDF format for archival or distribution
Creating custom layouts that require precise positioning

This skill provides comprehensive guidance for all ReportLab capabilities, from simple documents to complex multi-page reports with charts, tables, and interactive elements.