How to Generate PDF Files Using DomPDF in Laravel

PDF generation is a common feature in many web applications — whether it’s for invoices, reports, or tickets. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to generate PDF files in Laravel using DomPDF (via the barryvdh/laravel-dompdf package).

Let’s get started!

Step 1: Install Laravel

composer create-project laravel/laravel laravel-dompdf
cd laravel-dompdf

Step 2: Install DomPDF via barryvdh/laravel-dompdf

Run the following command to install the official wrapper for DomPDF:

composer require barryvdh/laravel-dompdf

This package provides a fluent API to work with DomPDF in Laravel.

Step 3: Publish the Configuration (Optional)

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

This will publish the config/dompdf.php file where you can customize settings such as paper size, font, etc.

Step 4: Create a Blade View for the PDF

Create a Blade view file that will be converted into a PDF:

resources/views/pdf/invoice.blade.php

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Invoice PDF</title>
    <style>
        body {
            font-family: DejaVu Sans;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Invoice</h1>
    <p>Customer: {{ $customer }}</p>
    <p>Amount: ${{ $amount }}</p>
</body>
</html>

✅ Tip: Use inline CSS or simple styles — DomPDF doesn’t support all CSS features.

Step 5: Create a Route and Controller to Generate PDF

A. Create Controller

php artisan make:controller PDFController

B. Add PDF Logic in the Controller

app/Http/Controllers/PDFController.php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Barryvdh\DomPDF\Facade\Pdf;

class PDFController extends Controller
{
    public function generateInvoice()
    {
        $data = [
            'customer' => 'John Doe',
            'amount' => 120.50,
        ];

        $pdf = Pdf::loadView('pdf.invoice', $data);

        // Download the PDF
        return $pdf->download('invoice.pdf');
    }
}

Step 6: Create a Route

Visit:
http://localhost:8000/invoice-pdf
… and your PDF will be downloaded automatically!

Step 7: Preview Instead of Download (Optional)

If you want to stream the PDF in the browser instead of downloading:

return $pdf->stream('invoice.pdf');

If you want to pass dynamic data via a form:

A. HTML Form (Blade)

<form method="POST" action="{{ route('invoice.generate') }}">
    @csrf
    <input type="text" name="customer" placeholder="Customer Name">
    <input type="number" name="amount" placeholder="Amount">
    <button type="submit">Generate PDF</button>
</form>

B. Update Route

Route::post('/invoice-generate', [PDFController::class, 'generateFromForm'])->name('invoice.generate');

C. Update Controller

public function generateFromForm(Request $request)
{
    $pdf = Pdf::loadView('pdf.invoice', $request->all());

    return $pdf->download('dynamic_invoice.pdf');
}

Common Errors & Fixes

• Fonts Not Rendering: Use DejaVu Sans for Unicode support.
• CSS Not Applying: Avoid external stylesheets; use inline styles.
• Image Not Showing: Use public_path('images/your-image.jpg').

Conclusion

DomPDF is a powerful way to generate PDFs in Laravel with minimal setup. You can generate static or dynamic PDFs with ease using Blade views and pass any data needed from your controller.

Whether you’re building an invoicing system, a reporting module, or just want to export printable content, this setup has you covered.

Helpful Links

• Laravel DomPDF GitHub
• Official Laravel Docs

If you found this helpful, feel free to share or drop a comment. Happy coding with Laravel!