Print to PDF from Safari in iOS or iPadOS

By Jeff, 29 June, 2020

Forum
iOS and iPadOS

Is there a way to print to a PDF file from a web page? I don't want to print the actual web page, but I often encounter a document (e.g., an ID card, an insurance policy, a bank statement, etc.) on a website that has a print button. I can activate this button to print to my network printer, but I want a PDF document that I can attach to an email rather than a hardcopy printout. If there's a way to do this, please explain.

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Comments

By MHicok on Thursday, June 25, 2020 - 09:45

When on the page you want to create a PDF of, go to the share sheet and select print. When the print sheet opens, use two fingers on the preview of the document and do a zoom out gesture. The document will expand to full screen and is now a PDF. You can now save it to files, email ect.

By Jeff on Thursday, June 25, 2020 - 09:45

Thanks, MHicok, but I think that will make a PDF of the web page. I'm wanting to make a PDF of the print output of a document. Say for instance, you go to your ISP website and view your statement. On that page, there's a button that says something like, "Print this document." If I tap that button, it brings up a print dialog where I can choose to airPrint to my network printer. But I want to send that document to a PDF file instead. I hope this makes sense and that there is a way to do what I want.

By MHicok on Saturday, July 25, 2020 - 09:45

May be I am not following. You can make anything into a PDF from the print action menu on an IOS device, doesn’t have to be a web page.

By Betsy on Saturday, July 25, 2020 - 09:45

When I'm using my bank's app or on the website and I open my latest statement, with the statement open on my iPad screen I can tap the share or maybe it's called the action button. From there I can choose to open my statement in other apps. I usually chose Acrobat but I could also text it or mail it to myself. The bank makes the statement available in PDF so I'm not having to convert it.

By Jeff on Saturday, July 25, 2020 - 09:45

If there was a button on the web page to download a PDF, I would do that, but in some cases, there's only a print button. The share sheet will generate a PDF file of the web page, but I want the printed output from the print button. This is often formatted differently from what is displayed on the web page. Also, the web page often has other content such as links for navigation, etc. I don't want this extraneous content to be included in the PDF document. I can do what I want from my Windows computer simply by choosing print to PDF as my printer option in the print dialog box, but I was hoping I could do this from iOS.

By MHicok on Saturday, July 25, 2020 - 09:45

It would be great if you could link something you are talking about. I understand that you don’t want a PDF of a web page. When you click print say an ID card from a web page, it still should create a print preview. For example let’s say you are on a web page and something says print your ID now. That should bring up the print menu which should have a print preview of the ID. You can use 2 fingers zoom out gesture and you now have a PDF, not of the web site but of the ID. Then you would hit the share sheet again and you can email or saw it to the files app as a PDF.

By MataDePlatano on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 - 09:45

I don’t know if your are still without the correct answer but. You need to click and hold the image of the document on that printer options window. Once you do that you will have the document at full screen with an button on the top right corner to share options. That way you can share the document to a pdf app or to you iCloud and that will save it on you iPad or chosen location … a little hidden the option to print to a pdf but it is build in of sorts