# PDF Rendering Considerations

S-Docs PDF templates use Salesforce PDF rendering.

That engine works well for print-style documents. It also has a few important considerations to plan around.

### Key Considerations

* Some HTML and CSS rules render differently than they do in a browser.
* PDF output relies on Salesforce's rendering engine.
* The PDF rendering service outputs PDF version `1.4` and supports CSS up to version `2.1`.
* JavaScript-rendered content is not supported.
* Interactive form elements may not behave as expected in PDF output.
* Modern web layout patterns are often less reliable than simple print markup.
* Multilingual characters need extra testing.
* Font support is more limited than in a browser.
* Large pages, large PDFs, and heavy image usage can approach Salesforce rendering limits.

### Not currently available

These PDF capabilities are not currently available:

* fillable PDFs
* password-protected PDFs

### What To Avoid

Avoid these patterns in PDF templates when possible:

* buttons, inputs, and browser-driven form behavior
* JavaScript-dependent content
* complex responsive layouts
* advanced CSS that depends on modern browser support

Table-based layouts and simple CSS are usually the safest choice.

### Font and language considerations

PDF rendering has stricter font support than normal browser output.

Salesforce documents four core PDF font families, plus `Arial Unicode MS` for multibyte characters, in its [supported fonts reference](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.pages.meta/pages/pages_output_pdf_supported_fonts.htm).

Use it when your document includes non-Latin characters or multilingual content. Even then, test with real data before rollout.

{% hint style="warning" %}
If your template includes international characters, do not assume browser output and PDF output will match.
{% endhint %}

Some standard Visualforce components also have font-related limits in PDF output.

For example, components such as `apex:pageBlock` and `apex:sectionHeader` are not the best choice for double-byte font rendering.

### Salesforce rendering thresholds

Salesforce also applies hard limits during PDF generation:

* The page response before PDF rendering cannot exceed `15 MB`.
* The generated PDF file cannot exceed `60 MB`.
* Total image data included in the PDF cannot exceed `30 MB`.

These limits matter most for:

* image-heavy documents
* long reports
* packet-style PDFs with many related list rows

### Inline CSS requirements

Inline CSS works only under specific conditions.

If you rely on inline styles in a Visualforce PDF page, use:

* API version `28.0` or later
* `applyBodyTag="false"` on `apex:page`
* explicit, valid `html`, `head`, and `body` tags

Without that structure, inline styling may not render as expected.

### Best practice

Build PDFs like printable documents, not web pages.

Use:

* simple HTML structure
* table-based alignment when layout must stay fixed
* basic CSS
* supported fonts

Test early if your template includes:

* multiple languages
* special characters
* rich text fields
* complex spacing or page layout

### Troubleshooting tip

If you are unsure whether an issue comes from the PDF engine, test the same pattern in a simple Visualforce PDF page.

That helps confirm whether the behavior is a Salesforce rendering limit or a template issue.

When a PDF fails or renders inconsistently, check these first:

* unsupported JavaScript or dynamic browser behavior
* unsupported fonts or multilingual characters
* oversized images or overall output size
* CSS that depends on browser features instead of print-safe markup

### Related resources

* Review [PDF Templates](/sdocs/template-architecture/document-formats/pdf-templates.md) for format guidance and build patterns.
* Review [Supported Fonts in PDF Format](/sdocs/template-architecture/document-formats/pdf-templates/supported-fonts-in-pdf-format.md) for font-specific details.
* Review [PDF Render Limitations](broken://spaces/WKNnJmhJBQwhdk5WBFsi/pages/3ccb810031f9ead1d614975ed1c05651aa01130d) for additional background and a Visualforce test example.
* Review Salesforce's [PDF rendering considerations](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.pages.meta/pages/pages_output_pdf_considerations.htm).
* Review Salesforce's [supported PDF fonts](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.pages.meta/pages/pages_output_pdf_supported_fonts.htm).


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