Customize PDF Views for Arabic/Bangla Fonts and Print Layout

Summary:
Use custom fonts and layout for PDFs in Snappy.

Generating PDFs with the correct appearance and functionality is crucial, especially when dealing with languages that require special font rendering like Arabic and Bangla. Libraries such as Snappy (a PHP wrapper for wkhtmltopdf) make it easier to convert HTML pages into high-quality PDFs, but customizing font usage and print layouts for complex scripts requires some dedicated steps. This post will walk you through customizing PDF views to use Arabic or Bangla fonts and optimal print layouts for your PDFs generated via Snappy.

Why Special Care for Arabic/Bangla Fonts?

Both Arabic and Bangla scripts have unique typographic requirements:

  • Arabic: Requires support for right-to-left rendering, ligatures, and appropriate font shaping.
  • Bangla: Needs complex script rendering, conjuncts, and font support that can display Unicode properly.

Browsers usually handle these fine, but PDF conversion tools like wkhtmltopdf require explicit instructions to embed and apply the correct fonts and layout directions.

Step 1: Locating and Choosing the Right Fonts

First, use Unicode-compatible fonts that fully support the target script:

Download the .ttf or .otf files and store them in your project’s public/fonts directory, or wherever is accessible by your snappy PDF rendering process.

Step 2: Embedding Custom Fonts in CSS

Snappy will honor CSS instructions in your HTML views. To embed fonts:

<style>
@font-face {
    font-family: 'BanglaCustom';
    src: url('{{ public_path('fonts/kalpurush.ttf') }}') format('truetype');
    font-weight: normal;
    font-style: normal;
}
@font-face {
    font-family: 'ArabicCustom';
    src: url('{{ public_path('fonts/amiri.ttf') }}') format('truetype');
    font-weight: normal;
    font-style: normal;
}
.pdf-arabic {
    font-family: 'ArabicCustom', serif;
    direction: rtl;
    text-align: right;
}
.pdf-bangla {
    font-family: 'BanglaCustom', sans-serif;
    direction: ltr;
    text-align: left;
}
</style>
  • The public_path() function (in Laravel) ensures Snappy can find the font file.
  • Adjust the path according to your framework/environment.

Step 3: Structuring the PDF HTML View

Apply your classes to elements containing Arabic or Bangla text:

<body>
    <h1 class="pdf-arabic">مرحبا بالعالم</h1>
    <p class="pdf-bangla">হ্যালো ওয়ার্ল্ড</p>
</body>

This ensures correct font rendering and directionality for each script.

Step 4: Customizing the Print Layout

PDF viewers and printers expect content to fit standard paper sizes. Tweak your CSS accordingly:

<style>
@page {
    size: A4 portrait;
    margin: 2cm 1.5cm 2cm 1.5cm;
}
body {
    font-size: 16px;
    line-height: 1.6;
    color: #222;
    background: #fff;
}
.header, .footer {
    display: block;
    width: 100%;
    text-align: center;
    position: fixed;
}
.header {
    top: 0;
}
.footer {
    bottom: 0;
}
</style>
  • Adjust margins and sizing within the @page rule to control physical document layout.
  • Use .header and .footer classes for consistent elements on every page.

Step 5: Generating the PDF with Snappy

Assuming you use barryvdh/laravel-snappy:

$pdf = PDF::loadView('pdf.yourview', $data);
return $pdf->download('customized.pdf');

Or to stream/view inline:

return $pdf->inline('customized.pdf');

Tip:
If fonts do not appear correctly, ensure:

  • The font files exist in correct paths.
  • wkhtmltopdf is installed with fontconfig (apt install fontconfig on Ubuntu).
  • Use the --enable-local-file-access snappy/wkhtmltopdf option if fonts are not embedded.

Common Troubleshooting Tips

  • Square/Tofu Boxes Instead of Letters: Means the PDF converter can't find or render your font. Double-check the file path and font availability on your server.
  • Cut-off Texts or Overlapping Lines: Increase line height or adjust font size in your CSS.
  • Direction is Wrong (for Arabic): Ensure direction: rtl; and text-align: right; are used on the root element of Arabic text.
  • Font Not Applied: Try using absolute URL paths, and make sure font-face is declared before usage.

Conclusion

Customizing PDFs for Arabic or Bangla text using Snappy is a combination of choosing the right fonts, embedding them via CSS, and structuring the layout for printing. By following these steps, you can ensure your generated documents display these complex scripts beautifully, both on-screen and in print.

Ready to take your multi-lingual PDFs to the next level?
Try these steps, and see crisp, clear, and culturally appropriate print-ready documents from your PHP application!

Need help with other scripts or want to automate PDF reports? Drop a comment below or reach out for a walkthrough!

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