How to convert PDF to image in Node.js

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to convert PDF pages to images using Node.js. In the first part, you’ll use the pdf2pic(opens in a new tab) library. In the second part, you’ll use Nutrient Node.js SDK, which requires no external dependencies.

Prerequisites

• Node.js(opens in a new tab) installed on your system
• npm (comes bundled with Node.js)

For the pdf2pic approach, you’ll also need:

• GraphicsMagick(opens in a new tab) — Image processing library used by pdf2pic
• Ghostscript(opens in a new tab) — PDF interpreter used by pdf2pic

GraphicsMagick installation

Check if GraphicsMagick is installed:

gm --version

If not installed:

• macOS (using Homebrew):

brew install graphicsmagick

• Linux (using apt):

sudo apt-get install graphicsmagick

• Windows: Download from the GraphicsMagick website(opens in a new tab).

Ghostscript installation

Check if Ghostscript is installed:

gs --version

If not installed:

• macOS (using Homebrew):

brew install ghostscript

• Linux (using apt):

sudo apt-get install ghostscript

• Windows: Download from the Ghostscript website(opens in a new tab).

Setting up the project

1. Create a new directory for your project.

2. Initialize a new Node.js project:

   npm init -y

3. Install the pdf2pic library:

   npm install pdf2pic

4. Add "type": "module" to your package.json to use ES modules:

   {
     "name": "your-project-name",
     "version": "1.0.0",
     "main": "index.js",
     "type": "module",
     "dependencies": {
       "pdf2pic": "^3.1.3"
     }
   }

Converting PDF to images using pdf2pic

1. Import the fromPath function from pdf2pic:

   import { fromPath } from "pdf2pic";

2. Define conversion options:

   const options = {
     density: 100,
     saveFilename: "untitled",
     format: "png",
     width: 600,
     height: 600,
   };

3. Initialize the conversion:

   const convert = fromPath("example.pdf", options);
   const pageToConvertAsImage = 1;

4. Perform the conversion:

   async function convertPdfPageToImage() {
     try {
       const result = await convert(pageToConvertAsImage, {
         responseType: "image",
       });
       console.log("Page 1 converted to image successfully");
       return result;
     } catch (error) {
       console.error("Conversion error:", error);
     }
   }
   
   convertPdfPageToImage();

Check your project directory for the generated image file.

Nutrient Node.js SDK

pdf2pic requires installing GraphicsMagick and Ghostscript on every server that runs your code. That’s fine for local development, but becomes a maintenance burden in production — especially with containerized deployments or serverless environments.

Nutrient Node.js SDK runs standalone. No system dependencies to install, no version conflicts to debug, no additional setup in your CI/CD pipeline.

What you can build with Nutrient

• Generate PDF thumbnails — Create preview images for document libraries, search results, or file browsers without external tools.
• Render annotated documents — Export PDFs with comments, highlights, and form data visible in the output image. Useful for review workflows or archiving.
• Build document pipelines — Use the same SDK for PDF-to-image, image-to-PDF, and Office conversion. One dependency handles your entire document workflow.
• Deploy anywhere — No GraphicsMagick or Ghostscript to install. Works in Docker, AWS Lambda, Vercel, or any Node.js environment.

When to choose Nutrient over pdf2pic

Integrating Nutrient Node.js SDK

1. Initialize a new Node.js project:

   npm init -y

2. Install the Nutrient Node.js SDK package:

   npm install @nutrient-sdk/node

3. Place your PDF document (e.g. document.pdf) in your project directory.

4. Create a new JavaScript file named index.js. This script handles the conversion:

   const { load } = require("@nutrient-sdk/node");
   const fs = require("fs");
   
   (async () => {
     const doc = fs.readFileSync("document.pdf");
   
     const instance = await load({ document: doc });
     const pageWidth = instance.getDocumentInfo().pages[0].width;
     const result = await instance.renderPage(0, { width: pageWidth });
   
     fs.writeFileSync("image.png", Buffer.from(result));
     instance.close();
   })();

   This reads a PDF, renders the first page at its original width, and saves it as image.png. Annotations in the PDF are rendered onto the output image.

   By default, the output will include a Nutrient watermark. To remove it, specify a license property with key and appName when calling load(). For a trial license, contact Sales.

5. Run the script:

node index.js

Choosing the image format

By default, Nutrient exports PNG. To export as WebP instead:

const result = await instance.renderPage(0, { width: pageWidth }, "webp");

Conclusion

pdf2pic works for local scripts or when you control the server environment. But if you’re deploying to production — especially containers or serverless — managing GraphicsMagick and Ghostscript adds friction.

Nutrient Node.js SDK removes that friction. One npm install, no system dependencies. And when your requirements grow beyond PDF-to-image, the same SDK handles Office conversion, image-to-PDF, and document editing.

To get started:

• Start your free trial to test the SDK in your application.
• Try the demo to see document conversion in action.

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