Converting a document from Markdown to PDF format

Converting Markdown files to PDF — whether for documentation, reports, or content publishing — brings Markdown into the same document processing pipeline as Word, Excel, and other supported formats.

How Nutrient helps you achieve this

Nutrient Python SDK handles Markdown-to-PDF conversion. With the SDK, you don’t need to worry about:

  • Parsing Markdown syntax
  • Managing document structure
  • Handling code block formatting
  • Complex rendering logic

Instead, Nutrient provides an API that handles all the complexity behind the scenes, letting you focus on your business logic.

Complete implementation

Below is a complete working example that demonstrates Markdown-to-PDF conversion. These lines set up the Python application. The import statements bring in all necessary classes from the Nutrient SDK:

from nutrient_sdk import Document
from nutrient_sdk import NutrientException

This line opens the Markdown file. The context manager(opens in a new tab) syntax ensures the document is automatically closed when you’re done, preventing resource leaks. The Document.open method automatically detects the format and parses the Markdown syntax:

def main():
    try:
        with Document.open("input.md") as document:

This block exports the document to PDF, rendering the Markdown structure into formatted PDF content. The try-except block handles potential errors using NutrientException:

            document.export_as_pdf("output.pdf")
            print("Successfully converted Markdown to PDF")
    except NutrientException as e:
        print(f"Error: {e}")


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Conclusion

The conversion logic consists of two steps:

  1. Open the document.
  2. Export as PDF.

Nutrient handles Markdown parsing and PDF rendering so you don’t need to understand Markdown internals or manage document structure manually.

You can download this ready-to-use sample package that’s fully configured to help you get started with the Python SDK.