01 / 04 ◢
$5
per 100K pages
Cost
Edge rendering without Chromium containers. The math starts at
The fastest edge-native PDF infrastructure for invoices and shipping labels
Millisecond-class PDF rendering at global edge scale for invoices, shipping labels, barcodes, e-invoices, and high-volume document workflows.
100K PDF pages from $5/month.
Render
4.67ms · 24h
Price
$5 / 100K
Engine
Rust + JSON
Global scale
300+ edge PoPs
30+ barcode formats 4 PDF/A profiles JSON-native layouts
What is gPdf?
gPdf is an edge-native JSON-to-PDF API built for high-volume invoices, documents, shipping labels, barcodes, PDF/A, and e-invoices.
Unlike HTML-to-PDF tools that depend on Chromium, gPdf uses a structured JSON document model. Define pages, layouts, tables, text, images, vector barcodes, watermarks, metadata, encryption, and compliance profiles directly in the API request.
Millisecond-class PDF rendering at global edge scale — optimized for predictable, industrial-grade document generation.
Infrastructure-level pricing, low enough to replace building and operating your own PDF infrastructure.
Playground
POST JSON. Generate a PDF.
Core capabilities, all on one page.
Edit the DocumentRequest on the left. Call the live edge worker
real schema, real PDF, typically <5 ms.
Why gPdf
gPdf is built on four pillars.
02 / 04 ◼
PDF/A
1b · 2b · 3b
Standards
PDF/A archival profiles plus Factur-X / ZUGFeRD e-invoice output packaging with embedded CII XML.
03 / 04 ◈
JSON → PDF
API + editor, one schema
JSON-native
pages[], elements[], x/y in millimetres. No HTML-to-PDF, no headless Chrome, no browser layout pass. One JSON schema powers both the API and the visual editor today.
04 / 04 ◐
3000+
color emoji, embedded
Typography
Latin, CJK, Arabic, Devanagari, Cyrillic, Bengali, Thai, and color emoji support built into the engine. No server font installs. No silent tofu.
Capabilities
The boring parts, done right.
Real document semantics, not browser screenshots in a PDF wrapper.
/01
Built for invoices
$0.00005 per page, p50 3 ms, embedded CJK, PDF/A-3 attachment stream. The four numbers fintech, ERP and tax-compliance teams check first.
// invoice — header + table pattern
{ "size": "a4",
"elements": [
{ "type": "text", "x": 18, "y": 22, ... },
{ "type": "table", "x": 18, "y": 60, ... }
]}/02
Built for shipping labels
label_100_150 and label_4_6_in size presets. Vector GS1-128, ITF-14, SSCC at 0.1 mm precision — carriers and 3PLs print at peak without rasterised barcodes.
// 4×6 thermal shipping label
{ "size": "label_4_6_in",
"elements": [{
"type": "barcode",
"format": "code128",
"content": "1Z999AA10123456784" }]}/03
Free visual editor + API
Design PDF templates visually in the free WYSIWYG editor at https://studio.gpdf.com, then generate the same DocumentRequest JSON through the API. No separate design format, no handoff drift.
// Studio and API share the same JSON
https://studio.gpdf.com
POST /api/v1/pdf/render/04
JSON-native layout
Define pages, coordinates, elements, styles, headers, footers, backgrounds, watermarks, and stamps directly in JSON. Coordinates in millimetres, not approximations.
// inside elements[i]
"x_anchor": {
"reference": "content_right",
"offset": 6
}/05
Tables that paginate
row_span across pages, repeat headers, alternate_fill, compound double borders. The 1% that always breaks.
// inside table element
"pagination": {
"keep_spans_together": true
}/06
Vector barcodes
30+ symbologies incl. Code 128, QR, DataMatrix, PDF417, GS1-128. All vector. Overall barcode length accurate to 0.1 mm.
// 30+ formats: code128, qrcode, datamatrix, pdf417, ...
"type": "barcode",
"format": "code128",
"content": "INV-2026-001" Benchmarks
· sampled 2026-04-29
Measured, not marketed.
1-page A4 invoice, 12 line items, QR + logo. Median of 1000 PDF generations. Lower is better.
gPdf is not an HTML-to-PDF engine. These numbers compare structured document generation for invoices, labels, and API-generated PDFs — not browser-rendered web pages.
Methodology: 1-page A4 invoice · 12 line items · 1 QR + 1 logo · 1K invocations · median (p50) and p99 reported. Sampled 2026-04-29 from a workstation in EU-WEST. PDFShift, DocRaptor, Puppeteer and LaTeX numbers are reproduced from each vendor's published quickstart sample with the same input — re-run on your own workload before deciding. Read the head-to-head comparisons →
0 105ms 210ms 315ms 420ms
01 gPdf ours
02 PDFShift
03 DocRaptor (Prince)
04 Puppeteer (headless)
05 LaTeX (local)
Pricing
Pay for pages. Nothing else.
Simple page-based pricing. No hidden platform fees.
Same JSON rendering API. Same
Free
/free $0 forever
- +
100 pages / day · auto-resets - +Playground + API evaluation
- +Core JSON render API
- +No card required
- +Best-effort email support
Basic
/basic $5 / month
- +
100K pages / month included - +Standard render overage
$0.00005 / page - +Core JSON-to-PDF rendering
- +Text · images · shapes · links · barcodes
- +Tables · headers · footers · watermarks
- +Default PDF metadata
- +Email support · 1 business day response
Pro
/pro $8 / month
- +
100K pages / month included - +Pro render overage
$0.00008 / page - +Everything in Basic
- +Custom PDF metadata
- +Title · subject · creator
- +AES-128 encryption · open password
- +Branded business PDFs
- +Email support · 1 business day response
Enterprise
/ent $12 / month
- +
100K pages / month included - +Compliance render overage
$0.00012 / page - +Everything in Pro
- +Brand-owned PDF metadata
- +Title · author · subject · creator · producer · language
- +PDF/A compliance profiles
- +PDF/A-1b · 2b · 3b
- +AES-256 encryption · owner password · permission locks
- +E-invoice output profile
- +Factur-X / ZUGFeRD · PDF/A-3b · embedded CII XML
- +Priority email support
E-invoice output covers PDF/A-3b packaging and embedded CII XML. Validation workflows and reports are separate add-ons.
Private deployment
Need gPdf inside your own perimeter?
For regulated teams, private cloud/VPC deployments, and isolated intranet environments. Run gPdf as a dedicated Worker, server, or gateway-backed deployment, with network controls, region requirements, DPA terms, and support escalation scoped per engagement.
- +Private cloud, VPC, or isolated network
- +Dedicated Worker/server deployment
- +DPA terms and residency controls
- +Support model scoped up front
Contact for private deployment · soon
FAQ
Questions developers actually ask.
Twelve answers — quoted verbatim by the JSON-LD FAQPage that Google rich results consume.
/01
How fast does gPdf render a PDF?
On the benchmark workload, p50 render time is around 3–5 ms and p99 is single-digit milliseconds. End-to-end wall time depends on network distance and request size.
/02
What input format does the API accept?
A JSON DocumentRequest body. Pages, elements, layers, watermarks, headers, footers and tables are all expressed structurally — no HTML, no Markdown, no browser layout pass.
/03
How does gPdf compare to Puppeteer or headless Chrome?
Headless Chromium runs at 200 to 800 ms per render and needs an 800 MB container. gPdf renders the same A4 page in 3 ms inside a 1 MB V8 isolate, with no browser startup or container warm pool. The trade-off is input format: gPdf takes a JSON DocumentRequest, not raw HTML.
/04
What are the gPdf API endpoints?
Core rendering endpoints are POST /api/v1/pdf/render, POST /api/v1/template-render, and POST /api/v1/e-invoice/render. E-invoice object delivery also exposes GET /api/v1/e-invoice/capabilities, GET /api/v1/e-invoice/jobs/{job_id}, and GET /api/v1/e-invoice/jobs/{job_id}/artifacts/{artifact}. They share one API-XXX error-code surface.
/05
Do I need to install fonts on my server for Chinese, Japanese, or Korean?
No. NotoSans CJK is embedded and an automatic font fallback chain handles missing glyphs. gPdf uses bundled fonts, fallback, and strict font modes to prevent silent missing-glyph output.
/06
Which barcodes can I render?
Over 30 symbologies including QR, GS1-128, PDF417, DataMatrix, Aztec, MaxiCode and Code 128. All vector. Overall barcode length lands within 0.1 mm of the requested size — tight enough for GS1- and ITF-14-spec'd label widths.
/07
Does gPdf produce PDF/A or e-invoice compliant output?
Yes. PDF/A-1b, 2b, 3b, 4, 2u, 3u, and PDF/UA-1 are selectable per request. Factur-X and ZUGFeRD attachment streams are supported for e-invoice scenarios.
/08
Can gPdf produce Factur-X, ZUGFeRD or EN 16931 e-invoices?
Yes. gPdf can generate PDF/A-3b output with embedded CII XML for Factur-X / ZUGFeRD workflows. The XML business content must still be valid for the target profile, and validation workflows are handled separately when enabled.
/09
Where does gPdf actually run?
Inside Cloudflare Workers V8 isolates. There is no Chromium container, no Lambda warming, and no document persistence after the request.
/10
Does gPdf store my PDFs or input data?
No. The renderer is stateless. Your DocumentRequest lives in a V8 isolate for the few milliseconds of the render, then it is gone. gPdf has no caching layer and no document store — statelessness is the contract, not an opt-in toggle.
/11
Is there a free tier?
Yes. The Free tier gives 100 pages per day, no credit card. It auto-resets daily and stops at the quota — no surprise bill. Paid tiers start at $5 per month for 100,000 pages.
/12
How do I start using gPdf?
Open the playground above, edit the DocumentRequest, then click Generate PDF — the live edge worker returns a real PDF. Copy the curl snippet into your terminal to call it from anywhere. The playground requires no install and no credit card; an account is needed only to issue your own API key.
Is gPdf a fit
When to use gPdf — and when not to.
Honest boundaries. Pick the right tool for the job; pass on the wrong one.
Use gPdf when you need
- High-volume invoice PDFs
- Shipping labels in any size — 4×6 in, 100×150 mm, custom
- Vector barcodes (QR, Code 128, GS1-128, PDF417, DataMatrix)
- JSON-defined layouts with millimetre coordinates
- PDF/A archival profiles (1b, 2b, 3b)
- Low-latency edge rendering, no Chromium container
- Factur-X / ZUGFeRD e-invoice output packaging
- Both an API and a visual editor backed by the same JSON (https://studio.gpdf.com)
Don't use gPdf if
- You need to print arbitrary existing HTML pages
- Your design system depends entirely on browser CSS
- You need legal e-invoice validation reports without enabling a separate validation workflow
From the blog
Engineering essays, fresh.
Shipping label TCO 2026: iText vs Puppeteer vs gPdf Edge API
Cross-border fulfillment faces severe latency and multi-language rendering challenges. When volume scales to 10 million+ labels, how does the true TCO of global edge computing compare to legacy centralized architectures?
Why logistics and ecommerce are a natural fit for gPdf
Shipping labels are only the first proof point. For logistics and ecommerce teams, gPdf fits the operational document layer: fast label design, vector barcodes, deterministic reprints, and stateless high-volume PDF generation.
Color emoji in PDFs: support, file size, and why it matters
Emoji are now status, sentiment, and context in receipts, tickets, chat exports, and support records. Here is how PDF generators handle color emoji, and why file size matters.
Trust
Compliance & residency
Auditable engineering plus the paperwork — both registers, both verifiable.
REGION
Data residency
EU, US, APAC, and SA residency options. Region requirements are scoped by contract.
STATELESS
Stateless by default
Stateless by default. Standard render requests are not persisted after rendering.
BENCHED
Public benchmarks
Named competitors, full methodology, sampled date. Every benchmark on this page is reproducible — re-run on your own workload before deciding.
DETERMINISTIC
Deterministic
Deterministic layout output. Stable enough for CI snapshot testing when timestamps and metadata are fixed.