Convert Markdown to PDF in Python: Basic Conversion and Page Setup

Markdown is commonly used for technical documentation, project descriptions, and work notes. Its simple markup organizes headings, paragraphs, and lists, making documents easy to edit and manage with version control. For printing, archiving, or external delivery, however, these documents often need to be converted to PDF with fixed pagination and page layouts.

This article uses Spire.Doc for Python to demonstrate two approaches: converting a Markdown file directly to PDF and customizing the paper size, page orientation, and margins before conversion.

1. Install the Dependency and Prepare a Sample File

Spire.Doc for Python is a Python library for reading, creating, and converting documents. In this article, it is used to load Markdown files and export them as PDFs.

Run the following command in your terminal:

pip install Spire.Doc 

Create a file named Sample.md in the Python script's working directory. You can use the following content for testing:

# Document Conversion Project: Weekly Report  > Reporting period: November 2–6, 2026 > Project lead: Alex Chen > Document status: Pending review  ## 1. Project Overview  This project converts team-maintained **Markdown documents into PDF files** for printing, archiving, and external delivery. This week, testing focused on: - Layout of headings, paragraphs, and lists - Display of **bold text** and *italic text* - Conversion of hyperlinks, tables, and code blocks - A4 paper size, page orientation, and margin settings For Markdown syntax, see the [Markdown Guide](https://www.markdownguide.org/basic-syntax/). Submit generated PDF files to the [Project Document Center](https://example.com/documents). ## 2. Weekly Task Progress  | Task ID | Task | Owner | Status | Completion | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | DOC-101 | Organize the product user guide | Alex Chen | Completed | 100% | | DOC-102 | Write the conversion script | Emma Li | Completed | 100% | | DOC-103 | Verify Chinese text layout | Sophie Wang | In progress | 80% | | DOC-104 | Check tables and code blocks | Ryan Zhao | In progress | 60% | | DOC-105 | Review delivery documents | Chris Liu | Not started | 0% | ...... 

Save the Markdown file using UTF-8 encoding. The examples below automatically create an output directory to store the generated PDFs.

2. Convert a Markdown File Directly to PDF

If you do not have specific paper size or margin requirements, you can load the Markdown file and save it directly in PDF format.

Here is the complete code:

from pathlib import Path from spire.doc import * from spire.doc.common import * # Create the output directory Path("output").mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) # Create a document object doc = Document() # Load the Markdown file doc.LoadFromFile("Sample.md", FileFormat.Markdown) # Save the document as a PDF doc.SaveToFile("output/MarkdownToPDF.pdf", FileFormat.PDF) # Release document resources doc.Dispose() 

The conversion primarily involves two methods:

The conversion parses the Markdown document structure and generates formatted pages, rather than placing the raw Markdown source into a PDF as plain text. For example, headings, lists, and emphasis markers in the source file are used to format the document.

After running the script, you can find MarkdownToPDF.pdf in the output directory.

3. Customize Page Settings Before Conversion

Markdown primarily describes content structure. The source file typically does not specify A4 paper, landscape orientation, or print margins. To control these settings, modify the document's PageSetup after loading the file and before exporting it to PDF.

The following example uses A4 paper in landscape orientation with 50-point margins on all four sides:

from pathlib import Path from spire.doc import * from spire.doc.common import * # Create the output directory Path("output").mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) # Create a document object doc = Document() # Load the Markdown file doc.LoadFromFile("Sample.md", FileFormat.Markdown) # Get the first section of the document section = doc.Sections.get_Item(0) # Get the page settings page_setup = section.PageSetup # Set the paper size, page orientation, and margins page_setup.PageSize = PageSize.A4() page_setup.Orientation = PageOrientation.Landscape page_setup.Margins.All = 50 # Save the document as a PDF doc.SaveToFile("output/MarkdownToPDFPageSetup.pdf", FileFormat.PDF) # Release document resources doc.Dispose() 

Compared with the basic conversion example, this code adds steps to access a document section and configure its page layout. The settings are explained below:

Margins are measured in points (pt), not millimeters. One inch equals 72 points, so 50 points is approximately 17.64 millimeters. To use 20-millimeter margins, convert the value to points:

page_setup.Margins.All = 20 * 72 / 25.4 

Page settings affect the available content width and pagination. Landscape orientation provides more horizontal space, making it suitable for documents with wide content. Standard documentation can use portrait orientation according to its printing requirements.

Note that doc.Sections.get_Item(0) retrieves the document's first section, not its first page. Page settings apply to the pages within that section. If a document contains multiple sections and requires a consistent layout throughout, configure each section separately.

4. What Should You Check After Conversion?

After exporting the PDF, check the following:

• Chinese fonts: Ensure that the required Chinese fonts are installed in the runtime environment and that the exported text displays correctly.
• Image resources: If the Markdown file references images, ensure that the resources are accessible and that the corresponding images appear in the output.
• Wide content: Check line wrapping and page boundaries for tables and long lines of code. Adjust the page orientation or margins if necessary.
• Extended syntax: Support for extended syntax can vary between Markdown parsers. For documents containing formulas, embedded HTML, or specialized diagrams, verify the conversion using actual files.

Page settings control the paper and content area, but the layout of individual elements still needs to be checked. Before converting files in bulk, test a representative document to identify potential issues with fonts, resource paths, and pagination.

5. Summary

The basic workflow for converting Markdown to PDF with Spire.Doc for Python is to create a document object, load the Markdown file, export it as a PDF, and release the resources. To control the print layout, use PageSetup to configure the paper size, page orientation, and margins before exporting.

Basic conversion provides a starting point for ordinary notes and documentation. For materials that need to be printed or delivered in a consistent format, add page settings to the same workflow and review the final pagination.