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How to generate a PDF from a template in PHP

Call the Inkspan /v1/generate/template endpoint from PHP to generate a PDF from a template — no headless browser, font stack, or rendering infrastructure in your deploy. Keep your API key in the environment and POST.

Set CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER so the body comes back as a string rather than printing. Always check the HTTP status before writing the file.

PHP example

<?php
$ch = curl_init('https://api.inkspan.dev/v1/generate/template');
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_POST => true,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
        'X-API-Key: ' . getenv('INKSPAN_KEY'),
        'Content-Type: application/json',
    ],
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => '{"template": "<h1>{{ name }}</h1>", "data": {"name": "Ada"}}',
]);

$body = curl_exec($ch);
$code = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);
if ($code !== 200) { throw new Exception($body); }
file_put_contents('out.pdf', $body);

Request parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`template`	string	yes	A Jinja2 template. Supports `{{ variables }}`, `{% for %}` loops, `{% if %}` conditionals, and filters.
`data`	object	yes	JSON object whose top-level keys become template variables.
`filename`	string	no	Filename in the response's Content-Disposition.

Response

Returns a PDF as a binary stream with Content-Type: application/pdf and Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=document.pdf. Write the response body straight to disk — do not parse it as JSON.

Production notes

Read the key with getenv() rather than hardcoding it, and keep it out of version control.

Template syntax is Jinja2, not Handlebars or Mustache. Loops are {% for i in items %}…{% endfor %}, not {{#each}}.
Only top-level keys in data become variables. Passing {"data": {"invoice": {...}}} means you reference {{ invoice.number }}, not {{ number }}.
Undefined variables render as empty rather than raising. Validate your data server-side if a missing field should be an error.

Errors

Status	Meaning	Fix
`401`	Invalid or missing API key	Send your key in the `X-API-Key` header.
`402`	Monthly quota exceeded	The response reports used/quota. Upgrade at inkspan.dev/#pricing.
`422`	Missing or invalid parameter	Check required fields in the table above — the body names the offending field.

Failed requests do not count against your quota; only successful ones are metered.

Get a free API key →

Same operation in cURL · Python · Node.js · Other frameworks: Next.js · Django · Laravel · Ruby on Rails · All guides