MakesPDF
Export notes to accessible, archival-quality PDFs (PDF/A-2A and PDF/UA-1) using the makespdf.com API.
- Overview
- Scorecard
- Updates4
Export an Obsidian note to a typeset, accessible PDF using the makespdf.com API.
Obsidian's built-in export prints the rendered view. This plugin sends the note's markdown to a layout service that produces a tagged PDF: real heading structure, alt text on figures, table headers, and reading order. Output is PDF/A-2A + PDF/UA-1 compliant, which is what accessibility and archival requirements generally ask for.
A note containing callouts, wikilinks, a table, a code block, and task items, exported with the default settings.
Network use and privacy
This plugin sends note content to a remote server. It cannot work offline.
- When you run an export, the note's markdown is POSTed to
https://makespdf.com/api/v1/mdand the resulting PDF is written back into your vault. Nothing else is transmitted. - Embedded local images are read from your vault and inlined into that same
request. Embedded notes (
![[note]]) are inlined too, so their contents are sent as well. - No analytics or telemetry are collected by the plugin.
- The endpoint you talk to is configurable. Point API URL at your own deployment if you do not want to use the hosted service.
- Uploaded source and rendered output are retained by the service for 7 days so you can re-download them, then deleted. See the makespdf.com privacy policy.
Account and cost
No account is required. Without an API key the plugin uses a free anonymous path, which is rate limited by IP (60/hour, 200/day) and capped at 20 pages per export.
Adding an API key from a makespdf.com account raises those limits and removes the page cap. Exports made with a key draw on that account's render credits (1 credit per 10 pages), less any free page allowance currently in effect.
Usage
- Command palette: "Export current note to PDF"
- Ribbon icon: the PDF export button in the left sidebar
The PDF is written into your vault, next to the note, or into the folder set in Output folder. Re-exporting overwrites the previous file.
Output paths are relative to the vault root. PDFs are created through Obsidian's
vault API, so they cannot be written outside the vault: a path like
~/Downloads is not expanded and is rejected rather than creating a folder
named ~ in your vault.
What gets converted
Obsidian-specific syntax is translated to GitHub Flavored Markdown before export:
| Obsidian | Becomes |
|---|---|
[[Page]], [[Page|Alias]] |
plain text (Page, Alias) |
![[note]], ![[note#Heading]] |
the referenced content, inlined (max 3 levels deep) |
![[image.png|400]] |
a sized image |
==highlight== |
<mark> (the API does not yet paint a highlight, so the text renders plain) |
%%comment%% |
removed |
#tag, #nested/tag |
inline code |
> [!tip], > [!danger] and other callouts |
the closest GFM alert |
trailing ^block-id |
removed |
Code blocks are syntax highlighted, tables keep their alignment, and footnotes, task lists, and Mermaid diagrams render natively.
Settings
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| API key | empty | Optional. Raises rate limits and removes the 20-page cap. |
| API URL | https://makespdf.com |
Point at your own deployment if self-hosting. |
| Page size | A4 | A3, A4, A5, Letter, or Legal |
| Font family | Inter | Inter or Noto Sans |
| Font size | 10 | Points, 6 to 24 |
| Output folder | empty | A folder inside your vault. Empty saves the PDF alongside the note. |
Development
npm install
npm run dev # watch build with inline sourcemaps
npm run build # production build
npm run typecheck
npm test
To test against a local API service, run the makesPDF app and set API URL to
http://localhost:8788.
To load the plugin into a vault, symlink the repo into the vault's plugin folder and enable it under Settings, Community plugins:
ln -s /path/to/makespdf-obsidian-plugin \
/path/to/your-vault/.obsidian/plugins/makespdf
License
MIT. See LICENSE.