PDF Generation

PDF Generation

Overview

Generate professional PDFs from markdown files using Pandoc with Eisvogel template styling. Supports English and Russian documents with customizable themes, table of contents, and professional typography including EB Garamond font for Russian text.

Quick Start

Basic commands:

# Desktop/Print PDF (A4 format)
pandoc doc.md -o doc.pdf --pdf-engine=xelatex --toc --toc-depth=2 -V geometry:margin=2.5cm -V fontsize=11pt -V documentclass=article

# Mobile-friendly PDF (6x9 phone screen optimized)
pandoc doc.md -o doc-mobile.pdf --pdf-engine=xelatex --toc --toc-depth=2 -V geometry:paperwidth=6in -V geometry:paperheight=9in -V geometry:margin=0.5in -V fontsize=10pt -V linestretch=1.2

# Russian PDF with EB Garamond
pandoc doc-ru.md -o doc.pdf --pdf-engine=xelatex --toc --toc-depth=2 -V geometry:margin=2.5cm -V fontsize=11pt -V documentclass=article -V mainfont="EB Garamond"

# Russian Mobile PDF
pandoc doc-ru.md -o doc-mobile.pdf --pdf-engine=xelatex --toc --toc-depth=2 -V geometry:paperwidth=6in -V geometry:paperheight=9in -V geometry:margin=0.5in -V fontsize=10pt -V linestretch=1.2 -V mainfont="EB Garamond"

Document Theme Colors

• White Papers - Blue (1e3a8a)
• Marketing - Green (059669)
• Research - Purple (7c3aed)
• Technical - Gray (374151)

YAML Frontmatter Example

---
title: "Document Title"
subtitle: "Subtitle"
author: "Author"
date: "2025-11-18"
titlepage: true
titlepage-color: "1e3a8a"
titlepage-text-color: "ffffff"
book: true
---

See references/frontmatter_templates.md for complete templates.

Markdown Formatting Best Practices

For optimal PDF rendering, ensure:

• Blank lines before lists - Required for proper list rendering
• Blank lines after headings - Improves spacing
• Nested list indentation - Use 3 spaces for sub-items

Common Claude Code Pattern

Lists after colons need blank lines:

Your data spans 9 years with complete tracking:

- Item 1
- Item 2

Without blank line after colon, renders as inline text.

Automatic Fix

Use preprocessing script:

scripts/fix_markdown.py input.md output.md

Automatically detects and fixes:

• Lists after colons (Claude Code format)
• Lists after headings
• Nested list spacing

Layout Options

Desktop/Print Layout (A4)

• Paper: 210mm x 297mm (A4)
• Margins: 2.5cm
• Font size: 11pt
• Best for: Printing, reading on large screens, archival

Mobile Layout (Phone-optimized)

• Paper: 6in x 9in (phone aspect ratio)
• Margins: 0.5in (minimal for screen space)
• Font size: 10pt with 1.2 line spacing
• Best for: Phone/tablet reading, Telegram/messaging apps

Default for Telegram Bot: Use mobile layout for all PDFs sent via Telegram unless user explicitly requests print/desktop version.

Generation Workflows

Workflow 1: Simple PDF

• Check context (Telegram = mobile, otherwise desktop)
• Check if Russian (use EB Garamond if yes)
• Run appropriate pandoc command
• Verify output

Workflow 2: Professional Title Page

• Add YAML frontmatter with theme color
• Include metadata (title, author, date)
• Choose layout (mobile vs desktop)
• Generate with xelatex

Workflow 3: Using Script

scripts/generate_pdf.py doc.md -t white-paper
scripts/generate_pdf.py doc.md -t marketing --russian
scripts/generate_pdf.py doc.md --mobile  # Mobile layout

Resources

• scripts/generate_pdf.py - Automated generation
• references/frontmatter_templates.md - YAML templates
• references/pandoc_reference.md - Command reference

Troubleshooting

Install pandoc: brew install pandoc

Install LaTeX: brew install --cask mactex

Mobile-Friendly PDFs

For phone and tablet reading, use the mobile layout option:

# Using script (recommended)
scripts/generate_pdf.py doc.md --mobile

# Direct pandoc command
pandoc doc.md -o doc-mobile.pdf \
  --pdf-engine=xelatex \
  --toc --toc-depth=2 \
  -V geometry:paperwidth=6in \
  -V geometry:paperheight=9in \
  -V geometry:margin=0.5in \
  -V fontsize=10pt \
  -V linestretch=1.2 \
  -V colorlinks=true \
  -V linkcolor=blue \
  -V urlcolor=blue

Mobile layout features:

• 6x9 inch page size (optimal for mobile screens)
• 10pt font (readable on smaller screens)
• 0.5in margins (maximizes content area)
• 1.2 line spacing (improved readability)
• Auto-generated -mobile.pdf filename suffix

When to use mobile layout:

• Sharing research via Telegram/messaging apps
• Reading on phones or tablets
• Creating portable reference documents
• Quick consumption on the go

Default context: Mobile layout is used by default when generating PDFs through the Telegram bot for optimal mobile reading experience.