Open Source · MIT · PHP 8.1+

arabel-pdf
Zero-dependency PHP PDF library

Generate invoices, reports and certificates programmatically in PHP. No system dependencies. No configuration. Just Composer.

View on GitHub Visual Builder
composer require arabel/pdf
Features

Everything you need, nothing you don't

arabel-pdf ships with a focused feature set for document generation — no bloat, no system libraries, no surprises.

Zero dependencies

Pure PHP. No wkhtmltopdf, Ghostscript, ImageMagick or any other system library required.

UTF-8 text

Full Unicode support. Render any language, accented characters and special symbols.

Tables

Complex multi-column tables with custom headers, cell padding and border control.

Images

JPEG and PNG images with pixel-perfect positioning. Works with URLs and local file paths.

Multi-page

Automatic page breaks, headers and footers, page numbering across documents of any length.

Variable system

Use {{clientName}} placeholders — fill at runtime for invoices, certificates and bulk generation.

Visual builder export

Design visually in Arabel, export clean PHP code targeting arabel-pdf — ready to run in your project.

MIT licensed

Use in personal and commercial projects. No attribution required. Fork it, modify it, ship it.

Installation

Up and running in 60 seconds

arabel-pdf requires PHP 8.1 or higher. Install it with Composer:

1

Install via Composer

Run this in your project root. No additional configuration needed.

composer require arabel/pdf
2

Require the autoloader

Include Composer's autoloader at the top of your PHP file.

<?php
require 'vendor/autoload.php';

use Arabel\Pdf\Document;
3

Generate your first PDF

That's it. You're ready to generate PDFs.

$doc = new Document();
$doc->addPage();
$doc->text('Hello World', ['fontSize' => 24, 'align' => 'C']);
$doc->output('hello.pdf');
Examples

Common use cases

Invoice with dynamic data

<?php
require 'vendor/autoload.php';
use Arabel\Pdf\Document;

$doc = new Document(['margins' => ['top' => 15, 'right' => 15, 'bottom' => 15, 'left' => 15]]);
$doc->addPage();

// Header
$doc->text('INVOICE #2026-001', ['fontSize' => 18, 'fontStyle' => 'B']);
$doc->text('Issued: ' . date('d/m/Y'), ['fontSize' => 10, 'color' => '#6b7280']);
$doc->spacer(8);

// Client
$doc->text('Bill to: Acme Corp', ['fontSize' => 11]);
$doc->spacer(12);

// Items table
$doc->table([
    'headers' => ['Description', 'Qty', 'Unit', 'Total'],
    'rows' => [
        ['PDF Builder Pro', '1', '€49.00', '€49.00'],
        ['Setup fee',       '1', '€0.00',  '€0.00'],
    ],
    'headerBg' => '#a78bfa',
]);
$doc->spacer(8);
$doc->text('Total: €49.00', ['align' => 'R', 'fontSize' => 12, 'fontStyle' => 'B']);

$doc->output('invoice.pdf');

Certificate with variable substitution

$vars = ['name' => 'Jane Doe', 'course' => 'PHP Mastery', 'date' => '14 May 2026'];

$doc = new Document();
$doc->addPage();
$doc->text('Certificate of Completion', ['fontSize' => 24, 'align' => 'C', 'fontStyle' => 'B']);
$doc->spacer(16);
$doc->text('This certifies that {{name}}', ['vars' => $vars, 'align' => 'C']);
$doc->text('has completed {{course}} on {{date}}', ['vars' => $vars, 'align' => 'C']);

$doc->output('certificate.pdf');

💡 Tip: Design your layout visually in the Arabel PDF Builder, then export → PHP to get production-ready arabel-pdf code automatically.

API Reference

Document API

All methods are chainable. The $doc instance is your entry point.

Method Parameters Description
new Document() array $options = [] Create a new document. Options: margins, pageSize, orientation.
addPage() array $options = [] Add a new page. Optional: size, orientation.
text() string $text, array $options = [] Write text. Options: fontSize, fontStyle, color, align, vars.
table() array $config Render a table. Config: headers, rows, headerBg, cellPadding.
image() string $src, array $options = [] Insert image (JPEG/PNG). Options: x, y, width, height.
spacer() int $height = 8 Add vertical whitespace (in mm).
hr() array $options = [] Draw a horizontal rule. Options: color, width, style.
setHeader() callable $fn Set a header callback — called automatically on every page.
setFooter() callable $fn Set a footer callback — called automatically on every page.
output() string $filename, string $dest = 'F' Output the PDF. Destinations: 'F' file, 'D' download, 'S' string, 'I' browser.
Comparison

How arabel-pdf compares

Choosing a PHP PDF library? Here's how arabel-pdf stacks up against the alternatives.

Feature arabel-pdf mPDF FPDF TCPDF Dompdf
Zero dependencies ✓ ✗ ✓ ✓ ✗
Composer install ✓ ✓ ✗ ✗ ✓
PHP 8.1+ native ✓ ✓ ~ ✓ ✓
Visual builder ✓ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗
Variable system ✓ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗
License MIT GPL-2 FPDF LGPL LGPL
UTF-8 support ✓ ✓ Plugin ✓ ✓
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Run composer require arabel/pdf in your project root. PHP 8.1 or higher required. No other setup needed.
No. arabel-pdf is pure PHP. It does not require wkhtmltopdf, Ghostscript, ImageMagick, or any other external binary or system library. It runs on any PHP 8.1+ environment — shared hosting included.
Yes. arabel-pdf is MIT licensed. Use it freely in personal and commercial projects with no attribution requirement.
Yes. arabel-pdf uses a similar method-chain API to mPDF and FPDF, so migration is straightforward. The Arabel visual builder can also export code targeting mPDF or FPDF directly if you prefer.
The Arabel PDF Builder is a browser-based drag-and-drop canvas. When you export as PHP, it generates production-ready arabel-pdf code — so you can design visually and automate server-side.
Yes. UTF-8 is supported out of the box. Accented characters, Italian, French, German, Spanish and other Latin scripts work without any additional configuration.