fpdf
Simple PDF generation for Python
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need simple PDF generation on Python 2.7 or are willing to test thoroughly on Python 3. No, if you require active maintenance, modern Python 3 support guarantees, or production-grade reliability. The copyleft LGPLv3+ license is a blocker for proprietary closed-source projects.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Package targets Python 2.5–2.7 with experimental Python 3 support; modern Python 3 compatibility is uncertain.
- High install friction: the package distributes Windows installers alongside source, suggesting historical platform-specific build complexity.
- Dormant since 2015; last commit August 2024 shows minimal ongoing maintenance despite 911 GitHub stars.
License · maintenance · safety
LGPLv3+ (copyleft) — Licensed under LGPLv3+, a copyleft license requiring derivative works to be distributed under the same or compatible terms. Suitable for open-source projects but imposes obligations on proprietary use.
last release 2015-01-21 (4223 days) · last repo commit 2024-08-20 · 911 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 3,133,937 downloads/mo, #2,736 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install fpdf
from fpdf import FPDF
pdf = FPDF()
pdf.add_page()
pdf.set_font('Arial', 'B')
pdf.cell(0, 'Hello World')
pdf.output('output.pdf')- Whether Python 3 support is production-ready or remains experimental as of version 1.7.2.
- Current status of PIL/Pillow dependency for GIF support and whether it is optional or required.
- Whether the package works reliably on modern Python versions given the 2015 release date.
What it is and what it does
PyFPDF is a lightweight PDF generation library ported from the PHP FPDF project. It lets you create PDF documents programmatically by adding text, images (PNG, GIF, JPG), barcodes (I2of5, code39), and Unicode-encoded TrueType fonts to pages. The library is designed to be simple and easy to extend, with no external runtime dependencies for core PDF and image generation.
The package includes basic HTML-to-PDF conversion and template support with a visual designer. It was originally built for Python 2.5–2.7 and has experimental Python 3 support, though the last release was in 2015 and the project is now dormant. It is suitable for straightforward PDF generation tasks but may require careful testing on modern Python versions.
Use it for
- Generate invoices, receipts, or reports as PDF files from application data.
- Embed barcodes or QR codes in PDF documents for inventory or shipping labels.
- Convert simple HTML content to PDF for archival or distribution.
- Create templated PDF documents with dynamic text and images.
- Build PDF exports for web applications without relying on external PDF services.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need simple PDF generation on Python 2.7 or are willing to test thoroughly on Python 3.
No, if you require active maintenance, modern Python 3 support guarantees, or production-grade reliability. The copyleft LGPLv3+ license is a blocker for proprietary closed-source projects.
Install
fpdf on PyPI
Before you install
High install friction: the package distributes Windows installers alongside source, suggesting historical platform-specific build complexity. Dormant since 2015; last commit August 2024 shows minimal ongoing maintenance despite 911 GitHub stars.
Package targets Python 2.5–2.7 with experimental Python 3 support; modern Python 3 compatibility is uncertain.
License in practice
Licensed under LGPLv3+, a copyleft license requiring derivative works to be distributed under the same or compatible terms. Suitable for open-source projects but imposes obligations on proprietary use.
Quickstart
pip install fpdf
from fpdf import FPDF
pdf = FPDF()
pdf.add_page()
pdf.set_font('Arial', 'B')
pdf.cell(0, 'Hello World')
pdf.output('output.pdf')Verify before relying
- Whether Python 3 support is production-ready or remains experimental as of version 1.7.2.
- Current status of PIL/Pillow dependency for GIF support and whether it is optional or required.
- Whether the package works reliably on modern Python versions given the 2015 release date.
Package facts
| License | LGPLv3+ copyleft |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | High. Source build required |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Dormant 4,223 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 3,133,937 / month, #2,736 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: GNU Lesser General Public License v3 (LGPLv3)Operating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2.5Programming Language :: Python :: 2.6Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.2Programming Language :: Python :: 3.3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4Topic :: Multimedia :: GraphicsTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: PHP ClassesTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: fpdf-1.7.2.tar.gz; fpdf-1.7.2.win32.exe; fpdf-1.7.2.win-amd64.exe
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “pdf generation python”
- fpdfGenerates PDF documents from Python code, supporting text, images,…
- pydyfpydyf generates PDF documents from Python code by implementing the…
- weasyprintWeasyPrint converts HTML and CSS into PDF documents using a…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Libraries packages
urllib3 is an HTTP client library that provides thread-safe connection pooling, SSL/TLS verification, multipart file uploads, request retries, compression support, and proxy handling for Python applications.
Requests is a Python HTTP library that simplifies sending HTTP/1.1 requests with automatic handling of headers, authentication, cookies, and response parsing.
Pluggy provides a plugin system that lets you define hook specifications and register implementations to be called in sequence, enabling extensible Python applications without tight coupling.
Install it if you're building an extensible application or framework.
Provides parsing, arithmetic, and recurrence rule computation for dates and times, with timezone support and iCalendar RFC compliance.
Install it if you need to parse flexible date strings, compute relative dates, handle timezones, or work with recurrence rules—it's the de facto choice for these tasks.
Six provides utility functions to write Python code that runs on both Python 2.7 and Python 3.3+, smoothing over language differences between the two versions.
pytest is a testing framework that lets you write test functions using plain assert statements and automatically discovers and runs them, with detailed failure reporting.
See also fpdf2 · img2pdf · PyRTF3 · wkhtmltopdf · django-wkhtmltopdf · gotenberg-client · pdf2image · typst · unPDF · pdf417gen