---
id: sphinx-simplepdf
version: "1.7.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# sphinx-simplepdf — An easy to use PDF Builder for Sphinx with a modern PDF-Theme.

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 90.4K/mo

## What it is and what it does

Sphinx-SimplePDF is a Sphinx extension that generates PDF output from Sphinx documentation projects. It integrates directly into the Sphinx build system and provides a modern PDF theme, allowing you to produce publication-ready PDFs alongside your standard HTML documentation.

The package depends on weasyprint for PDF rendering, libsass for stylesheet processing, and beautifulsoup4 for HTML manipulation. It runs as a Sphinx builder, meaning you invoke it through the standard `make simplepdf` command after installation, with output placed in your build directory. The extension has been in production use since 2022 and maintains active development.

Use it for:

- Generate downloadable PDF versions of API documentation or user guides from Sphinx source
- Create print-ready documentation with consistent styling across your entire Sphinx project
- Automate PDF builds in CI/CD pipelines alongside HTML documentation generation
- Produce offline-readable documentation for distribution to users without web access

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Sphinx-SimplePDF is a Sphinx extension that converts Sphinx documentation projects into PDF files with a modern theme, using a single command.

Yes. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive MIT license, and solves a common need for Sphinx users. No known vulnerabilities and stable production status make it a straightforward choice if you need PDF output from Sphinx documentation.

## Install

pip install sphinx-simplepdf
uv add sphinx-simplepdf
poetry add sphinx-simplepdf

## Installing sphinx-simplepdf

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution. The package is actively maintained with a recent release (255 days ago) and an active repository, making it a stable choice for Sphinx-based projects.

License in practice: MIT license is permissive and imposes minimal restrictions; you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and private projects with only attribution required.

Quickstart:

pip install sphinx-simplepdf

Then in your Sphinx documentation directory:
make simplepdf

The generated PDF will be in _build/simplepdf/

Verify before relying:

- Whether weasyprint and libsass system dependencies require additional setup beyond pip installation on your platform
- Specific Python version compatibility (requires_python is unspecified in the fact sheet)

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 90.4K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

sphinx pdf builder, sphinx to pdf conversion, documentation pdf generation, sphinx pdf theme, build pdf from sphinx docs, sphinx simplepdf extension, sphinx-extension, pdf-generation

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/sphinx-simplepdf) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/sphinx-simplepdf/)