Mdpdf a 2k line C CLI to convert Markdown to tiny PDFs
I have always searched for a simple tool which can convert a MD document to a well styled small PDF, just like a GitHub Readme. This was inspired by TinyPDF https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46316968 I also used this project to get familiar with agentic coding, which I had dreaded before. mdpdf supports: - using the included PDF fonts to generate tiny valid PDFs - outputs as A4 or Letter depending on your locale - plenty of common MD syntax: code blocks, inline code, lists, tables, and jpg and png images That's it. It covers probably most of the use cases and can help to…
In plain words
Mdpdf is a lightweight command-line tool that converts Markdown documents to compact PDFs formatted like GitHub Readmes. Built as a 2,000-line C program, it generates minimal file sizes using embedded PDF fonts and supports common Markdown syntax including code blocks, lists, tables, and images. Output automatically adjusts to A4 or Letter page size based on locale. Intended for developers who need a simple way to convert Markdown write-ups into shareable PDFs without external dependencies.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
I have always searched for a simple tool which can convert a MD document to a well styled small PDF, just like a GitHub Readme. This was inspired by TinyPDF https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46316968 I also used this project to get familiar with agentic coding, which I had dreaded before. mdpdf supports: - using the included PDF fonts to generate tiny valid PDFs - outputs as A4 or Letter depending on your locale - plenty of common MD syntax: code blocks, inline code, lists, tables, and jpg and png images That's it. It covers probably most of the use cases and can help to simply convert a Markdown write-up to a PDF to share. GitHub: https://github.com/schicho/mdpdf A simple make call should build it for you.
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