makesPDF — Markdown to PDF for VS Code
Turn the Markdown file you're editing into a cleanly typeset, accessible, archive-grade PDF with one command. Rendering runs on makesPDF.com — no Chromium, no LaTeX, no local toolchain.
Why makesPDF?
- GitHub-Flavored Markdown in, styled PDF out. Tables, fenced code blocks with syntax highlighting, task lists, nested lists, Mermaid diagrams, embedded images — all handled.
- Nothing to install locally. No headless browser, no native binaries, no font wrangling. If you have the extension and an internet connection, you can generate PDFs.
- Millisecond renders. A deterministic DSL pipeline renders a typical Markdown document in ~100ms — no AI in the hot path.
- PDF/A-2A + PDF/UA-1 compliant. Dual-compliant archival and accessible PDFs by default: full structure tree, embedded fonts, Unicode-correct text extraction. Safe for regulated industries, long-term storage, and screen readers.
- Consistent output everywhere. Same Markdown → same PDF on macOS, Windows, Linux, or CI. Bundled fonts (Inter, NotoSans) and a deterministic layout engine mean no more "works on my machine" PDFs.
- Configurable page layout. A3, A4, A5, Letter, Legal; per-side margins in points; font size 6–24pt.
- API-first, so it grows with you. The same service also powers invoices, quotes, CVs, and statements via a REST API designed for automation and AI agents. Bring your own AI (Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, or any MCP-capable agent) to author templates once and render them on demand. See makespdf.com/docs.
Pricing
makesPDF has a generous free tier. Short Markdown documents are free under the current promo, and the Free plan gives you 10 credits per month (roughly 100 pages) beyond that. PDFs on Free and Hobbyist plans include a small makespdf.com link at the bottom of the page — paid plans remove it.
Getting started
- Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace.
- Sign up at makespdf.com and create an API key at makespdf.com/settings/api-keys.
- Paste your key into the
makespdf.apiToken setting (VS Code will prompt you the first time you try to generate a PDF).
- Open any
.md file and run makesPDF from markdown — from the Command Palette, the PDF icon in the editor title bar, or the right-click menu.
The generated PDF is saved next to your source file and opened in your system viewer.
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
makespdf.serviceUrl |
https://makespdf.com |
URL of the PDF service. Change this only if you're running makesPDF self-hosted. |
makespdf.apiToken |
"" |
API token sent as Authorization: Bearer <token>. Get one at makespdf.com/settings/api-keys. |
makespdf.pageSize |
A4 |
A3, A4, A5, Letter, or Legal. |
makespdf.fontFamily |
Inter |
Inter or NotoSans. |
makespdf.fontSize |
10 |
Font size in points (6–24). |
makespdf.margins |
[40, 40, 40, 40] |
Page margins in points [top, right, bottom, left]. |
Links
Contributing
See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, build commands, and publishing instructions.
License
MIT
| |
