Better markdown PDF

Export Markdown to PDF or PNG from Visual Studio Code, with native typography powered by Markview. Choose a ready-made template or create your own look with an MVSS stylesheet.

The native engine is included in the extension. No separate Markview, Chromium, Rust, or TeX installation is required.

Contents

• Features
• Usage
• Extension settings
• Templates
• FAQ
• Requirements
• Links and license

Features

Usage

Command palette

Open a Markdown document, press Cmd+Shift+P on macOS, and choose a command:

The exported file is revealed in your system file manager.

Right-click menu

Right-click inside the open Markdown editor, then choose Better markdown PDF: Export to PDF or Better markdown PDF: Export to PNG. These commands use your default template and go directly to the save dialog.

The menu entries are in the editor, not the Explorer or editor tab menu.

Extension settings

Open Preferences: Open Workspace Settings (JSON) and set your default template:

{
  "markviewExport.template": "mondrian"
}

To use your own template next to the Markdown file:

{
  "markviewExport.template": "./report.mvss.toml"
}

Absolute paths are also supported. Relative template paths resolve from the Markdown file's folder, not from the folder containing settings.json. For an untitled document, they resolve from its workspace folder; without a workspace folder, use an absolute template path.

The setting respects workspace-folder and [markdown] overrides. For example:

{
  "[markdown]": {
    "markviewExport.template": "monochrome"
  }
}

Templates

Built-in templates

Use Export with Template… to choose a template for one export. Selecting None uses the default Print style and bypasses your configured template.

Write your own template

Templates use MVSS, Markview's TOML-based stylesheet format. They describe page setup, colors, fonts, headings, spacing, code blocks, tables, and other Markdown elements. MVSS is not CSS; existing CSS themes must be translated.

See the MVSS stylesheet guide for the complete format, supported properties, and examples. Useful sections:

• Rules and conditions: target headings, paragraphs, links, and other elements.
• Fields: colors, fonts, spacing, borders, and related properties.
• Paper: page size, margins, and PDF headers and footers.
• Bundled template sources: copy a paper theme and adapt it.

Start by saving this as report.mvss.toml:

format_version = 2
version = 1
targets = ["pdf"]

[meta]
name = "My Report"
description = "Blue headings on A4 paper"

[page]
size = "a4"
margin = [22, 20, 22, 20]

[[rule]]
when = ["h1"]
color = "#244C80"

[[rule]]
when = ["link"]
color = "#315D86"
decoration = ["underline"]

• format_version = 2 selects the MVSS format; version is your template's revision.
• targets = ["pdf"] is the paper destination used by both PDF and PNG exports.
• [page] sets paper geometry. Margins are in millimetres, ordered top, right, bottom, left.
• Each [[rule]] selects an element through when and changes only the properties you specify.

Your rules are layered over the built-in Print stylesheet, so you can start with just a few changes. To try the file, run Export with Template… and select Choose a template file…, or set markviewExport.template to its path. No template installation or separate Markview download is needed. The guide's reader installation commands are optional and are not part of this workflow.

FAQ

Do I need to save my Markdown first?

No. Exports include the current buffer, including unsaved edits. The save dialog suggests the source document's name with a .pdf or .png extension.

How are relative images resolved?

Relative document resources resolve beside the Markdown file. For an untitled document, the workspace folder is used, or the chosen output folder when no workspace is open. Remote images may be downloaded during export.

Can I use my standalone Markview settings or installed templates?

The extension keeps its engine storage separate. Select your .mvss.toml file explicitly or configure its path; the reader's personal settings are not imported.

Is there a preview or automatic export on save?

This version provides manual export commands. It has no preview panel or export-on-save option.

Requirements

• Local VS Code in a trusted workspace; the current VSIX is for darwin-arm64.
• A compatible GPU for PNG export.
• Browser editors, remote documents, Remote-SSH, and dev containers are outside the current supported scope.

The engine starts on first use and exits with its VS Code window.

Links and license

• Markview source and issue tracker
• MVSS stylesheet guide
• Changelog

Licensed under MIT. The extension bundles the Markview native engine; third-party notices are included in the package.