PDF to HTML to PDF conversion results in different page margins

Aspose.PDF Product Family
1

Hello Aspose Team,

I am working on a round-trip scenario where I convert a PDF to HTML, make a small edit in the HTML, and then convert it back to PDF.

I’ve attached the following files for reference:

Aspose.PDF issue conversion html.zip (1.5 MB)

  1. Original-PDF.pdf – the source file
  2. Original-HTML-After-Conversion-With-AsposePDF.html – HTML generated by Aspose.PDF
  3. Edited-HTML.html – the same HTML with a small style change
  4. Edited-PDF.pdf – the final PDF after converting the edited HTML back

Issue

The output PDF (Edited-PDF.pdf) shows margins that are noticeably different from the original. This happens even though I haven’t changed anything related to page size or margins in the HTML.

  • Is there a way to automatically preserve the original PDF’s PageInfo (size and margins) during round-trip conversion?
  • Are there any additional flags or workarounds to ensure the output PDF matches the original layout exactly?

Thank you for your help!

2

@gabriel.vega

To preserve the original PDF’s page size and margins during the round-trip conversion from PDF to HTML and back, you can use the following approaches:

  1. Set Page Size and Margins Manually: When converting the edited HTML back to PDF, ensure that you explicitly set the page size and margins to match those of the original PDF. You can do this using the PageInfo properties in Aspose.PDF.

    Here’s a sample code snippet:

    // Load the edited HTML
Document pdfDocument = new Document("Edited-HTML.html");

// Set the page size and margins to match the original PDF
pdfDocument.PageInfo.Width = originalWidth; // Set original width
pdfDocument.PageInfo.Height = originalHeight; // Set original height
pdfDocument.PageInfo.Margin = new MarginInfo(originalLeftMargin, originalRightMargin, originalTopMargin, originalBottomMargin);

// Save the document as PDF
pdfDocument.Save("Edited-PDF.pdf");

  2. Use HTML Load Options: When converting HTML to PDF, you can use HtmlLoadOptions to control how the HTML is processed. This can help in maintaining the layout.

    HtmlLoadOptions options = new HtmlLoadOptions();
options.PageSize = new Size(originalWidth, originalHeight);
options.Margin = new MarginInfo(originalLeftMargin, originalRightMargin, originalTopMargin, originalBottomMargin);

Document pdfDocument = new Document("Edited-HTML.html", options);
pdfDocument.Save("Edited-PDF.pdf");

  3. Check CSS Styles: Ensure that the CSS styles in your edited HTML do not inadvertently alter the layout. Sometimes, styles can affect margins and padding, leading to discrepancies in the final PDF.

By following these steps, you should be able to achieve a more consistent output that closely matches the original PDF’s layout. If you continue to experience issues, consider reviewing the original PDF’s properties and ensuring that all relevant settings are applied during the conversion process.