PDF documents operations library

Python module that delivers a comprehensive set of actions to manipulate and convert files to PDF. It is specifically designed to be easily integrated into Robotic Process Automation (RPA) workflows.

The module is natively compatible with Robocorp and provides streamlined abstractions over complex PDF tasks.

Business Capabilities

rpa-pdf accelerates your automation projects by providing out-of-the-box features for:

• Universal Document Conversion: Convert Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), HTML, Text, Emails (.msg, .eml), and Images into standard PDF formats without manual intervention.
• Document Manipulation: Merge, compress, split, and rotate PDF files.
• Content Extraction: Rip raw text or embedded images directly out of PDF pages.
• Compliance & Stamping: Automatically stamp PDFs with text (watermarks) or Code39 barcodes (useful for invoice tracking, archiving, and indexing).
• Automated Printing: Send PDFs directly to physical or virtual printers without UI prompts.

Architecture & Structure

The package is built with a modular architecture leveraging robust Python libraries (pypdf, fpdf2, Pillow, comtypes, xhtml2pdf, extract-msg) abstracted behind a simple, RPA-friendly API.

• rpa_pdf.Pdf: The core facade exposing primary manipulation methods (merge, compress, print) and text-to-PDF capabilities.
• rpa_pdf.Stamp: Utilities focused entirely on adding text and barcode overlays onto existing documents.
• rpa_pdf.Converter: A universal registry-based format converter that dynamically proxies out to appropriate engines based on file extensions.
• rpa_pdf.TextExtractor & rpa_pdf.ImageExtractor: Extract embedded content from PDFs.
• rpa_pdf.PdfSplitter & rpa_pdf.PdfRotator: Handle page-level PDF mutations.
• Bundled Executables: Bundles necessary fonts and lightweight viewers (like SumatraPDF) to guarantee predictable cross-environment execution, especially for silent printing operations.

Installation

We recommend using a modern package manager like uv or standard pip.

# Using pip
pip install rpa-pdf

# Using uv
uv pip install rpa-pdf

Examples

1. Universal File Conversions (Word/Excel/PowerPoint/HTML/Email/Images)

The simplest way to convert any supported format into a PDF is using the universal Converter class. (Note: Office conversion requires Microsoft Office to be installed on the machine)

from rpa_pdf import Converter

converter = Converter()

# Converts Word documents
converter.convert('c:/temp/document.docx', 'c:/temp/document.pdf')

# Converts Excel spreadsheets
converter.convert('c:/temp/data.xlsx') # Defaults to c:/temp/data.xlsx.pdf

# Converts Emails (.eml, .msg)
converter.convert('c:/temp/email.msg', 'c:/temp/email.pdf')

# Converts HTML & Images
converter.convert('c:/temp/index.html', 'c:/temp/website.pdf')
converter.convert('c:/temp/scan.png', 'c:/temp/scan.pdf')

2. Merging PDF Files

Combine multiple invoice documents into one package.

from rpa_pdf import Pdf

pdf = Pdf()
pdf.merge(['c:/temp/invoice_1.pdf', 'c:/temp/invoice_2.pdf'], 'c:/temp/merged_invoices.pdf')

3. Adding Text and Barcode Stamps

Great for adding tracking codes or "CONFIDENTIAL" watermarks to documents before they are printed or archived.

from rpa_pdf import Stamp

stamp = Stamp()

# Add a text watermark to the center of the first page
stamp.add_text_stamp(
    input_pdf_file_path='c:/temp/input.pdf',
    output_pdf_file_path='c:/temp/watermarked.pdf',
    text='CONFIDENTIAL',
    font_size=40,
    text_horizontal_position='center',
    text_vertical_position='center'
)

# Add a Code39 tracking barcode
stamp.add_code39_stamp(
    input_pdf_file_path='c:/temp/input.pdf', 
    output_pdf_file_path='c:/temp/barcoded.pdf', 
    code='12345678',
    vertical_position='top',
    horizontal_position='right'
)

4. Splitting & Rotating PDFs

Extract individual pages from a large batch document or fix scanned orientations.

from rpa_pdf import PdfSplitter, PdfRotator

# Split all pages into individual files
splitter = PdfSplitter()
splitter.split('c:/temp/batch_invoices.pdf', 'c:/temp/output_folder')

# Rotate the first page 90 degrees
rotator = PdfRotator()
rotator.rotate('c:/temp/scanned_doc.pdf', angle=90, pages='first')

5. Content Extraction

Pull text and embedded images out of a PDF.

from rpa_pdf import TextExtractor, ImageExtractor

text_extractor = TextExtractor()
text = text_extractor.extract_text('c:/temp/document.pdf', pages=[0, 1])

img_extractor = ImageExtractor()
img_extractor.extract_images('c:/temp/document.pdf', 'c:/temp/images')

6. Generate PDF from Raw Text

Directly write string contents to a brand new PDF document.

from rpa_pdf import Pdf

pdf = Pdf()
pdf.text_to_pdf(text="Automated report execution successful.", output_file_path="c:/temp/report.pdf")

7. Compressing a PDF File

Reduce the file size of a PDF before sending it via email.

from rpa_pdf import Pdf

pdf = Pdf()
pdf.compress('c:/temp/large_file.pdf')

8. Print a PDF Silently

Print directly to a named printer using the bundled SumatraPDF engine.

from rpa_pdf import Pdf

pdf = Pdf()
pdf.print('c:/temp/document.pdf', 'printer_name')

Development & Testing

This project uses uv for dependency management and ruff for linting. Tests are run via pytest.

# Install dependencies including development extras
uv sync --all-extras

# Run tests
pytest