selenium-print-external

Like https://github.com/bubblegumsoldier/selenium-print but you can bring your own driver, like undetected-chromedriver.

selenium-print-external is a lightweight Python package that enables printing the current page of an existing Selenium WebDriver instance to PDF.

This package is designed for users who manage their own Selenium WebDriver lifecycle (e.g., using selenium, undetected-chromedriver, or other WebDriver managers) and simply need a utility to trigger the browser's "Print to PDF" functionality on the currently loaded page.

It differs from libraries like selenium-print because it does not create or manage the WebDriver instance itself. You provide the driver, you navigate it, and then you use this library to print.

Features

• Uses an existing, user-provided Selenium WebDriver instance.
• Leverages the browser's built-in "Print to PDF" via Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP).
• Minimal dependencies (primarily selenium).
• Avoids internal driver initialization, preventing common setup issues.
• Returns PDF as raw bytes or saves directly to a file.

Installation

pip install selenium-print-external

You also need selenium installed, and whichever WebDriver package you are using (like selenium itself, undetected-chromedriver, etc.).

pip install selenium
# Optional, if using undetected-chromedriver
pip install undetected-chromedriver

Usage

1. Initialize your WebDriver using your preferred method (e.g., selenium, undetected-chromedriver).
2. Navigate the driver to the desired web page.
3. Wait for any dynamic content to load if necessary.
4. Instantiate ExternalSeleniumPrinter with your driver.
5. Call print_current_page_to_pdf() to get the PDF bytes or save to a file.
6. Manage your driver's lifecycle (e.g., driver.quit()) yourself.

import undetected_chromedriver as uc
from selenium_print_external import ExternalSeleniumPrinter
import time
import os

# --- User manages driver ---
options = uc.ChromeOptions()
# options.add_argument('--headless') # Headless often needed for servers
driver = uc.Chrome(options=options, use_subprocess=False)

try:
    # Navigate to the desired page
    url = "https://www.example.com"
    print(f"Navigating to {url}...")
    driver.get(url)

    # Optional: Wait for page elements or a specific condition
    print("Waiting for page to potentially load...")
    time.sleep(3) # Simple wait, replace with explicit waits if needed

    # --- Use the library to print ---
    print("Initializing printer...")
    printer = ExternalSeleniumPrinter(driver)

    # Option 1: Save to file
    output_pdf_path = "example_uc.pdf"
    print(f"Printing current page to {output_pdf_path}...")
    printer.print_current_page_to_pdf(output_path=output_pdf_path)
    print(f"PDF saved: {os.path.exists(output_pdf_path)}")

    # Option 2: Get raw bytes
    # print("Printing current page to bytes...")
    # pdf_bytes = printer.print_current_page_to_pdf()
    # print(f"Received {len(pdf_bytes)} bytes.")
    # with open("example_uc_bytes.pdf", "wb") as f:
    #     f.write(pdf_bytes)
    # print("PDF from bytes saved.")

finally:
    # --- User manages driver ---
    print("Quitting driver...")
    driver.quit()

Notes

• This library relies on the Page.printToPDF Chrome DevTools Protocol command. Ensure your WebDriver instance supports CDP commands (most modern Chrome/Chromium drivers do).
• The user is responsible for all driver setup, navigation, waiting strategies, and teardown (driver.quit()). This library only performs the print action.