Create Blank PDF API Tool

Create Blank PDF

Create Blank PDF is a REST API tool designed to generate new, empty PDF documents with precise page size and page count specifications. As a simple yet vital utility, it serves as the foundational first step in workflows where developers need to programmatically generate PDFs by filling this blank slate text, images, and other content.

Key Benefits of Create Blank PDF API

  • Facilitate dynamic PDF generation workflows by creating a blank document ready to be programmatically filled with content via the Add to PDF tool.
  • Precisely define the dimensions and orientation of the new document using standard sizes (e.g., Letter, A4) or custom measurements.
  • Avoid template storage and management by generating a simple blank canvas instantly, eliminating the need to upload and process static template files.
  • Simplify complex document creation workflows by separating the blank file generation from the content placement step.
  • Ensure document consistency by defining a standard template size and orientation for all subsequently generated content.
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Why is pdfRest the best API to create blank PDF documents?
pdfRest offers the best solution for creating blank PDF documents because it provides precise control over document dimensions, ensures seamless compatibility with subsequent modification steps, and accelerates programmatic content generation.

Enable Programmatic PDF Generation Workflows

The Create Blank PDF API serves as the vital starting point for generating new documents entirely through code. It solves the problem of needing a pre-existing template by allowing developers to instantly define a clean canvas. By separating the creation of the blank file from the content placement step, the workflow becomes highly modular and robust.

This approach is specifically designed to work in conjunction with other pdfRest tools:

  • Foundational Step: Create your document canvas instantly, specifying page dimensions and count.
  • Content Placement: Immediately follow with the Add to PDF tool, using the new blank file's ID to place text, images, and other content precisely onto the pages.
  • Eliminate Templates: Avoid the complexity and maintenance of managing static template files for dynamic PDF creation projects.

This functionality turns the API into a complete solution for programmatic PDF generation.

Guarantee Precise PDF Page Specification and Consistency

Control over the document's physical characteristics is critical for high-volume printing and specialized document use cases. The Create Blank PDF API ensures that every document starts with exact, consistent specifications.

This control guarantees precision and reliability:

  • Standard and Custom Sizes: Define the canvas using widely accepted standard sizes (e.g., A4, Legal, Letter) or provide exact dimensions using custom_width and custom_height for specialized needs.
  • Orientation Control: Easily select the page orientation as portrait or landscape to match your intended content layout.
  • High-Volume Creation: Specify the exact number of pages required, supporting rapid creation of multi-page documents up to the maximum limit, ensuring speed and consistency across large batches.

This high degree of dimensional control ensures the generated PDFs meet strict requirements for printing or digital presentation.

Simplify and Accelerate Multi-Step Modification Pipelines

The Create Blank PDF API is built for developer efficiency, producing a file that is instantly ready for the next processing step. Its simplicity and optimized delivery accelerate complex, multi-tool workflows.

Key features that streamline your development pipeline include:

  • Immediate Availability: The API provides a quick JSON response containing the ID of the newly created blank file, making the file immediately available for the next API call (e.g., Add to PDF).
  • Simple Input Schema: The tool requires only basic parameters like page size and count, making the initial API call lightweight and fast to execute.
  • Efficiency in Chains: By accepting only a resource ID for the subsequent Add to PDF call, the workflow avoids unnecessary file uploads or downloads between steps, significantly boosting overall processing speed.

This focus on clean integration drastically reduces the amount of code needed on your end, allowing you to focus on application logic while the API handles the resource-intensive tasks of creation and preparation.

Start from Code Examples
See more code examples in our GitHub repository

Need more help?

Start with a Tutorial for step-by-step guidance

Customize Your Solution

Learn about the parameters for this tool to create your custom solution.

Page Count

The page_count parameter specifies the total number of blank pages to include in the output PDF document.

This parameter is required and defines the length of your newly created document. You can set the count up to the maximum limit of 1,000 pages per request.

See Documentation

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Confidently process your sensitive data with pdfRest. Our platform is built for robust, Enterprise-grade security and compliance. We meet rigorous standards for GDPR and HIPAA, and our controls are independently audited to ensure strict SOC 2 Type 2 compliance. Your data's protection is our commitment.

Frequently Asked Questions
Need more help? Contact Us or visit our documentation.

The Create Blank PDF API is a simple but vital REST API tool that allows you to programmatically generate new, empty PDF documents with precise page specifications. It is primarily used as the foundational first step in a workflow to create custom PDF content using the Add to PDF API.

You have granular control over the document's structure:

  • Page Size: Choose from standard formats (e.g., Letter, A4, Legal) or define custom dimensions.
  • Page Count: Specify the exact number of pages, up to 1,000.
  • Orientation: Set the page layout to portrait or landscape for standard sizes.

This tool provides the essential canvas for programmatic PDF Generation. By creating a blank PDF with known dimensions, you eliminate the need for a static template file. You can then immediately chain the new blank PDF's resource ID into the Add to PDF tool to dynamically place text, images, and other content onto the pages.

The tools are designed to work seamlessly together. After you create a blank PDF and receive a resource ID in the JSON response, you use that resource ID as the input for the Add to PDF API. This creates an efficient, multi-step chain that handles document creation and content insertion without needing any downloads between steps.

Yes, the API supports several common standard sizes. You can use predefined values like letter, legal, ledger, A3, A4, and A5. This ensures the foundation of your document is correct for common printing and display scenarios.

To create a PDF with custom dimensions, set the page_size parameter to custom. You must then provide the exact dimensions using the custom_height and custom_width parameters. Dimensions are specified in PDF units (72 units = 1 inch).

You can create up to 1,000 blank pages in a single request using the page_count parameter. This high limit is designed to support the rapid, high-volume programmatic generation of large documents like reports or technical manuals.

pdfRest offers a best-in-class solution because it provides precise control over page dimensions and orientation, ensures seamless compatibility with the Add to PDF tool for full content generation, and features a simple, fast input schema designed to accelerate automated workflows.

Yes, you can use the API in a batch processing workflow. By sending multiple requests for blank documents sequentially or in parallel, you can quickly generate a large volume of uniquely configured PDF templates, ready for subsequent content filling.

Integrating the Create Blank PDF API is straightforward. We offer comprehensive API documentation and code samples in many programming languages. The API Lab also allows you to test and generate code snippets directly from your browser, simplifying the setup and ensuring a smooth integration experience.

Ensuring the security and privacy of your data is a top priority at pdfRest. Our platform is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant (learn more at our Trust Center). All your files are secured with encryption during both transit and at-rest, and they are permanently deleted after the stated file retention period (30 minutes for most plans). For complete details, please refer to our Data Processing Agreement (DPA).

To facilitate GDPR compliance for your PDF creation workflows, pdfRest can be configured to process your data within the European Union (EU) and adheres to strict data protection requirements. You can ensure all processing occurs within the EU by sending your API calls to the dedicated EU endpoint: https://eu-api.pdfrest.com/blank-pdf. Please note that a GDPR usage fee may apply for some plans. For more information, please review our Data Processing Agreement (DPA).

Yes, pdfRest offers two self-hosted options. You can explore the pdfRest API Toolkit on AWS which allows you to deploy and manage your own backend processing infrastructure within your AWS environment. Alternatively, the pdfRest API Toolkit Container provides ultimate environmental control as a Docker Container, giving you the flexibility to run the API in your preferred environment.

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