What You'll Need

n8n Cloud or self-hosted n8n

Hetzner VPS or Contabo VPS for hosting

Namecheap if domain needed

Node.js 16+ installed locally

A PDF generation library (we'll use PDFKit)

Basic knowledge of n8n workflows

Table of Contents

The PDF Generation Challenge

Setting Up Your n8n Workflow

Building a Node.js PDF Service

Connecting n8n to Your PDF Generator

Real-World Example: Sales Report Automation

Getting Started

The PDF Generation Challenge

I've been automating workflows for three years now, and PDF generation is one of the most common requests I get. The challenge isn't just creating a PDF—it's doing it reliably, at scale, without manual intervention.

Most no-code platforms struggle with dynamic PDF creation because they lack granular control over styling, layout, and data injection. That's where combining n8n Cloud with a custom Node.js service becomes powerful.…