ReportLab PDF Generation

Overview

ReportLab is a powerful Python library for programmatic PDF generation. Create anything from simple documents to complex reports with tables, charts, images, and interactive forms.

Two main approaches:

• Canvas API (low-level): Direct drawing with coordinate-based positioning - use for precise layouts
• Platypus (high-level): Flowing document layout with automatic page breaks - use for multi-page documents

Core capabilities:

• Text with rich formatting and custom fonts
• Tables with complex styling and cell spanning
• Charts (bar, line, pie, area, scatter)
• Barcodes and QR codes (Code128, EAN, QR, etc.)
• Images with transparency
• PDF features (links, bookmarks, forms, encryption)

Choosing the Right Approach