Embedding and Using Custom Fonts in PDF with Python ReportLab

Part I : using drawString 🔝

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Import the necessary modules:

   import os  # to handle our font dir and path to font files.
   import reportlab
   from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
   from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
   from reportlab.pdfbase import pdfmetrics
   from reportlab.pdfbase.ttfonts import TTFont

2. Get the folder containing the ReportLab library and add the fonts directory to the path:

   folder = os.path.dirname(reportlab.__file__)  # get the folder with path
   folder_font = os.path.join(folder, 'fonts')  # add fonts folder to path 
   print(folder_font)  # print the full path of font dir

3. Define the path to the custom font file:

   custom_font = os.path.join(folder_font, 'Arabic.ttf')  # Path to the font file

4. Register the custom font with ReportLab:

   c_font = TTFont('Arabic', custom_font)
   pdfmetrics.registerFont(c_font)

5. Define the output file path and create a canvas object:

   my_path = 'D:\\testing\\my_pdf\\my_pdf.pdf'  # output file path
   c = canvas.Canvas(my_path, pagesize=letter, bottomup=0)

6. Set the custom font and font size for the canvas:

   c.setFont('Arabic', 16)

7. Write text using the custom font on the PDF canvas:

   msg = 'Welcome to plus2net'
   c.drawString(200, 200, msg)  # write text in page

8. Save the current page and close the canvas to store the file:

   c.showPage()  # saves current page
   c.save()  # stores the file and closes the canvas

By following these steps, you can successfully embed and use custom TrueType fonts in your PDF documents using Python ReportLab. This technique allows for greater flexibility and customization when creating PDF files.

import os # to handle our font dir and path to font files.
import reportlab
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.pdfbase import pdfmetrics
from reportlab.pdfbase.ttfonts import TTFont

folder = os.path.dirname(reportlab.__file__) # get the folder with path
folder_font = os.path.join(folder, 'fonts') # add fonts folder to path 
print(folder_font) # print the full path of font dir 

custom_font=os.path.join(folder_font,'Arabic.ttf') # Path to the font file

c_font=TTFont('Arabic',custom_font) 
pdfmetrics.registerFont(c_font) 

my_path='D:\\testing\\my_pdf\\my_pdf.pdf'# output file path
c = canvas.Canvas(my_path,pagesize=letter,bottomup=0)
c.setFont('Arabic', 16)
msg ='Welcome to plus2net'
c.drawString(200,200,msg) # write text in page 
c.showPage() # saves current page
c.save() # stores the file and close  the canvas

Part II : using Paragraph 🔝

1. Import Necessary Modules

   First, we import the required modules. These modules help us handle file paths, generate PDFs, and work with custom fonts and styles.

   import os  # to handle our font directory and path to font files.
   import reportlab
   from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
   from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter, A4
   from reportlab.pdfbase import pdfmetrics
   from reportlab.pdfbase.ttfonts import TTFont
   from reportlab.lib.styles import ParagraphStyle
   from reportlab.platypus import Paragraph

   Explanation:

   • os: Handles file and directory paths.
   • reportlab: Provides the main library functions for PDF generation.
   • canvas: The object used to create the PDF.
   • pdfmetrics and TTFont: Handle the registration and usage of custom TrueType fonts.
   • ParagraphStyle and Paragraph: Allow you to apply custom styles to text in the PDF.

2. Locate and Register the Custom Font

   We locate the folder where ReportLab's files are stored, find the fonts directory, and register our custom font.

   folder = os.path.dirname(reportlab.__file__)  # Get the directory where ReportLab is installed
   folder_font = os.path.join(folder, 'fonts')  # Path to the fonts directory
   print(folder_font)  # Optionally, print the font directory path
   
   custom_font = os.path.join(folder_font, 'AmrHindi Regular.ttf')  # Path to the custom font file
   c_font = TTFont('Hindi', custom_font)  # Register the font with an alias name 'Hindi'
   pdfmetrics.registerFont(c_font)  # Register the font in ReportLab

   Explanation:

   • os.path.dirname(reportlab.__file__): Gets the directory where the ReportLab module is located.
   • os.path.join(folder, 'fonts'): Constructs the full path to the fonts directory.
   • TTFont('Hindi', custom_font): Registers the custom font under the name 'Hindi'.
   • pdfmetrics.registerFont(c_font): Registers the font with ReportLab so it can be used in the PDF.

3. Create the PDF Canvas

   We specify the output file path and create a canvas object that will be used to draw elements onto the PDF.

   my_path = 'D:\\testing\\my_pdf\\my_pdf.pdf'  # Path to save the generated PDF
   c = canvas.Canvas(my_path, pagesize=letter, bottomup=1)  # Create a canvas for the PDF with Letter size

   Explanation:

   • canvas.Canvas(my_path, pagesize=letter, bottomup=1): Creates a new PDF document at the specified path, with Letter size and the origin at the bottom-left corner.

4. Define a Custom Paragraph Style

   We define a custom paragraph style to apply to the text in the PDF. This style includes the font, background color, border, padding, and alignment.

   my_Style = ParagraphStyle('My Para style',
                             fontName='Hindi',
                             backColor='#F1F1F1',
                             fontSize=10,
                             borderColor='#FFFF00',
                             borderWidth=2,
                             borderPadding=(20, 20, 20),
                             leading=20,
                             alignment=0)

   Explanation:

   • ParagraphStyle: Defines various styling properties for the paragraph.
   • fontName='Hindi': Specifies the custom font to be used.
   • backColor='#F1F1F1': Sets the background color.
   • fontSize=10': Sets the font size.
   • borderColor='#FFFF00': Defines the color of the border around the text.
   • borderWidth=2': Specifies the thickness of the border.
   • borderPadding=(20, 20, 20): Adds padding inside the border.
   • leading=20: Sets the line spacing (leading).
   • alignment=0: Aligns the text to the left.

4. Define a Custom Paragraph Style

   We define a custom paragraph style to apply to the text in the PDF. This style includes the font, background color, border, padding, and alignment.

   my_Style = ParagraphStyle('My Para style',
                             fontName='Hindi',
                             backColor='#F1F1F1',
                             fontSize=10,
                             borderColor='#FFFF00',
                             borderWidth=2,
                             borderPadding=(20, 20, 20),
                             leading=20,
                             alignment=0)

   Explanation:

   • ParagraphStyle: Defines various styling properties for the paragraph.
   • fontName='Hindi': Specifies the custom font to be used.
   • backColor='#F1F1F1': Sets the background color.
   • fontSize=10': Sets the font size.
   • borderColor='#FFFF00': Defines the color of the border around the text.
   • borderWidth=2': Specifies the thickness of the border.
   • borderPadding=(20, 20, 20): Adds padding inside the border.
   • leading=20: Sets the line spacing (leading).
   • alignment=0: Aligns the text to the left.

6. Save and Close the PDF

   Finally, we save the PDF and close the canvas, finalizing the document.

   c.save()  # Save and close the PDF document

   Explanation:

   • c.save(): Finalizes and writes the PDF to the file system, completing the document creation process.

import os # to handle our font dir and path to font files.
import reportlab
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter,A4
from reportlab.pdfbase import pdfmetrics
from reportlab.pdfbase.ttfonts import TTFont

from reportlab.lib.styles import ParagraphStyle
from reportlab.platypus import Paragraph

folder = os.path.dirname(reportlab.__file__) # get the folder with path
folder_font = os.path.join(folder, 'fonts') # add fonts folder to path 
print(folder_font) # print the full path of font dir 

custom_font=os.path.join(folder_font,'AmrHindi Regular.ttf') # Path to the font file
c_font=TTFont('Hindi',custom_font) 
pdfmetrics.registerFont(c_font) 

my_path='D:\\testing\\my_pdf\\my_pdf.pdf'# output file path
c = canvas.Canvas(my_path,pagesize=letter,bottomup=1)

my_Style=ParagraphStyle('My Para style',
fontName='Hindi',
backColor='#F1F1F1',
fontSize=10,
borderColor='#FFFF00',
borderWidth=2,
borderPadding=(20,20,20),
leading=20,
alignment=0
)

width,height=A4

p1=Paragraph('''<b>About this online classes </b><BR/>\
     Welcome to our online classes.<BR/> \
	 You can learn Python, PHP, database like MySQL \
SQLite and many more \
<font face="Hindi" color="blue">We are creating \
PDF by using ReportLab</font> \
<i>This is part of our Final report.</i>''',my_Style)

p1.wrapOn(c,300,50)
p1.drawOn(c,width-550,height-350)
c.save() # stores the file and close  the canvas