EspoCRM has recently introduced a new PDF engine, Dompdf, in version 7.4. This is great news for those who require advanced PDF customization and styling. Dompdf offers much better CSS support than the Tcpdf engine that EspoCRM currently uses, giving users more flexibility and control over the appearance of their PDF documents.
One of the benefits of using Dompdf is its support for CSS3, including advanced selectors, multi-column layouts, and custom fonts. This means that users can create PDF documents that closely match their website or brand identity, with more options for styling and formatting. Additionally, Dompdf offers support for responsive design, making it easy to create PDFs that are optimized for viewing on different devices.
To switch to the new Dompdf engine in EspoCRM, users can go to Administration > Settings > PDF Engine and select Dompdf. It’s a simple process that can be done in just a few clicks. Once switched, users can take advantage of the advanced CSS support and other features that Dompdf offers.
While Dompdf is a powerful engine, there are a few limitations to be aware of. For example, it does not support mass printing into a single PDF document, instead, multiple PDFs are zipped together. Additionally, there is no ability to print a total number of records in the footer or header of a PDF document. However, these limitations can be worked around by adding custom code to the PDF templates.
Another limitation of Dompdf is that barcode text, padding, and background color do not work out of the box. However, this can be easily achieved by adding the necessary code to a PDF template. Users can find instructions and examples for adding barcode support in the EspoCRM documentation.
In summary, the new Dompdf engine in EspoCRM version 7.4 offers much better CSS support than the previous Tcpdf engine, giving users more control and flexibility over the appearance of their PDF documents. The engine can be easily switched in the settings menu, but users should be aware of its limitations, including no support for mass printing into a single PDF document and no ability to print a total number of records in the footer or header. Despite these limitations, Dompdf is a powerful tool for PDF customization and styling, and is well worth considering for EspoCRM users who require advanced PDF features.
Release details are available on official github.
