# Create PDF

> Generate a polished, printable PDF — reports, letters, invoices, resumes, one-pagers. Use when the user wants a PDF document. Typst is the primary engine; LaTeX (tectonic) is the fallback for niche packages or specific academic/journal templates.

- Skill: `theexperiencecompany/create-pdf` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 11 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add theexperiencecompany/create-pdf`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/theexperiencecompany/create-pdf/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- Author: theexperiencecompany (https://skillmd.com/u/theexperiencecompany)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/theexperiencecompany/create-pdf

---


# Create PDF

## When to use
The deliverable is a PDF. For Word use `create-docx`, for slides `create-pptx`, for spreadsheets `create-spreadsheet`.

## Engine decision
- **Default: Typst.** Fast, single-pass, and its errors are short and point at a line — you can fix them quickly. Templates here are `.typ`.
- **Fallback: LaTeX via tectonic.** Switch when you need a LaTeX-only package, a specific journal/publisher/thesis format, or Typst fails the same way twice. Adapt `thesis.tex` (a complete academic thesis) or write your own `.tex`; the same `build.sh` compiles `.tex` with tectonic. See `reference.md` for when each applies.

**Skill directory:** `/workspace/integrations/docgen/agent/skills/create-pdf` — the templates, `reference.md`, and `scripts/` referenced below live here. Read them by absolute path (the `read` tool serves them instantly from memory); your own work goes in `./scratch/` (relative to the session).

## Workflow (every job)
1. **Work in a job dir:** `mkdir -p ./scratch/pdf-<short-name>` and do everything there. Never build in `./artifacts/`.
2. **Adapt the closest template — do not start blank.** `read` the best-fit file from `templates/` (see the list below — e.g. `report.typ`, `report-consulting.typ`, `resume.typ`, `resume-classic.typ`, `invoice.typ`), then `write` the filled-in version to `./scratch/pdf-<name>/main.typ`. Read `/workspace/integrations/docgen/agent/skills/create-pdf/reference.md` for syntax and the common-error → fix table.
3. **Put data in a file** if there's a lot of it, and reference it from the source, rather than inlining giant blobs.
4. **Build + validate** with the bundled script (absolute path):
   ```
   bash /workspace/integrations/docgen/agent/skills/create-pdf/scripts/build.sh ./scratch/pdf-<name>/main.typ ./scratch/pdf-<name>/out.pdf
   ```
   It compiles, validates the PDF (non-empty, real pages), and prints `OK: <path> (pages=N)` or a short `ERROR: file:line: message`.
5. **Fix loop:** on `ERROR`, read the message, edit the source, re-run. **Cap at 5 attempts.** If Typst keeps failing on the same construct, switch to the LaTeX/tectonic path (write `main.tex`, run the same `build.sh` with the `.tex` file).
6. **Deliver:** once you get `OK`, move the final PDF into artifacts:
   ```
   mv ./scratch/pdf-<name>/out.pdf ./artifacts/<final-name>.pdf
   ```
   Then report the full path (`/workspace/sessions/<conv>/artifacts/<final-name>.pdf`). Moving it into `artifacts/` is what makes it show up for the user (web card, or sent as a file on WhatsApp/etc).

## Toolchain note
The build script provisions Typst + tectonic on first use; the very first PDF may take a little longer while that happens, then it's fast.

## Never
- Never author a layout from scratch when a template fits — adapt one.
- Never leave the deliverable in `./scratch/`. Never skip the build/validate step.
- Never loop past 5 fix attempts on one engine — fall back to LaTeX or report the blocking error.

## Templates
These are comprehensive, feature-rich starting points — adapt one rather than authoring from scratch. They double as a feature reference, so read the closest fit even just to learn the syntax.

**Typst (default engine — `.typ`):**
- `report.typ` — formal technical/research report: title page, abstract, auto TOC, numbered headings, figures (a drawn bar chart + tables), code block, inline/block math, footnotes, a callout box, block quote, cross-references, running header/footer, references list.
- `report-consulting.typ` — modern management-consulting deliverable: full-bleed cover band, executive-summary callout, KPI metric cards, drawn column chart, two-column findings/implications, styled table, numbered recommendation cards, next-steps box.
- `letter.typ` — business letter with a drawn letterhead, sender/recipient blocks, subject, signature, enclosures/cc, per-page footer.
- `invoice.typ` — itemized invoice with a styled line-items table and subtotal/discount/tax/total **computed in Typst** from an items array.
- `resume.typ` — modern two-column resume: accent header, sidebar, categorized skill chips + proficiency bars, experience/projects/education/certifications.
- `resume-classic.typ` — conservative single-column ATS-friendly resume: centered name, hairline section rules, right-aligned dates, no color (bank/law-firm safe, maximal compatibility).
- `resume-modern.typ` — design-forward single-column resume: full-width colored header band, accent section dividers, drawn skill chips, a timeline rail on experience entries.

**LaTeX (tectonic fallback — `.tex`):**
- `thesis.tex` — complete single-file academic thesis: cover/certificate/declaration/acknowledgement/abstract, TOC + list of figures/tables, roman→arabic page numbering, fancyhdr headers, 6 chapters, a TikZ diagram + a pgfplots chart, booktabs/tabularx tables, numbered equations, and an embedded `thebibliography`. No external files/images. Build with the same `build.sh` (pass the `.tex`).