Chromium PDF Creator & Producer
Understanding PDF metadata that shows Chromium as the Creator — learn how Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and other Chromium-based browsers create PDF files using the built-in Print to PDF feature.
📄 About This PDF Metadata
When you examine a PDF file's properties and see Chromium (or Chrome, HeadlessChrome) listed as the Creator, it indicates that the document was generated using a Chromium-based web browser's "Save as PDF" or "Print to PDF" feature.
Sample PDF Metadata from Chrome/Chromium:
Creator: Chromium
Producer: Skia/PDF m131
Creation Date: 2025-01-27 10:30:45
Tagged: yes
PDF Version: 1.4
The Creator field identifies the browser that initiated the PDF creation, while the Producer field shows Skia/PDF with a version number — the underlying graphics library that actually generates the PDF content.
PDF Creator
Shows the browser name: Chromium, Chrome, HeadlessChrome, or the specific browser variant. This identifies which application initiated the PDF creation.
PDF Producer
Shows Skia/PDF m[version] — Google's Skia graphics library with the Chromium milestone number. This is the engine that renders and generates the actual PDF.
🌐 What is Chromium?
Chromium is an open-source web browser project developed primarily by Google. Released in September 2008 alongside Google Chrome, Chromium serves as the foundation for Chrome and many other browsers. It aims to build a safer, faster, and more stable way for all Internet users to experience the web.
Project Information
| Developer: | Google (with contributors) |
| Released: | September 2, 2008 |
| License: | BSD and other open-source |
| Written In: | C++, JavaScript, Python |
| Website: | chromium.org |
Technical Details
| Rendering Engine: | Blink (forked from WebKit) |
| JavaScript Engine: | V8 |
| Graphics Library: | Skia |
| PDF Library: | PDFium |
| Lines of Code: | 36+ million |
Key Features of Chromium:
Sandboxed Tabs
Each tab runs in isolated process for security
V8 JavaScript
High-performance JavaScript execution
DevTools
Powerful built-in developer tools
Print to PDF
Built-in PDF generation from any webpage
Accessibility
Tagged PDFs for screen readers (Chrome 85+)
Extensions
Extensive extension ecosystem
⚙️ How Chromium Creates PDFs
When you use "Save as PDF" or "Print to PDF" in a Chromium-based browser, the browser uses its internal printing infrastructure combined with the Skia graphics library to convert the rendered webpage into a PDF document.
PDF Generation Process:
- User initiates print (Ctrl+P) and selects "Save as PDF"
- Blink rendering engine prepares the page for print layout
- CSS print styles and @media print rules are applied
- Page is paginated according to paper size and margins
- Skia PDF backend converts content to PDF format
- Metadata and accessibility tags are embedded
Since Chrome 85 (August 2020), Chromium automatically generates tagged PDFs that include structural metadata for accessibility. This makes PDFs created by Chrome more accessible to screen readers and assistive technologies.
💡 Did You Know?
Chromium uses two different PDF-related libraries: Skia for creating PDFs (Print to PDF), and PDFium for viewing and displaying PDFs within the browser.
📤 How to Save as PDF
Saving a webpage as PDF in Chrome or any Chromium-based browser is straightforward:
Method 1: Using Print Dialog (Recommended)
Open Print Dialog
Press Ctrl+P (Windows/Linux) or ⌘+P (Mac), or go to Menu → Print
Select Destination
Click the Destination dropdown and select "Save as PDF"
Configure Options
Set pages, layout (Portrait/Landscape), paper size, and margins as needed
More Settings (Optional)
Click "More settings" for background graphics, headers/footers, and scale options
Save
Click Save and choose where to save your PDF file
Method 2: Using Command Line (Headless Mode)
# Basic usage
chrome --headless --print-to-pdf=output.pdf https://example.com
# With custom paper size
chrome --headless --print-to-pdf=output.pdf --print-to-pdf-no-header https://example.com
Keyboard Shortcuts:
| Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Open Print Dialog | Ctrl+P | ⌘+P |
| System Print Dialog | Ctrl+Shift+P | ⌘+Shift+P |
| Save Page As | Ctrl+S | ⌘+S |
🔧 Print to PDF Options
Chrome's Print to PDF feature offers several customization options:
Layout Options
- Portrait/Landscape: Page orientation
- Paper Size: Letter, A4, Legal, etc.
- Pages: All, specific pages, or range
- Pages per Sheet: 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, or 16
Margins
- Default: Standard browser margins
- None: No margins (edge to edge)
- Minimum: Smallest possible margins
- Custom: Set your own margins
More Settings
- Scale: Fit to page or custom percentage
- Headers & Footers: Include page info
- Background Graphics: Include colors/images
- Selection Only: Print selected text
Output Options
- Destination: Save as PDF or printer
- Color: Color or Black and White
- Two-sided: If printer supports
- Copies: Number of copies
⚠️ Important
To include background colors and images in your PDF, make sure to enable "Background graphics" in the More settings section. This is disabled by default to save ink when printing.
🌐 Chromium-Based Browsers
Many popular browsers are built on Chromium and will show similar PDF metadata when using Print to PDF:
Google Chrome
The most popular browser, built on Chromium with Google services
Microsoft Edge
Microsoft's browser, switched to Chromium in 2020
Opera
Feature-rich browser with built-in VPN and ad blocker
Brave
Privacy-focused browser with built-in ad blocking
Vivaldi
Highly customizable browser for power users
Arc
Modern browser with innovative tab management
Common Creator Values by Browser:
| Browser | PDF Creator Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome | Chromium or Chrome | May vary by version |
| Microsoft Edge | Chromium | Uses same engine |
| Headless Chrome | HeadlessChrome/[version] | For automation |
| Puppeteer/Playwright | HeadlessChrome/[version] | Browser automation tools |
| Electron Apps | Chromium | Desktop apps using Chrome |
🔍 Understanding PDF Metadata
PDFs created by Chromium-based browsers contain standard metadata fields:
| Metadata Field | Typical Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Web page <title> | Taken from the HTML title tag |
| Creator | Chromium, Chrome |
The browser that created the PDF |
| Producer | Skia/PDF m131 |
Skia graphics library with version |
| Creation Date | Timestamp | When the PDF was created |
| Modification Date | Timestamp | Usually same as creation date |
| Tagged | yes |
Accessibility tags (Chrome 85+) |
| PDF Version | 1.4 |
PDF specification version |
| Page Size | 612 x 792 pts |
Letter size (or selected size) |
View PDF Metadata:
# Using pdfinfo (Linux/macOS)
pdfinfo document.pdf
# Example output from Chrome PDF:
Title: Example Website - Home
Creator: Chromium
Producer: Skia/PDF m131
CreationDate: Mon Jan 27 10:30:45 2025
ModDate: Mon Jan 27 10:30:45 2025
Tagged: yes
Pages: 3
Page size: 612 x 792 pts (letter)
🛠️ Troubleshooting
Common issues when creating PDFs with Chrome/Chromium:
Background Colors/Images Missing
Cause: The "Background graphics" option is disabled by default.
Solution: In the print dialog, click "More settings" and enable "Background graphics" checkbox.
Page Breaks in Wrong Places
Cause: The webpage doesn't have proper CSS print styles defined.
Solution: Use @media print CSS rules with page-break-before, page-break-after, or break-inside: avoid properties.
Content Cut Off at Page Edges
Cause: Margins are set too small or content exceeds page width.
Solution: Try using "Default" or "Minimum" margins instead of "None". Adjust the Scale setting to fit content on page.
Headers and Footers Unwanted
Cause: "Headers and footers" option is enabled by default.
Solution: In "More settings", uncheck the "Headers and footers" option to remove page URL and date.
Links Not Clickable in PDF
Cause: Some CSS styles or JavaScript may interfere with link preservation.
Solution: Ensure links use standard <a href> tags. Chrome generally preserves hyperlinks, but complex styling might affect this.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
When a PDF shows "Chromium" as the Creator in its metadata, it means the document was generated using a Chromium-based browser's "Save as PDF" or "Print to PDF" feature. This includes Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave, and other browsers built on Chromium.
Chromium is the open-source browser project. Google Chrome is Google's commercial product built on Chromium with added features like automatic updates, Google Sync, licensed media codecs (H.264, AAC), and crash reporting. Both use the same core rendering and PDF generation technology.
Yes! Since Chrome 85 (August 2020), Chrome automatically generates tagged PDFs that include structural metadata for accessibility. This includes headings, lists, tables, paragraphs, and image descriptions that screen readers can use. The PDF metadata will show "Tagged: yes".
Yes! You can use Chrome's headless mode from command line (chrome --headless --print-to-pdf) or use automation libraries like Puppeteer (Node.js), Playwright (multiple languages), or Selenium to control Chrome and generate PDFs programmatically.
"HeadlessChrome" appears when the PDF was generated using Chrome's headless mode — typically through automation tools like Puppeteer, Playwright, or direct command-line usage. This is common for server-side PDF generation in web applications.
Yes, Chromium is completely free and open-source software, primarily licensed under the BSD license. Google Chrome (built on Chromium) is also free to use but is not open-source. Both can create PDFs at no cost.
Check the PDF's metadata/properties (usually via File → Properties in your PDF reader). Look for: Creator showing "Chromium", "Chrome", or "HeadlessChrome"; Producer showing "Skia/PDF m[version]"; and typically "Tagged: yes" for Chrome 85+.
🛠️ Related Tools
PDF Metadata Viewer
Free tool to view PDF metadata including Creator, Producer, and creation dates.
View PDF Metadata →
📝 Summary: Chromium PDF Metadata
- Chromium is the open-source browser project
- Creator shows Chromium, Chrome, or HeadlessChrome
- Producer shows Skia/PDF m[version]
- Use Ctrl+P → Save as PDF
- Enable "Background graphics" for colors/images
- Released by Google in September 2008
- Foundation for Chrome, Edge, Opera, Brave
- Tagged PDFs for accessibility (Chrome 85+)
- Uses Blink engine and Skia graphics
- Free and open source (BSD license)