Markdown to PDF: Complete User Guide

Use this tool to turn ordinary Markdown into a clean, printable PDF. Write or paste Markdown in the editor, check the live Preview, choose a document style, then use Print and select Save as PDF.

Best workflow: draft the content first, add diagrams and layout only where they improve understanding, set the global style near the end, then inspect Preview before printing.

1. Choose the right starting style

Use case	Recommended style	Why
General notes, assignments, project documents	Default	Clean, familiar Markdown document.
Lecture notes, reports, mathematical write-ups, handouts	Academic	TeX-inspired typography, booktabs tables, balanced margins, and equation numbering enabled by default.
Technical documentation or modern reports	Modern	Clear sans-serif type, strong hierarchy, and a contemporary layout.
Essays, reading notes, literary writing	Elegant	Generous spacing and a calmer serif presentation.
Cheat sheets, revision sheets, dense references	Compact	Uses space efficiently without removing structure.
Conference-style papers	2-Column	Print-only two-column output. Avoid very wide tables and diagrams here.

Open Styles to choose a preset. Any manual change makes the document Custom; use Save as My Style when you want to reuse your settings later.

2. File, view, and editor controls

Set Title: names the document and supplies {title} for headers and footers.
Upload: opens a .md or .markdown file.
Save .md: downloads the current source Markdown.
Print: opens the browser print flow for PDF export.
Split View / Editor Only / Preview Only: choose the most useful working view.
Sync: links editor and Preview scrolling in both directions. Turn it off when independently inspecting different sections.
Full: expands the tool for focused editing.
Hide Format: hides only the formatting toolbar; the top file controls remain available.
Clear: removes the current document. Save your Markdown first if you need it.

3. Essential Markdown

Headings and emphasis

# Document title
## Main section
### Subsection

**bold**
*italic*
***bold italic***
~~strikethrough~~
`inline code`

Use headings in order. A well-structured document is easier to read and lets the tool update large notes more efficiently.

Lists, tasks, quotes, links, and rules

- Bullet item
  - Nested item

1. First step
2. Second step

- [ ] Incomplete task
- [x] Finished task

> A quote, definition, warning, or important takeaway.

[OpenAI](https://openai.com/)

---

The formatting toolbar can insert all of these. For selected text it can also apply bold, italic, strike-through, inline code, headings, alignment, lists, links, quotes, code blocks, tables, images, and layouts.

Tables

| Topic | Key idea | Status |
|:--|:--:|--:|
| Markdown | Plain-text formatting | Ready |
| PDF | Print-ready document | Ready |

Use the alignment row below the header: :-- for left, :--: for center, and --: for right. Keep every row to the same number of columns. If Markdown contains literal vertical bars inside mathematics or code, escape them as \| or use a code block instead.

4. Images and code

Images

![A useful description](https://example.com/figure.png)

Use the Image toolbar button when you need a caption, centering, or a custom width/height. Local images are embedded in the Markdown as base64, which makes the file self-contained but larger. Prefer a stable image URL when file size matters.

Code blocks

```python
def square(x):
    return x * x
```

Write the language after the opening fence when possible for syntax highlighting. Long code blocks are allowed to continue across pages in the PDF instead of being pushed wholesale to the next page.

5. Mathematics with KaTeX

Use dollar delimiters for ordinary mathematics:

Inline math: $E = mc^2$

$$
\int_a^b f(x)\,dx
$$

\[
\nabla \cdot \mathbf{E} = \frac{\rho}{\varepsilon_0}
\]

For structured display mathematics, place a supported LaTeX environment directly in the Markdown:

\begin{align}
  f(x) &= (x+3)^2 \\
       &= x^2 + 6x + 9
\end{align}

\begin{equation}
  |x| = \begin{cases}
    x, & \text{if } x \geq 0 \\
    -x, & \text{if } x < 0
  \end{cases}
\end{equation}

Supported display environments include equation, align, alignat, gather, multline, their starred forms where applicable, and common matrix/cases environments.

Equation numbering: in Styles → Elements, enable Auto-number equation environments. It numbers unstarred equation, align, alignat, gather, and multline blocks. It does not number $$...$$, \[...\], or starred environments such as align*.

6. Diagrams: Mermaid or TikZ?

Choose	Best for	Use when
Mermaid	Flowcharts, sequences, state diagrams, timelines, simple concept maps	You want quick, readable diagrams generated from compact text.
TikZ	Math, physics, geometry, automata, circuit-like figures, precise technical diagrams	You need exact placement, notation, and textbook-style vector output.

Mermaid

```mermaid width=60%
flowchart TD
  A[Read source] --> B[Write Markdown]
  B --> C{Check Preview}
  C -- Yes --> D[Print PDF]
  C -- No --> B
```

TikZ

```tikz width=58%
\begin{tikzpicture}
  \draw[->, thick] (-2,0) -- (2.4,0) node[right] {$x$};
  \draw[->, thick] (0,-0.4) -- (0,2.2) node[above] {$y$};
  \draw[blue, thick] (0,0) circle (1cm);
  \fill (0,0) circle (1.5pt);
\end{tikzpicture}
```

Diagram size

Set the global default in Styles → Elements → Default Diagram Width. Mermaid and TikZ default to 75% in most styles.
Override one diagram with width=60%, width=55 (also means 55%), or a fixed size such as size=7cm.
Use a smaller percentage for wide graphs. Prefer a larger fixed size only when the diagram must preserve a known physical size in print.

TikZ rules: use a fenced tikz block containing only the picture whenever possible. If an AI gives you a complete LaTeX document, the tool extracts its first complete tikzpicture and supported package/library declarations; document text outside that picture is not included. Core TikZ drawing, nodes, colors, arrows, and AMS symbols work directly. For a dashed outline, write dashed, not draw=dashed.

For supported specialised packages, put \usepackage{...} before \begin{tikzpicture}. Available browser-runtime packages include amsbsy, amsfonts, amsgen, amsmath, amsopn, amssymb, amstext, array, etoolbox, hf-tikz, xparse, physics, circuitikz, chemfig, pgfplots, tikz-cd, tikz-3dplot, yquant, tikz-feynhand, pgf-spectra, kinematikz, and tkz-tab. Use \usetikzlibrary{...} before the picture when a library is needed.

Before printing a note with TikZ, wait until every diagram has finished rendering in Preview. If a diagram fails, the print warning identifies its source line so you can correct it quickly.

7. Layout blocks: put content side by side

Quick equal columns

Use the 2 Col or 3 Col toolbar buttons to insert a starter block. Use them for a table next to an image, a definition next to an example, or a diagram next to its explanation.

::: side-by-side

| Quantity | Value |
|---|---:|
| Speed | 12 m/s |

:::

![A labelled figure](https://example.com/figure.png)

:::

Custom ratios

::: layout 1:2 gap=1em align=center

> **Key definition**
>
> Place short supporting content here.

:::

| Stage | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Write the main detail here. |
| 2 | Add a worked example here. |

:::

Use ratios such as 1:1, 1:2, or 1:1:1. The optional gap= accepts values such as 1em, 12px, or 5mm. The optional align= accepts start, center, end, or stretch. On narrow screens, columns stack for reading; in the PDF, the chosen layout is preserved.

8. Page breaks and raw HTML

Use PgBrk in the toolbar before a new chapter, appendix, or full-page figure. It inserts this print-only break:

<hr class="mde4-pgbrk">

Raw HTML is useful for occasional local control:

<div style="text-align:center">
  Centered text or an image
</div>

<details>
  <summary>Open appendix</summary>
  Extra detail goes here.
</details>

Use raw HTML sparingly. Prefer Markdown and the Styles controls for anything that should remain consistent across the whole document.

9. Styles: what each tab controls

Text

Choose the global font, custom font stack, size, line height, alignment, letter spacing, paragraph spacing, link color, and link underlining. Select text in the editor before using the toolbar font/size controls when you want a local override instead of a document-wide change.

Headings

Set the size, weight, color, alignment, and optional lower border independently for H1 through H6. Keep heading choices restrained; they should show hierarchy, not compete with the content.

Code

Choose a syntax-highlight theme, code font size, and code-block corner radius.

Elements

Lists: bullet and numbered-list formats.
Table style: Normal, LaTeX, Minimal, Striped, Bordered, or Compact.
Alternating table rows: optional for non-Striped styles.
Table width: Fit Content keeps small tables compact; Full Page uses available width.
Default diagram width: separate global widths for Mermaid and TikZ.
Equations: enable numbering for unstarred LaTeX equation environments.
Horizontal rule: choose Solid, Dashed, Dotted, Double, Thick, or Gradient, then select its Rule Color.
Blockquote: choose Classic, Compact, Pull Quote, or Callout; set border color and width.
Word break: controls how difficult table-cell text wraps.

Page / PDF

Choose Letter, A4, or Legal paper; Narrow, Normal, Wide, Extra, or LaTeX Article margins; and one or two print columns. Two print columns are best for text-led papers, not wide tables or diagram-heavy notes.

10. Citations, footnotes, and bibliography

Footnotes

A useful clarification belongs here.[^note]

[^note]: This is the footnote text.

Citation Manager

Open Cite and add an entry manually or import BibTeX.
Give the source a key, for example einstein1905.
Cite it in Markdown with [@einstein1905].
Place [@bibliography] where the reference list should appear.

Choose Numeric or Author-Year style and a citation color in the Citation Manager. Citation keys are case-sensitive.

11. Watermarks

Open Watermark for print-only watermarks. Use a text watermark for labels such as DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, or Sample. Set text, color, opacity, rotation, and size. For a logo or stamp, use the Image tab and set its URL or upload a file, opacity, rotation, size, and position. A transparent PNG generally works best.

12. Headers, footers, and page numbers

Open H/F and enable Header & Footer in print.
Fill the left, center, and right zones for the header and/or footer.
Use {title}, {author}, {date}, {page}, and {total} as variables.
Click a header/footer text field, then use one of the Page-number formats to insert {page} or Page {page} of {total}.
Choose whether horizontal rules appear on the header only, footer only, both, or neither. The rule uses the same H/F color and remains separate from the document Horizontal Rule setting in Styles.

Header left:  {title}
Header right: Chapter 3
Footer center: Page {page} of {total}

Custom headers and footers apply to the printed document as a whole. In the browser print dialog, turn off the browser's own Headers and footers to avoid duplicates.

13. Print checklist

Check the Preview at the beginning, middle, and end of the document.
Wait for all TikZ diagrams to finish rendering.
Check that wide tables wrap cleanly and diagrams fit their page/column.
Use PgBrk before major chapters or a full-page figure when needed.
Open Print, select the intended paper size, and choose Save as PDF.
Disable browser-generated headers/footers if you configured H/F inside this tool.
Open the saved PDF and check page breaks, diagrams, tables, and page numbers once more.

14. Troubleshooting

A table renders as plain text: make sure every row has the same number of |-separated cells and that the second row is the alignment separator.
Math renders as code: close every delimiter and environment exactly. Use $...$ , $$...$$, \[...\], or a complete \begin{...} / \end{...} pair.
A Mermaid diagram fails: simplify its syntax and check that labels containing special characters are quoted where Mermaid requires it.
A TikZ diagram fails or times out: remove full-document commands, use only supported packages/libraries, simplify the picture, and check the source line named in the error.
A diagram is too large: lower its per-diagram width= or size=, or change the global default in Elements.
Preview feels slow for a large note: use heading structure, avoid repeatedly changing many TikZ blocks at once, and switch to Editor Only while drafting.
The PDF differs from Preview: review Page / PDF settings, print scale, browser headers/footers, and any wide content near a page boundary.

Recommended AI instruction: ask the AI to produce a standalone Markdown file, use KaTeX for mathematics, Mermaid for simple process diagrams, TikZ for precise technical figures, no external image links unless you plan to keep them, and complete Markdown fences/environments.