Convert a WordPress Website to PDF – Step-By-Step Instructions

WordPress is the world’s #1 content management system. Launched in 2003, it’s been around long enough to know how to handle virtually any blogging or content-based task. As a content management system, it’s been particularly useful for webmasters seeking to build a library of content for their readers to enjoy. And what’s more, it’s free!

While there are many reasons why someone might want to convert a WordPress website into a PDF, it’s often due to the need to present content in a book-like format. With dozens, perhaps hundreds, of blogging platforms available and the ability to automate the conversion of posts to PDFs, the demand for creating PDFs using WordPress tools is clear.

In this tutorial, we’ll go over how to use a tool known as FPDI to convert a WordPress website to PDF. FPDI, which stands for “Formatted PDF Digital Immutable”, is a type of PDF designed to allow for the creation of “immutable” (unchangeable) PDFs. This means that FPDI allows for the creation of PDFs that can be used over an extended period of time as references or templates for other documents. The end result is a more “book-like” look and feel that makes it easier for readers to navigate through the content.

The Benefits Of Converting A WordPress Blog To PDF

Let’s start by talking about the benefits of converting a WordPress blog to PDF. When creating a PDF of a blog post, there are many things you can do to make the text larger and more prominent. With a regular PDF, you won’t have this option because the text is already of a predetermined size. But with an FPDI-compliant PDF, you can increase or decrease the text size by clicking on the screen and making changes with the click of a button.

The other benefit of an FPDI PDF is its ability to accept layer formatting. A lot of PDF readers, including the Acrobat reader, don’t support layers. With an FPDI-compliant PDF, you can make text larger or smaller, change its color, and apply a filter to make it look grunge or vintage. All of these elements are easily accessible from the menu at the top of the page.

Another great thing about converting a blog to PDF is that you can lock it down and prevent editing or alterations by non-commercial users. With a regular PDF, anyone with editing software and a personal computer can make changes and alterations. But with an FPDI-compliant PDF, this is made difficult because the text is digitally signed and time-stamped.

How To Convert A WordPress Blog To PDF

With that out of the way, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how to convert a WordPress blog to PDF. The first step is to log in to your WordPress admin dashboard and click on Tools→Export.

From here, you’ll see a number of options for exporting your content. Go ahead and choose the “PDF” format and click on the “Continue” button.

You’ll now be brought to a form where you can input the name of the PDF file and the filename for the output. For the purpose of this tutorial, let’s call this PDF file “blog article.pdf” (you can use whatever you want but be mindful of existing files or folders that may have the same name).

Once you’ve entered this information, click on the “Create PDF” button to generate your file.

A few things to note here. First, if you’ve chosen a template for your blog, you’ll notice that the filename is already included in the format. So, feel free to use that as the basis for your filename. Also, you can choose whether or not to include keywords in the filename. This way, your file will be more discoverable by search engines.

Now that you have your blog article.pdf file, head over to Tool→Import to bring your existing blog posts into FPDI. Alternatively, you can click on the icon to the right of the “Blog article” heading to find all the posts in your WordPress blog.

You’ll see options to either import all the posts or just the most recent five. Go ahead and choose the “Import All” button to bring in all the content.

When importing all the content, you have the option of whether or not to bring in “draft” posts (which are not published yet). You can leave this option untouched unless you have a specific need to bring the drafts along for the ride. Otherwise, go ahead and choose “No” to prevent the importing of drafts.

Now, the import process can be a tedious one. Depending on the size of your blog, it may take a while for FPDI to go through all the articles. So, if you’re looking to quickly move through the process, you can manually remove any imported drafts after the fact.

Making Small Edits To Your Bloghttp://michaelnyhwgt.com/blog/making-small-edits-to-your-blog/

Now that your blog is imported into FPDI, you have the ability to make edits to its content. But before you start changing things around, you should probably go through the entire blog and correct any typos or make any necessary updates. Don’t worry, this won’t affect your PDF in any way; the PDF will remain untouched and unaltered as everything is stored in a digital format.

So, go ahead and make your small edits to your blog. Once you’ve finished with the basic copy, you can start using the various tools inside FPDI to make your blog look the way you want it to. For example, you can use the text enlarger to make the text larger and more legible. Or, if you want to add a little bit more personality to your blog, you can use the text effects options to add a vintage or grunge feel to your articles.

Convert A WordPress Website To PDF Using FPDI

When it comes to easily creating a PDF from a WordPress website, nothing is simpler or more straight-forward than using FPDI. For starters, all you need is an internet connection, a WordPress login, and access to the Tools→Export menu.

From there, you can choose the “PDF” format, enter the name of the file, and choose whether or not to include keywords.

After that, you’ll see a number of options for exporting your content. Go ahead and choose the “PDF” format and click on the “Create PDF” button.

On the next page, you’ll be asked to input the name of the PDF file and the name of the blog post (if this is the first blog article you’re converting). After that, you can choose whether or not to include keywords in the filename and click on the “Create PDF” button.

One thing to note about FPDI is that it doesn’t, by default, convert images to PDF. If you have images associated with your articles or blog posts, you’ll need to do one of the following:

• Upload the image to your WordPress site and use the **from URL** button under the linked media for each image to bring it into FPDI (this option is usually the best because you can use existing images from your WordPress site but keep the original file size small).
• Use an online image hosting service like Imgur to store and share your images. Once posted, you can access them through a URL like this: http://imgur.com/u///.
• Use an online image editing service like Canva to quickly create a professional-looking infographic, banner, or logo from any image you find on the web.
• Use an online photo editing service like PicsArt to create a slideshow of your images.

FPDI is definitely not the only tool available for converting a WordPress website to PDF. There are many other free or cheap alternatives available including Twoscoop, Thrive Architect, and even Microsoft Word and Excel. But, for the sake of this tutorial, we’ll focus on going over how to use FPDI because it’s what most people will be familiar with or have already used.