Markdown to pdf

Markdown to PDF Converter Skill

This skill helps you convert Markdown files to PDF format with support for both document-style and presentation-style outputs using Marp.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• Convert Markdown (.md) files to PDF presentations
• Generate slide decks from Markdown
• Create professional PDFs from documentation
• Export README files as PDFs
• Generate presentation-ready slides with Marp themes

Available Conversion Methods

Method 1: Marp Presentation (Recommended)

Best for: Presentations, slide decks, visual content

Command:

python marp_to_pdf.py input.md

Features:

• Beautiful presentation slides from Markdown
• Multiple built-in themes (default, gaia, uncover)
• Automatic slide breaks with ---
• Support for presenter notes
• Code syntax highlighting
• Chinese/CJK character support
• Outputs: input.pdf

Method 2: Marp with Custom Theme

Best for: Branded presentations, custom styling

Command:

python marp_to_pdf.py input.md --theme gaia

Supported Themes:

• default - Clean and simple
• gaia - Modern and colorful
• uncover - Minimalist and elegant

Required Dependencies

The skill requires Marp CLI via npm:

# Install Node.js first (if not installed)
# Then install Marp CLI globally
npm install -g @marp-team/marp-cli

# Or use npx (no installation needed)
npx @marp-team/marp-cli --version

Marp Markdown Syntax

Basic Slide Structure

---
marp: true
theme: default
---

# Title Slide

Your presentation content

---

## Second Slide

- Bullet point 1
- Bullet point 2

---

## Code Example

\`\`\`python
def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")
\`\`\`

Slide Directives

<!-- _class: lead -->
# Centered Title Slide

<!-- _class: invert -->
## Inverted Color Slide

<!-- backgroundColor: #123456 -->
## Custom Background

Presenter Notes

## Slide Title

Slide content here

<!--
These are presenter notes
They won't appear in the PDF
-->

Step-by-Step Instructions

For Standard Marp Presentation:

1. Create Markdown file with Marp frontmatter:

   ---
   marp: true
   theme: default
   ---
   
   # Your Title
   
   ---
   
   ## Content
   

2. Run the converter:

   python ~/.claude/skills/markdown-to-pdf/marp_to_pdf.py presentation.md
   

3. Open the result:

   open presentation.pdf
   

For Custom Themed Presentation:

1. Run with theme option:

   python ~/.claude/skills/markdown-to-pdf/marp_to_pdf.py slides.md --theme gaia
   

2. View the PDF:

   open slides.pdf
   

Supported Markdown Features

✅ Headers (slide titles) ✅ Bold, Italic, Strikethrough ✅ Lists (ordered, unordered, nested) ✅ Code blocks with syntax highlighting ✅ Inline code ✅ Tables ✅ Images (auto-scaled to fit slides) ✅ Links ✅ Blockquotes ✅ Math equations (KaTeX) ✅ Emojis 😊 ✅ Slide backgrounds ✅ Custom CSS ✅ Chinese/CJK characters

Marp-Specific Features

Two-Column Layout

<div class="columns">
<div>

## Left Column

Content here

</div>
<div>

## Right Column

Content here

</div>
</div>

Image Sizing

![width:500px](image.png)
![height:300px](image.png)
![bg](background-image.png)

Slide Backgrounds

![bg](background.jpg)
![bg left](left-background.jpg)
![bg right](right-background.jpg)

Troubleshooting

Issue: Marp CLI not found

Solution:

npm install -g @marp-team/marp-cli
# Or use npx without installation
npx @marp-team/marp-cli --version

Issue: Slides not breaking correctly

Solution: Ensure you use --- to separate slides:

# Slide 1

---

# Slide 2

Issue: Theme not applied

Solution: Add Marp frontmatter at the top:

---
marp: true
theme: gaia
---

Issue: Chinese characters not displaying

Solution: Marp automatically handles system fonts for CJK characters.

Output Files

After conversion, you'll get:

Marp Method:

• filename.pdf - Presentation-style PDF with slides

Optional HTML output:

• filename.html - Interactive HTML presentation

Best Practices

1. For presentations: Use Marp with clear slide breaks

   • One main idea per slide
   • Use --- to separate slides
   • Choose appropriate theme

2. For code demonstrations:

   • Use syntax highlighting with language tags
   • Keep code snippets concise per slide

3. For visual impact:

   • Use background images
   • Apply custom themes
   • Use the _class: lead for title slides

Examples

Example 1: Simple Presentation

python ~/.claude/skills/markdown-to-pdf/marp_to_pdf.py slides.md
# Output: slides.pdf

Example 2: Gaia Theme Presentation

python ~/.claude/skills/markdown-to-pdf/marp_to_pdf.py slides.md --theme gaia

Example 3: Generate HTML and PDF

python ~/.claude/skills/markdown-to-pdf/marp_to_pdf.py slides.md --html
# Output: slides.pdf and slides.html

Example 4: Batch Convert Multiple Presentations

for file in *.md; do
    python ~/.claude/skills/markdown-to-pdf/marp_to_pdf.py "$file"
done

Sample Marp Markdown

---
marp: true
theme: gaia
paginate: true
---

<!-- _class: lead -->

# My Presentation
## Subtitle Here

Your Name
Date

---

## Agenda

1. Introduction
2. Main Content
3. Conclusion

---

## Code Example

\`\`\`python
def fibonacci(n):
    if n <= 1:
        return n
    return fibonacci(n-1) + fibonacci(n-2)
\`\`\`

---

<!-- _class: lead -->

# Thank You!

Questions?

Performance Expectations

• Processing Speed: ~2-5 seconds for typical presentations
• Memory Usage: ~100-200 MB during conversion
• PDF File Size: 500KB - 5MB depending on images

Success Criteria

A successful conversion should:

1. ✅ Generate PDF without errors
2. ✅ Create proper slide breaks
3. ✅ Apply theme correctly
4. ✅ Display code with syntax highlighting
5. ✅ Handle Chinese/CJK characters correctly
6. ✅ Scale images appropriately
7. ✅ Maintain visual consistency

Quick Reference

Need	Command	Output
Default theme	marp_to_pdf.py file.md	PDF with default theme
Gaia theme	marp_to_pdf.py file.md --theme gaia	PDF with Gaia theme
Uncover theme	marp_to_pdf.py file.md --theme uncover	PDF with Uncover theme
HTML output	marp_to_pdf.py file.md --html	PDF + HTML presentation

Additional Resources

• Marp Official Documentation
• Marp CLI Documentation
• Marp Themes Gallery