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pdfconversionapi

PDN to PDF API

POST a .pdn to /v2/convert/pdn/to/pdf and get a one-page PDF with the merged layers as a lossless image plus a soft mask for its transparency. The sample adds 10 mm margins, so the 360 × 240 sign sits on a 326.69 × 236.69 pt page.

Endpoint
POST /v2/convert/pdn/to/pdf
Accepts
pdn
Sample timing
26 ms median of 5 runsHow we measure
Request size
Up to 10 MB on the Free plan or 100 MB on paid plans, all files together

Request and response

Every sample below ran against the API before this page was published. Set PDFCONVERSIONAPI_KEY to your key and run it as is.

curl -sS -X POST \
  https://api.pdfconversionapi.com/v2/convert/pdn/to/pdf \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PDFCONVERSIONAPI_KEY" \
  -F File=@lemonade-stand-sign.pdn \
  --form-string MarginHorizontal=10 \
  --form-string MarginVertical=10 \
  -o response.json

# FileData is base64. Save the first file in converted/,
# or print the JSON error.
if jq -e '.Files' response.json > /dev/null; then
  mkdir -p converted
  name=$(jq -r '.Files[0].FileName' response.json)
  jq -r '.Files[0].FileData' response.json \
    | base64 --decode > "converted/$name"
else
  cat response.json
fi
200 OK26 ms median1 file, 32 KB
{
  "ConversionCost": 1,
  "ConversionTime": 0.026,
  "Files": [
    {
      "FileName": "lemonade-stand-sign.pdf",
      "FileExt": "pdf",
      "FileSize": 32426,
      "FileData": "JVBERi0xLjcKJYCAgIAKMSAw…"
    }
  ]
}

Response from our test run on 2026-11-03. ConversionTime shows the median of 5 runs. FileData is shortened here; the real response carries the whole file as base64.

The sample, converted

The same file the code sends. Download the input and the output and compare them yourself.

First page of lemonade-stand-sign.pdf, rendered by the API
Input
lemonade-stand-sign.pdn (87 KB)
Output
lemonade-stand-sign.pdf (32 KB)
Source
A 360 x 240 price sign with rounded transparent corners that we drew and wrote as a layered PDN file ourselves: seven layers, including Overlay and Multiply blend modes, a semi-transparent shine and a hidden draft layer. (CC0-1.0). How it was made
Made by
2026-11-04, API build 9eeeb0640aba

Parameters

Send these as form fields next to the file. Names are case-insensitive. If you set one of the documented options below that we don't support yet, the request fails with a 400 that names it instead of returning a file made without it.

ParameterWhat it does
MarginHorizontalinteger, default 0Blank space left and right, in whole millimeters; the sample's 10 mm is 28.35 pt a side. Without PageSize the page grows by the margins. On a fixed sheet they shrink the sign only when it would not fit between them.Values: 0–500 (mm)
MarginVerticalinteger, default 0Blank space above and below. On landscape A5 with 60 mm on every side the sign shrank to 119.06 × 79.37 pt; 110 mm on portrait A5 left no room and got 400.Values: 0–500 (mm)
PageSizeenum, default defaultSheet for the page. default and auto use the sign's own size, 270 × 180 pt. a5 gave a 419.53 × 595.28 pt page with the sign centered, never enlarged.Values: default, auto, a3, a4, a5, letter, legal
PageOrientationenum, default defaultlandscape swaps the sheet's sides: A5 became 595.28 × 419.53 pt. Without PageSize it returned the same PDF as no parameters.Values: default, portrait, landscape
RotateintegerTurns the sign clockwise. Rotate=90 gave a 180 × 270 pt page with the sign on its side; 30 gave a 323.83 × 290.88 pt page around the tilted sign. none or empty keeps it level.Values: -360 to 360, whole degrees
FileNamestringBase name of the result; without it the file comes back as lemonade-stand-sign.pdf.
StoreFileboolean, default falsetrue returns a link to the PDF, valid for 3 hours.

What carries over, and what doesn't

Kept

  • Every merged pixel: decoded, the image in the PDF has exactly the RGB values of the PNG route's output
  • Transparency, as a soft mask equal to the merged alpha, so the rounded corners show the page through them
  • The 3:2 proportions at 96 pixels per inch: the 360 × 240 px sign is drawn 270 × 180 pt

Lost or not yet supported

  • Size on bigger sheets. The image is never scaled up: on landscape A5 the sign covers 270 × 180 of 595.28 × 419.53 pt.
  • Layers, and the hidden draft layer, which is left out.
  • PDF/A. Pdfa=true is not read on this route, and the result is an ordinary PDF 1.7.

Limits

  • One PDN per request, merged canvas up to 100,000,000 pixels.
  • Requests up to 10 MB on the Free plan or 100 MB on paid plans, all files and fields together.
  • 120 seconds per conversion, then 504.
  • Margins in whole millimeters from 0 to 500 and Rotate in whole degrees from -360 to 360; a margin of 2.5 returns 400.
  • ImageWidth, ImageQuality, ColorSpace, AlphaColor and Pdfa are not read: each gave the same 32,405-byte PDF as no parameters.

Where teams use it

Printing signs and flyers

Notices, price signs and flyers drawn in Paint.NET can go to a printer or a print service as PDF. PageSize picks the sheet, and the margin settings keep a blank border around the artwork.

Attachments for documents and tickets

Reports, forms and support tickets often accept PDF attachments but not .pdn files. The PDF carries the merged picture without recompressing it.

Questions

How large is the PDF page?

Without PageSize, the sign's size at 96 px per inch plus the margins: 270 × 180 pt for the sign alone, 326.69 × 236.69 pt with the sample's 10 mm on each side. With a sheet such as A5 or Letter, the page takes the sheet's size and the sign is centered on it.

Do the transparent corners stay transparent?

Yes. The image has a soft mask holding the same alpha as the merged layers, so the rounded corners and soft edge show the page beneath. Nothing is filled in with white.

Can I put the sign in portrait?

Send Rotate=90, or -90 to turn the other way. The page becomes 180 × 270 pt with the sign on its side. With PageSize=letter as well, the turned sign is centered on the 612 × 792 pt sheet.

Is the image recompressed?

No. It is stored with lossless compression at 360 × 240 pixels, beside its 8-bit soft mask. Decoded, both matched the PNG route's output.

Convert your first PDN file in a minute.