3 Ways to Generate Custom-Designed PDFs from Airtable Data

Let's say you have an invoice, report, certificate, or another document that needs to be generated from the data in your Airtable base.

You don't just want to export the record. You want an actual PDF with your own layout, branding, images, and the Airtable data placed in the right spots.

There are a few ways to do this.

The option I would use depends mostly on where the data is coming from and whether the PDF needs to be generated automatically.

1. Airtable Page Designer

If I only need to generate PDFs occasionally and don't need the process automated, I would start with Airtable's Page Designer extension.

Page Designer is available on Airtable's paid plans and lets you create a custom layout using the data from your records.

You can add Airtable fields, text, images, linked record data, and other elements to the page and position them where you want.

Once the layout is ready, open the record you want and click Print. From your computer's print dialog, you can save the page as a PDF.

For something like an invoice, certificate, or record summary that someone generates manually once in a while, this can be enough.

The main limitation is automation.

You cannot tell an Airtable automation to run Page Designer, generate the PDF, and attach it back to the record automatically.

Multi-page documents are also possible, but Page Designer isn't what I would choose for a document with a lot of dynamic content. Airtable's workaround involves increasing the custom record height so the content prints across multiple pages.

If I know from the beginning that the PDF needs to be generated automatically, I would skip Page Designer and look at one of the next options.

2. Fillout

If the data is coming through a form, I prefer using Fillout.

For example, maybe someone fills out an application, inspection form, order form, or another form and you want to generate a document from their answers.

In that situation, it makes sense to generate the document as part of the same submission workflow rather than send the data to Airtable first and then build another automation just to create the PDF.

Fillout can use the submitted information to generate a document and then continue the workflow from there.

I normally look at this option when the PDF is directly connected to a form submission.

If the records already exist in Airtable and you want to generate documents from them whenever a status changes or someone clicks a button, I would use a dedicated document generation tool instead.

3. DocuMint or DocsAutomator

For records that already exist in Airtable, I prefer using a document generation tool such as DocuMint or DocsAutomator.

These are built specifically for taking structured data and turning it into documents.

With DocuMint, for example, you can design the document using its drag-and-drop template builder, map your Airtable fields, and generate the document directly from Airtable.

You can start with a button if you want someone to generate the document manually.

If you want it fully automated, you can use an Airtable automation so the document is generated when something happens to the record.

For example:

Status changes to Ready → Generate PDF → Attach PDF to Airtable

DocuMint also supports things like conditional content and repeating data, which becomes useful for invoices with multiple line items or documents where certain sections should only appear under specific conditions.

DocsAutomator is another option I would look at, especially if you prefer designing your templates in Google Docs or Microsoft Word.

It can pull Airtable data into the template, handle dynamic line items and conditional content, and generate the finished document automatically.

Both tools can handle workflows that would become difficult to maintain with Page Designer.

Which option should you use?

If I only need to generate a PDF manually once in a while, I would start with Page Designer. It is already inside Airtable and may be all you need.

If the PDF should be created from a form submission, I prefer Fillout because the form and document generation can be part of the same workflow.

If the records already exist in Airtable and the PDFs need to be generated automatically, I would use DocuMint or DocsAutomator.

That is usually the deciding factor for me. I don't choose based on which PDF tool has the longest feature list. I start with where the data is coming from and what should trigger the document.

If you decide to automate the last option, I have a separate article on how to create PDFs from Airtable records and attach them back automatically.