📏 Quickly Convert Jupyter Notebooks into PDFs

Here's why you're here: You have a a lengthy Jupyter Notebook (.ipynb file) that you want to turn into a PDF that makes for a visually pleasing (or at least bearable) document. And you're looking for a fuss-free tool that will get the job done.

In goes your notebook into jamboree_converter.py and out comes a PDF with a special size of A2 width and A0 height. Check out the included sample.

🚀 Quick Start

1. Install Miniconda (if you don't already have it)

anaconda.com/docs/getting-started/miniconda/install

The following commands are ought to be run from the command line of your terminal.

2. Create a new virtual environment and activate it:

Replace my-venv with whatever you want to call your environment.

conda create -n my-venv python=3.10
conda activate my-venv

3. Clone the jamboree-converter repo and switch to its directory:

git clone https://github.com/thecont1/jamboree-converter.git
cd jamboree-converter

4. Install required packages

pip install -r requirements.txt
playwright install chromium

5. Convert your first notebook

Replace your_notebook.ipynb with your actual notebook file. Include the full path if the file doesn't exist in your working directory.

Basic conversion (produces a nicely formatted PDF)

python jamboree_converter.py your_notebook.ipynb --size case_study --method playwright

For a cleaner output without code cells

python jamboree_converter.py your_notebook.ipynb --size case_study --method playwright --no-input

📐 Available Page Sizes

Size	Dimensions (mm)	Best For
A4	210 × 297	Standard documents, reports
A3	297 × 420	Data analysis, charts
A2	420 × 594	Large datasets, dashboards
A1	594 × 841	Posters, presentations
A0	841 × 1189	Large format posters
Letter	216 × 279	US standard
Legal	216 × 356	US legal documents
Tabloid	279 × 432	Newspapers, large prints
case_study	420 × 1189	Custom size for lengthy Jupyter Notebooks

🎯 Methods Available

1. WebPDF

Best for: Modern styling, complex layouts, interactive content

• Uses Chromium browser engine
• CSS-based page size control
• Excellent rendering quality
• Handles complex HTML/CSS

$ python jamboree_converter.py notebook.ipynb --size a3 --method webpdf

2. LaTeX PDF

Best for: Academic documents, mathematical content

• Traditional LaTeX typesetting
• High-quality equation rendering
• Professional typography
• Better for text-heavy documents

$ python jamboree_converter.py notebook.ipynb --size a3 --method latex

3. Playwright

Best for: Precise page control and modern web content

• Direct browser automation
• Excellent rendering consistency
• Perfect for complex layouts
• Handles dynamic content well

$ python jamboree_converter.py notebook.ipynb --size a3 --method playwright

4. Mercury

Best for: Interactive dashboards and sharing

• Creates interactive web dashboards
• Shareable via URL
• Real-time updates
• Great for collaborative work

$ python jamboree_converter.py notebook.ipynb --method mercury

📋 Common Use Cases

Data Science Reports

# A3 portrait for standard data analysis
$ python jamboree_converter.py analysis.ipynb --size a3

# A2 landscape for wide visualizations
$ python jamboree_converter.py dashboard.ipynb --size a2 --orientation landscape

# Clean report without code
$ python jamboree_converter.py report.ipynb --size a3 --no-input

Academic Papers

# A4 with LaTeX for academic formatting
$ python jamboree_converter.py paper.ipynb --size a4 --method latex

# Remove prompts for cleaner look
$ python jamboree_converter.py paper.ipynb --size a4 --no-prompt

Presentations & Posters

# A1 landscape for poster
$ python jamboree_converter.py poster.ipynb --size a1 --orientation landscape

# A0 for large format
$ python jamboree_converter.py poster.ipynb --size a0

⚙️ Advanced Options

Custom Margins

# Larger margins
$ python jamboree_converter.py notebook.ipynb --size a3 --margins 30mm

# Different units
$ python jamboree_converter.py notebook.ipynb --size a3 --margins 1in
$ python jamboree_converter.py notebook.ipynb --size a3 --margins 2cm

Content Control

# Exclude code cells (report mode)
$ python jamboree_converter.py notebook.ipynb --size a3 --no-input

# Exclude input/output prompts
$ python jamboree_converter.py notebook.ipynb --size a3 --no-prompt

# Both (cleanest output)
$ python jamboree_converter.py notebook.ipynb --size a3 --no-input --no-prompt

Custom Output Names

# Custom filename
$ python jamboree_converter.py notebook.ipynb --size a3 --output final_report

# Will create: final_report.pdf

🎨 Page Size Recommendations

By Content Type

📊 Data Visualizations:

• A3 Portrait: Standard charts, medium datasets
• A2 Landscape: Wide charts, time series, correlation matrices
• A1 Landscape: Large datasets, complex dashboards

📝 Text Reports:

• A4 Portrait: Standard reports, documentation
• A3 Portrait: Reports with embedded charts
• Legal: US-style reports

🎯 Presentations:

• A3 Landscape: Slide-style layout
• A2 Landscape: Large presentation format
• Tabloid: Newspaper-style layout

🔬 Academic/Scientific:

• A4 Portrait: Papers, articles (LaTeX method)
• A3 Portrait: Lab reports with data
• A1/A0: Conference posters

📏 Size Comparison Visual

A0: █████████████████████ (841×1189mm)
A1: ██████████████       (594×841mm)
A2: ██████████           (420×594mm)  
A3: ███████              (297×420mm)  ← Great for data science
A4: █████                (210×297mm)  ← Standard
A5: ███                  (148×210mm)

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

WebPDF timeout:

# For very large notebooks, use LaTeX method
$ python jamboree_converter.py large_notebook.ipynb --size a3 --method latex

LaTeX errors:

# Use WebPDF method instead
$ python jamboree_converter.py notebook.ipynb --size a3 --method webpdf

Content too small:

# Reduce margins for more content space
$ python jamboree_converter.py notebook.ipynb --size a3 --margins 15mm

📄 File Organization

The converter automatically creates descriptive filenames:

notebook.ipynb → notebook_webpdf_a3_portrait.pdf
notebook.ipynb → notebook_latex_a2_landscape.pdf
notebook.ipynb → custom_name.pdf (with --output)