Add clickable links to a PDF

Use an HTML anchor to send a PDF reader to a web page, an email address, or a section in the same document. Fullbleed turns the visible link into a native PDF link when it renders your HTML and CSS.

The sample below is a two-page project handoff. Its contents links jump to different positions on page 2, and Back to overview returns to page 1. It uses fictional project data and a font bundled with Fullbleed.

Open the linked report Download the Python project

Requires the 2.6.0a14 prerelease

Use Python 3.10 or later in a virtual environment and install python -m pip install fullbleed==2.6.0a14. Stable 2.5.34 predates this native-navigation feature. Ordinary pip install fullbleed continues to select the stable channel.

Start with an anchor

An external link needs a complete URL. An internal link needs a fragment such as #findings and an element with the matching id="findings":

from importlib.resources import files
from pathlib import Path
import fullbleed

html = """
<h1 id="overview">Project report</h1>
<p><a href="#findings">Go to project notes</a></p>
<p><a href="https://docs.fullbleed.dev/">Read the documentation</a></p>

<h2 id="findings" style="break-before: page">Project notes</h2>
<p>Keep the handoff clear, connected, and easy to use.</p>
<p><a href="#overview">Back to overview</a></p>
"""
css = """
@page { size: A5; margin: 18mm; }
body { font-family: Inter; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16pt; }
a { color: #12665c; text-decoration: underline; }
"""

font = files("fullbleed_assets").joinpath("fonts/Inter-Variable.ttf")
engine = fullbleed.PdfEngine(font_files=[str(font)])
Path("report.pdf").write_bytes(engine.render_pdf(html, css))

The renderer does not fetch the linked page. It stores the destination in the PDF; the reader handles activation. PDF-reader security settings can affect opening external URLs.

Destination	HTML
Web page	<a href="https://example.com/report">Open the source report</a>
Email address	<a href="mailto:hello@example.com">Email the project team</a>
Document section	<a href="#findings">Project notes</a> with an element whose id is findings

Email links use the reader's configured mail application. The example address is illustrative. Use descriptive labels so the destination is clear before someone selects a link.

Adapt the complete report

Unzip the project, then run:

python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python render.py

Edit report.html for the content and destinations. Edit report.css for the color palette, spacing, typography, and page layout. The script writes output/linked-report.pdf and two PNG previews. Open the PDF to try the links; PNG previews show the layout and do not contain interactive links.

Use unique IDs. Missing destinations produce no active internal link, and duplicate IDs resolve to the first occurrence. Link text may span multiple activation regions when it wraps or contains separate shaped fragments.

Use the same links in components

The component authoring path emits HTML anchors with the same behavior. Pass native HTML attributes through attrs, including a heading's id:

from pathlib import Path
from fullbleed.components import Document, Heading, Renderer
from fullbleed.components.bootstrap import Link

document = Document(
    Link("Project notes", href="#findings"),
    Heading("Project notes", level=2, attrs={"id": "findings"}),
    Link("Documentation", href="https://docs.fullbleed.dev/"),
    title="Component link example",
)
Path("component-links.pdf").write_bytes(document.render_pdf(Renderer()))
styled_html = document.to_html(include_styles=True)
unstyled_html = document.to_html(include_styles=False)

Both HTML exports keep the href values. The new component API remains alpha; see its release status and styling and export guide.

What was checked

The report was checked for two complete pages and working section, web, and email destinations. Its layout was reviewed in native previews and an independent PDF reader; layout/font checks reported no overflow or missing glyphs. Both Python examples were executed, and the component example's styled and unstyled HTML exports were inspected.

Verification record · Release evidence

Keep links rectangular when precise activation boundaries matter. Some readers expand the clickable area of rotated or diagonally clipped links. This example does not establish keyboard, screen-reader, or PDF/UA conformance. The navigation reference and reader observations describe the tested geometry and remaining limits.