Convert Markdown to PDF with headers, footers, and page numbers

Most Markdown-to-PDF converters give you one look: whatever their default stylesheet happens to be. Getting a logo in the header, Page 3 of 12 in the footer, a DRAFT watermark, or a specific font usually means writing CSS, a LaTeX template, or a Pandoc filter.

Markdown Studio is a free desktop and mobile Markdown editor that exports PDFs through reusable print profiles. A profile is a saved look (font, colours, logo, header, footer, page size, margins, watermark) that you pick in a print-preview tab. It needs no command line and no CSS.

Quick steps

Open or paste your Markdown. Open a .md file, drag it onto the window, or start a new document and paste. This works for README files, notes, and text from an AI assistant alike.
Click the printer icon (Print / Export PDF). A print preview opens in its own tab next to your document.
Pick a profile: Personal, Work, or Court Filing are built in. You can also create your own with ＋ New.
Choose the page size (A4, US Letter, or Legal) and orientation.
Save as PDF. The exported PDF keeps selectable, searchable text. It isn’t a screenshot of the page. You can also send it straight to a printer or share it.

Edit the document, print again, and the preview refreshes. For a saved file, Markdown Studio remembers which profile you picked, so the same report always comes out with the same branding.

What you can control

Want this in your PDF	Profile setting
Company name and logo in the header, or a logo cover on page 1	`companyName`, `logoPath`, `coverLogo`
Custom header / footer text	`headerText`, `footerText`
`Page N of M` page numbers	`showPageNumbers`
Today’s date in the header	`showDate`
A `CONFIDENTIAL` / `INTERNAL USE ONLY` badge	`confidentialLabel`
A diagonal `DRAFT` or `CONFIDENTIAL` watermark	`watermarkText`
Brand colours for headings and accent rules	`primaryColor`, `accentColor`, `headingRule`
A different body font (Inter, Lato, Merriweather, Noto Serif…)	`fontFamily`
A4, US Letter, or Legal paper; margins	`pageSize`, `marginCm`
Double spacing, justified text, first-line indents	`lineSpacingMultiple`, `justifyBody`, `firstLineIndentIn`

Every field is described in the print & branding profiles reference. The visual editor has a control for each one, so you never have to touch JSON unless you want to.

Things plain Markdown can’t do, and how to get them anyway

Markdown has no syntax for a signature line, a fill-in blank, or a forced page break. Markdown Studio’s PDF renderer understands a small inline-HTML subset for exactly those:

Signed: <span style="display:inline-block; min-width:216pt; border-bottom:1px solid #000;"> </span>

<div style="page-break-before:always"></div>

## Appendix A

Tables (pipe tables or HTML <table> with cell colours), images, code blocks, block quotes, and lists all print as well.

Let an AI design the template

Profiles are plain JSON, so you don’t have to build one by hand. Describe the look you want to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Copilot, and use the AI profile authoring prompt to get an importable profile back. Then click Import in the print preview.

Markdown to PDF on every platform

Markdown Studio is one app for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS, so the same profile gives the same PDF on each. On Windows you can also install it from the command line:

winget install TheSaltyKorean.MarkdownStudio

Download Markdown Studio. It’s free for personal and other non-commercial use.