PDF Generator is still unreliable

[pixelpossum]

I’m having issues with the PDF generator action working with deepseek. It worked for a while but then stopped generating. The output still says it is generating but it just stops. No issues with other engines I’ve tried including GPT-4o mini, and some of the OpenAI engines which create the PDF beautifully. But the deepseek output is so much more advanced and insightful than any of the others I’ve tried that I’d really like to figure this out. For reference, the prompt I’m using in the PDF Generator action is below. Square bracketed items are entered in the prompt directly - I just removed them now for anonimity.

Any suggestions??

Prompt
When you have completed the ICP profile, automatically generate a PDF of the ICP Profile that the user can download. Format the PDF with headings and text for each section as follows:

At the top of each page (above all headings and text) please include this logo image: [Link to URL of logo file]. This should be aligned in the center of the page.

The main document heading should be a 20 pt Helvetica font and hex color #52a9dc.

Other headings should be 16 pt Helvetica font and hex color #52a9dc.

Normal body text should be 12 pt Helvetica font in black.

In the footer of each page, add a line across the page with this note in 12 pt Helvetica font hex color #52a9dc text below the line: Please contact [Tool Owner] at [Tool Owner Email] if you have questions or would like to explore a marketing engagement.

[Ned.Malki]

Hi @pixelpossum check this out:

How to Generate Basic PDFs Using the Generate PDF Action

Back and updated due to popular demand! Dear friends and Pickaxe legends, Here is how you can generate a basic PDF (unbranded) using the existing ‘PDF Generator’ action. 1) Click on the PDF Gen action [image] 2) Click ‘Clone’ [image] 3) Update your trigger prompt to inform the action what is should do and when. [image] 4) Fill in the essential fields [image] 5) Under the ‘Additional packages’ section remove the preexisting XML PDF Python package, and replace it with ‘FPDF’ instead…

You can follow this guide to generate basic (unbranded) PDFs

[pixelpossum]

Thanks Ned. Unfortunately I found that your suggestion also didn’t work with deepseek in my case.

[Ned.Malki]

Hi @pixelpossum the issue here is that you’re using Deepseek. You have to use an OpenAI LLM. Connected actions work best with OpenAI models. I built several actions for clients using the native PA PDF action and it works all the time.

Try GPT 4.1. Pickaxe quietly added it to the long list of available LLMs and it’s 26% cheaper than 4o! 4o and 4.1 should do the trick. I’ll notate the How-to guide to highlight this.

Alternatively, you can always build a more expanded and even branded PDF generator action via a Make webhook. I’m building a Make agent for 2 different clients at the moment, and I can finish yours for you within 3 days if you’re. Let me know!

[pixelpossum]

Unfortunately I don’t have access to GPT 4.1 in my plan And the OpenAI engines gave less than wonderful outputs compared with deepseek.

I’ve decided to drop the PDF generator from my chatbot for now. I’m working on a PDF workflow in Make and will add that later.

Thanks for the input Ned!

[Ned.Malki]

4o is more than capable with all the updates OpenAI made to it. It’s all about how you prompt it. You can always prompt it to think before it answers and add Model Reminder text to override LLM override of the core prompt. The beauty of the Pickaxe system is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and you can get creative when configuring your Pickaxe.

Also, DeepSeek is way too overhyped and underpowered compared to OpenAI models, which are much smarter than DeepSeek. The ROI of upgrading your Pickaxe subscription to utilize the full power of the platform is worth it in the long term. At the end of the day, OpenAI is much better funded and has much more server power than DeepSeek.

A make scenario to generate branded PDFs is a great idea!