Printwell

Windows desktop app that converts Markdown files to clean, formatted PDFs -- or copies the rich text to your clipboard for pasting into Word, Outlook, and more.

Drop a file, get a PDF. No fuss, no cloud, no subscriptions.

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Features

• Drag-and-drop or browse -- navigate to a .md file or drop it straight onto the window; also accepts attachments dragged directly from Outlook
• PDF export with Save As -- choose where to save the PDF via a standard Save dialog (defaults to the source file's directory and name)
• Rich text clipboard -- copies the rendered Markdown as formatted text, ready to paste into Word, Outlook, Teams, etc.
• System tray app -- runs quietly in the tray, accessible from the taskbar or a desktop shortcut
• Launches on startup -- always ready when you need it
• File association -- optionally registers as the default app for .md files
• Local and offline -- everything runs on your machine, no API calls or cloud services
• Dark theme UI -- modern look consistent with the rest of the toolbox

Quick Start

From source

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/parkscloud/Printwell.git
cd Printwell

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run
python -m printwell

Installed version

Download the latest installer from the Releases page and run PrintwellSetup.exe. The app appears in your Start Menu and Add/Remove Programs.

Silent install (RMM / SCCM / Intune)

PrintwellSetup.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART

Installs to C:\Program Files\Printwell for all users. Registers as default app for .md files and starts at login. To skip file association and auto-start:

PrintwellSetup.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /TASKS=""

Uninstall silently:

"C:\Program Files\Printwell\unins000.exe" /VERYSILENT

Usage

1. Launch Printwell from the Start Menu or run from source
2. Open a file -- click Browse or drag a .md file onto the window
3. A preview of the rendered Markdown appears in the main panel
4. Click Export PDF -- a Save dialog opens, defaulting to the same name and directory as the source file
5. Click Copy Rich Text to put the formatted content on your clipboard, then paste into Word, Outlook, or anywhere that accepts rich text

Project Structure

src/printwell/
├── __init__.py              # Version string
├── __main__.py              # Entry point
├── app.py                   # Application orchestrator
├── config.py                # AppConfig + ConfigManager
├── constants.py             # App name, defaults, colors
├── printwell.ico            # Application icon
├── converter/
│   ├── markdown_parser.py   # Markdown to HTML with CSS styling
│   ├── pdf_writer.py        # HTML to PDF (xhtml2pdf + bundled fonts)
│   └── clipboard.py         # Rich text clipboard copy (CF_HTML)
├── fonts/
│   ├── JetBrainsMono-*.ttf  # Bundled monospace font
│   └── OFL.txt              # SIL Open Font License
├── ui/
│   ├── main_window.py       # Main window (browse, drag-drop, preview, actions)
│   ├── dialogs.py           # Overwrite/rename confirmation
│   ├── tray.py              # System tray icon (pystray)
│   └── theme.py             # customtkinter dark + blue theme
└── utils/
    ├── drop_target.py       # OLE drag-and-drop (Explorer + Outlook attachments)
    ├── paths.py             # %APPDATA%\Printwell directories
    └── logging_setup.py     # File + console logging

Building

Prerequisites

1. Python 3.11+
2. Project dependencies: pip install -r requirements.txt
3. PyInstaller: pip install pyinstaller
4. Inno Setup 6+: winget install JRSoftware.InnoSetup

Build steps

# 1. Bundle the app with PyInstaller (output in dist\Printwell\)
build.bat

# 2. Compile the Windows installer
iscc installer.iss

The installer is written to installer_output\PrintwellSetup.exe.

Tech Stack

• Python 3.11+
• markdown2 -- Markdown to HTML conversion with extras (tables, fenced code, etc.)
• xhtml2pdf -- HTML/CSS to PDF rendering
• customtkinter -- Modern dark-themed UI
• pystray + Pillow -- System tray icon
• pywin32 -- Rich text clipboard and OLE drag-and-drop
• PyInstaller + Inno Setup -- Build and install
• JetBrains Mono -- Bundled monospace font for code blocks (OFL 1.1)

Changelog

1.0.1

• Outlook drag-and-drop -- drag .md attachments directly from Outlook into the app window; virtual files are extracted and loaded automatically
• Save As dialog for PDF export -- PDF export now opens a Save dialog instead of silently writing next to the source file, making it easy to choose a different location (useful when the source is in a temp directory)
• Replaced tkinterdnd2 with a custom OLE drop target for broader drag-and-drop compatibility

1.0.0

• Initial release

Contact

Robert Parks
raparks.com

License

MIT -- free to use, modify, and distribute for any purpose (personal or commercial). See LICENSE for full text.