DomPDF: Image not readable or empty

Stefan Izdrail

Founder & Senior Architect · 2026-06-29

Laravel Company
Title: Troubleshooting DomPDF Image Rendering Issues: A Comprehensive Guideline for Developers Body: In the world of web development, there are several popular tools and frameworks for generating PDF files from HTML content. One such widely used tool is DomPDF. However, sometimes, you may encounter issues with rendering images within your generated PDF. This blog post aims to address this issue by providing a comprehensive guideline on troubleshooting the "Image not readable or empty" problem in DomPDF. Firstly, make sure that DOMPDF_ENABLE_REMOTE is set to true. Setting this constant allows DomPDF to fetch images from remote sources during the rendering process. To verify the status of your configuration file, you can refer to the official documentation (https://laravelcompany.com/docs/dompdf) or similar guides for other frameworks. Next, ensure that all necessary file permissions are granted accordingly. DomPDF needs read and write access to specific folders along with the images themselves. This is especially crucial if you're using a local setup and the images are stored on your server. If both of these initial checks have been confirmed, it is essential to examine the image URLs in your HTML code. Images from remote sources can sometimes cause issues due to various reasons such as caching or security measures. In such situations, you might need to switch to local image storage or consider using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) for the images. Here's an example:

PDF Image missing

You should verify if the above image URL is correct and accessible from your website. If not, try using a local image source like this:

Local Image Exists

Once you have updated your HTML with local images or modified the URLs to point towards CDN sources, it's crucial to test the output PDF file again. If the issue persists, it may be helpful to utilize a browser developer console to inspect the network tab and look for any error messages related to the images. This will give you a better understanding of the reasons behind the unreadable or empty image problem in DomPDF. Furthermore, keep an eye on the output files and folders generated by DomPDF as you work. If you notice discrepancies between the HTML source code and the generated PDF, it could indicate a possible file permission issue. Ensure that all necessary permissions are set correctly for both the parent folder and individual images to prevent such discrepancies. In conclusion, troubleshooting DomPDF's image rendering issues requires a systematic approach, starting with verifying DOMPDF_ENABLE_REMOTE and file permissions. By ensuring that proper URLs are used for your images, and taking note of any inconsistencies between the original HTML source code and the generated PDF files, you can successfully overcome this issue and maintain a robust DomPDF implementation. Keep in mind to consult resources like https://laravelcompany.com/blog/dompdf-pdf-generation-from-html for further guidance on using DomPDF effectively.