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How to Generate Hindi Social Media Cards from HTML Using HTMLCSStoImage

Build a Hindi social card with HTML and CSS, render it through HTMLCSStoImage, and check Devanagari text before publishing.

By the ScreenshotNeo team4 October 202610 min read

To generate a Hindi social media card with HTMLCSStoImage, write the card in HTML and CSS, choose a font with Devanagari coverage, and send the markup to POST https://hcti.io/v1/image using HTTP Basic authentication. Set both viewport dimensions, request an image format, then inspect the returned image for correctly shaped glyphs, vowel marks, line breaks, clipping, and contrast. HTMLCSStoImage documents font controls, but its documentation does not guarantee Hindi shaping or validate a particular Hindi font, so inspect your actual output before publishing.

1. Build the card in HTML and CSS

Use real Unicode Hindi text in the markup. Keep the card’s dimensions explicit and give text a defined line height and width so the layout is predictable. The following example uses 1200 by 630 pixels as an illustrative layout; choose dimensions and crops that fit your destination.

<!doctype html>
<html lang="hi">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <style>
    * { box-sizing: border-box; }
    html, body { margin: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
    body {
      font-family: "Your Devanagari Font", sans-serif;
      background: #f3efe7;
      color: #17231e;
    }
    .card {
      width: 1200px;
      height: 630px;
      padding: 72px 84px;
      display: flex;
      flex-direction: column;
      justify-content: space-between;
      background: linear-gradient(135deg, #f5e9d2, #d9eee6);
    }
    .eyebrow { margin: 0; font-size: 24px; color: #31594a; }
    h1 {
      max-width: 1000px;
      margin: 28px 0;
      font-size: 68px;
      line-height: 1.28;
      font-weight: 700;
      letter-spacing: 0;
    }
    .footer { margin: 0; font-size: 24px; color: #45534b; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <main class="card">
    <p class="eyebrow">आपके अगले लेख से</p>
    <h1>हिंदी में बेहतर सामग्री बनाने के पाँच आसान तरीके</h1>
    <p class="footer">example.com · पूरी गाइड पढ़ें</p>
  </main>
</body>
</html>

Replace Your Devanagari Font with a font you have confirmed covers the characters in your copy. A fallback such as sans-serif is useful, but it does not prove that the rendering environment has a suitable font. The API exposes custom CSS and a google_fonts option; those controls provide ways to load fonts, not a guarantee that a given font loads or shapes Hindi correctly. See the HTMLCSStoImage parameter reference.

Before sending a request, check that your HTML is valid, the document declares UTF-8, the card has fixed dimensions, and your text fits at the intended size. Avoid relying on local fonts or assets that are only available on your development machine.

2. Render the card with HTMLCSStoImage

The API accepts HTML or a public page URL; CSS can be supplied with HTML. For a designed card, send the markup and CSS. The URL input overrides HTML when both are supplied, so do not include both unless you specifically want the URL-rendering path. Authentication uses your API ID as the Basic Auth username and API key as the password. Keep the key on a server or in a secret manager, never in browser JavaScript.

cURL

curl -X POST https://hcti.io/v1/image \
  -u "$HCTI_API_ID:$HCTI_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"html":"<main class=\"card\"><h1>हिंदी में बेहतर सामग्री बनाने के पाँच आसान तरीके</h1></main>","css":".card { width: 1200px; height: 630px; padding: 72px; font-family: \"Your Devanagari Font\", sans-serif; background: #f3efe7; } h1 { font-size: 68px; line-height: 1.28; }","viewport_width":1200,"viewport_height":630,"format":"png"}'

Set HCTI_API_ID and HCTI_API_KEY in your shell environment before running the command. The example’s dimensions and font family are placeholders for an implementation; confirm the current schema in Using the API.

Python

import os
import requests

html = '''<main class="card">
  <h1>हिंदी में बेहतर सामग्री बनाने के पाँच आसान तरीके</h1>
</main>'''
css = '''
.card { width: 1200px; height: 630px; padding: 72px;
        font-family: "Your Devanagari Font", sans-serif; background: #f3efe7; }
h1 { font-size: 68px; line-height: 1.28; }
'''
payload = {
    "html": html,
    "css": css,
    "viewport_width": 1200,
    "viewport_height": 630,
    "format": "png",
}
response = requests.post(
    "https://hcti.io/v1/image",
    auth=(os.environ["HCTI_API_ID"], os.environ["HCTI_API_KEY"]),
    json=payload,
    timeout=90,
)
response.raise_for_status()
result = response.json()
print(result)
# The API response contains an image URL. Download it using the URL
# field named in the current API response/documentation.

Install the client dependency with python -m pip install requests. The response is an image URL; inspect the response JSON and use its documented URL field rather than assuming a fixed field name. If you need a local file, download that URL with a second request and check its HTTP status before writing the bytes.

Node.js

const apiId = process.env.HCTI_API_ID;
const apiKey = process.env.HCTI_API_KEY;
if (!apiId || !apiKey) throw new Error('Set HCTI_API_ID and HCTI_API_KEY');

const html = '<main class="card"><h1>हिंदी में बेहतर सामग्री बनाने के पाँच आसान तरीके</h1></main>';
const css = '.card { width: 1200px; height: 630px; padding: 72px; font-family: "Your Devanagari Font", sans-serif; background: #f3efe7; } h1 { font-size: 68px; line-height: 1.28; }';
const auth = Buffer.from(`${apiId}:${apiKey}`).toString('base64');
const response = await fetch('https://hcti.io/v1/image', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Basic ${auth}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    html,
    css,
    viewport_width: 1200,
    viewport_height: 630,
    format: 'png'
  })
});
if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`HTMLCSStoImage returned ${response.status}: ${await response.text()}`);
}
const result = await response.json();
console.log(result); // Read the returned image URL from the documented response field.

Run as an ES module in a Node.js version with built-in fetch, or adapt the request to your HTTP client. Do not ship API credentials to a public browser bundle.

3. Choose input, dimensions, and output options

Decision Use it when What to check
HTML plus CSS You are designing the card layout and text. Markup, font loading, dimensions, and all external assets are available to the renderer.
Public URL The page already exists and is accessible to the service. The page can be reached without a login or private network, and its layout fits the capture viewport.
Viewport width and height You need a defined rendering canvas. Supply both dimensions when setting either one.
Format You need a particular file type for a publishing or storage workflow. Documented formats include PNG, JPG, WebP, and PDF. For a social card, request an image format rather than PDF.
Device scale You need to adjust output resolution. Higher resolution can increase file size. Check legibility and final asset size at the destination.
Google Fonts option You want the API’s documented font-loading mechanism. Verify the chosen font’s Devanagari coverage and inspect the output; the option is not a shaping guarantee.

For one-off graphics, direct HTML/CSS gives you control over the card. For recurring cards, HTMLCSStoImage documents reusable templates with variable values. Its overview also describes automatically generated Open Graph images for pages. Use those approaches when you have a repeatable template or want per-page images; confirm the current setup and parameters in the HTMLCSStoImage documentation.

4. Validate Hindi text and the final image

  1. Check script coverage. Confirm that your selected font includes every character used, including punctuation and numerals.
  2. Inspect shaping. Look closely at conjuncts, vowel marks (matras), and marks above or below letters. A returned image can still have incorrect or missing glyphs.
  3. Check line breaks and clipping. Review the longest heading and the card edges at the actual output dimensions.
  4. Check contrast and small text. Preview the image at the size people will see in a feed, not only enlarged in an editor.
  5. Check the destination crop. Confirm that the platform or placement does not cut off important text or the card’s edges.
  6. Save a reviewed sample. When changing fonts, CSS, or text length, render and inspect a new output before publishing the batch.

These checks matter because the vendor documentation reviewed describes font controls but does not establish guaranteed Devanagari rendering or a named, validated Hindi font.

5. Troubleshoot common problems

Symptom Likely cause Fix
401 or 403 response Credentials are missing, incorrect, or sent using the wrong authentication scheme. Use HTTP Basic authentication with the API ID as username and API key as password. Check environment variable names and keep credentials server-side.
Request rejected or invalid parameter The payload does not match the current API schema, or a parameter value is invalid. Compare the request with the current API usage guide and parameter reference. Check JSON syntax and parameter spelling.
Hindi characters appear as boxes or disappear The selected font may lack glyph coverage or did not load. Use a font with confirmed Devanagari coverage, use the documented font-loading controls where appropriate, and inspect a new render. Do not assume a fallback font is sufficient.
Letters or vowel marks look incorrectly placed The renderer or chosen font may not shape the script as expected. Try another font with Devanagari coverage, reduce styling that may interfere with glyph layout, and inspect a sample. The documentation does not promise Hindi shaping.
Font changes have no effect The font resource may not be loading, the CSS selector may not match, or another rule may override it. Check the selector and cascade, verify the font-loading configuration, and avoid relying on a font installed only on your local computer.
Text is clipped or card is the wrong size Content exceeds the card, CSS dimensions differ from the viewport, or only one viewport dimension was supplied. Set both viewport dimensions, make the card match them, adjust font size or line length, and render again.
The wrong page renders Both url and html were provided; the URL input overrides HTML. For a designed card, send HTML/CSS without a URL. Use URL input only for the public page you intend to capture.
Request works locally but fails in production Credentials may be absent, or referenced assets may be inaccessible from the rendering service. Configure secrets in the production environment and use assets the renderer can access. Check the response status and body for the service’s reported error.
Image looks soft or is unexpectedly large Device scale may be unsuitable for the intended display and file-size tradeoff. Adjust the documented device-scale option and compare readability and file size at the target use size.

6. Performance, reliability, and cost considerations

  • Keep a stable template. Reuse CSS and vary only content where practical. HTMLCSStoImage’s documented reusable templates can help with repeated card generation.
  • Keep assets reachable. External fonts and images must be available to the renderer. A local path on your machine is not a dependable production asset source.
  • Handle failures explicitly. Check HTTP status before parsing a response as JSON, record errors without logging API secrets, and retry transient failures with a bounded backoff policy in your application.
  • Review outputs when content changes. A longer Hindi headline can wrap differently even when the CSS is unchanged. Render and inspect representative short and long copy.
  • Balance resolution and transfer size. Device scale affects image resolution and file size according to the parameter documentation. Select it based on the final display and delivery needs.
  • Check current pricing and quotas directly. The research sources establish API behavior and features but do not provide pricing or a current quota figure. Do not build a cost estimate from assumptions; confirm the provider’s current plan details before production.

Or skip the browser setup

If your card is available as a hosted page, ScreenshotNeo can capture a webpage, and it also supports HTML/CSS to image. Its screenshot API uses a single GET request; the example below captures the documented target URL. See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for its API options and supported workflows.

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);

ScreenshotNeo removes cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each cleanup step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, timeouts, and cache hits are not billed, and responses identify page verdict and billing status in headers. Its MCP server gives AI agents tools for screenshots, page information, and PDF capture. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Its other features include full-page capture, selector capture, custom CSS and JavaScript, device presets, image formats, PDF, caching, and bulk capture. For a Hindi card, check the returned image for Devanagari shaping just as you would with any renderer.

Sign up for ScreenshotNeo and get 1,000 screenshots a month free with no card.

FAQ

Does HTMLCSStoImage guarantee Hindi or Devanagari rendering?

The documentation reviewed describes CSS and font-loading controls, but does not guarantee Hindi shaping or identify a validated Hindi font. Render and inspect the actual card.

Can I send Hindi text as ordinary HTML?

Yes. Put the Unicode text in your HTML and declare UTF-8. Font coverage and shaping still need to be checked in the rendered image.

Can I use a webpage URL instead of sending markup?

Yes, if the page is publicly accessible to the rendering service. The URL input overrides HTML if both are supplied.

Does the API return image bytes directly?

The documented response provides an image URL. Read that URL from the response and download it if your workflow needs a local file.

Can I use the same template for many cards?

HTMLCSStoImage documents reusable templates with variable values. That is useful when multiple cards share a design and differ in their copy or data.

Sources

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