What best practices should be followed when combining output to the browser with generating a PDF in PHP?

When combining output to the browser with generating a PDF in PHP, it is important to first send the appropriate headers for the PDF content type before any output is sent to the browser. This ensures that the PDF content is rendered correctly without any interference from other output. Additionally, it is recommended to use a library like TCPDF or FPDF to generate the PDF content, as they provide easy-to-use functions for creating PDFs in PHP.

<?php

// Set the appropriate headers for PDF content type
header('Content-Type: application/pdf');

// Include the TCPDF library
require_once('tcpdf/tcpdf.php');

// Create a new TCPDF object
$pdf = new TCPDF();

// Add a page to the PDF
$pdf->AddPage();

// Set PDF content
$pdf->SetFont('helvetica', '', 12);
$pdf->Cell(0, 10, 'Hello, World!', 0, 1, 'C');

// Output the PDF to the browser
$pdf->Output('example.pdf', 'I');

?>