diff --git a/cruciverb-core/src/export/pdf.rs b/cruciverb-core/src/export/pdf.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bc6b6ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cruciverb-core/src/export/pdf.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,319 @@
+use std::path::Path;
+use crate::grid::Cell;
+use crate::puzzle::Puzzle;
+
+pub fn to_pdf(puzzle: &Puzzle, title: &str, variant: &str) -> Vec<u8> {
+    // try to load custom fonts, fall back to built-in
+    let data_dir = std::env::var("DATA_DIR").unwrap_or_else(|_| "../data".into());
+    let font_dir = Path::new(&data_dir).join("fonts");
+    let bold_font = std::fs::read(font_dir.join("PlayfairDisplay-Bold.ttf")).ok();
+    let regular_font = std::fs::read(font_dir.join("DMSans-Regular.ttf")).ok();
+
+    let show_solution = variant == "solution";
+    let pw = 612.0;
+    let ph = 792.0;
+    let margin = 48.0;
+
+    let mut cell_numbers = std::collections::HashMap::new();
+    for word in &puzzle.words {
+        cell_numbers.entry((word.row, word.col)).or_insert(word.clue_number);
+    }
+
+    let max_grid_h = ph * 0.45;
+    let max_grid_w = pw - margin * 2.0;
+    let cell = (max_grid_w / puzzle.width as f64)
+        .min(max_grid_h / puzzle.height as f64)
+        .min(28.0);
+    let grid_w = cell * puzzle.width as f64;
+    let grid_h = cell * puzzle.height as f64;
+    let grid_x = (pw - grid_w) / 2.0;
+    let grid_top = ph - margin - 60.0;
+
+    let mut c = String::new();
+
+    // background
+    c.push_str(&format!("0.98 0.965 0.95 rg 0 0 {} {} re f\n", pw, ph));
+
+    // title - centered
+    let title_fs = 22.0;
+    let title_w = title.len() as f64 * title_fs * 0.48;
+    c.push_str(&format!(
+        "BT /F2 {} Tf 0.1 0.08 0.06 rg {} {} Td ({}) Tj ET\n",
+        title_fs, (pw - title_w) / 2.0, grid_top + 30.0, esc(title)
+    ));
+
+    // subtitle - centered
+    let sub = if show_solution {
+        format!("{}x{} - solution", puzzle.width, puzzle.height)
+    } else {
+        format!("{}x{} crossword", puzzle.width, puzzle.height)
+    };
+    let sub_w = sub.len() as f64 * 8.0 * 0.45;
+    c.push_str(&format!(
+        "BT /F1 8 Tf 0.6 0.55 0.5 rg {} {} Td ({}) Tj ET\n",
+        (pw - sub_w) / 2.0, grid_top + 14.0, esc(&sub)
+    ));
+
+    // grid border
+    c.push_str(&format!(
+        "0.1 0.08 0.06 RG 1.5 w {} {} {} {} re S\n",
+        grid_x, grid_top - grid_h, grid_w, grid_h
+    ));
+
+    // cells
+    for r in 0..puzzle.height {
+        for co in 0..puzzle.width {
+            let x = grid_x + co as f64 * cell;
+            let y = grid_top - r as f64 * cell;
+            match puzzle.grid.get(r, co) {
+                Cell::Black => {
+                    c.push_str(&format!("0.1 0.08 0.06 rg {} {} {} {} re f\n", x, y - cell, cell, cell));
+                }
+                _ => {
+                    c.push_str(&format!("0.78 0.75 0.72 RG 0.3 w {} {} {} {} re S\n", x, y - cell, cell, cell));
+                    if let Some(&num) = cell_numbers.get(&(r, co)) {
+                        c.push_str(&format!(
+                            "BT /F1 {} Tf 0.4 0.36 0.32 rg {} {} Td ({}) Tj ET\n",
+                            (cell * 0.25).min(7.0), x + 1.5, y - (cell * 0.28).min(7.5), num
+                        ));
+                    }
+                    if show_solution {
+                        if let Some(ch) = puzzle.grid.get(r, co).letter() {
+                            let fs = (cell * 0.55).min(16.0);
+                            c.push_str(&format!(
+                                "BT /F1 {} Tf 0.1 0.08 0.06 rg {} {} Td ({}) Tj ET\n",
+                                fs, x + cell * 0.3, y - cell * 0.68, ch
+                            ));
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // clues
+    let clue_top = grid_top - grid_h - 24.0;
+    let col_w = (pw - margin * 2.0 - 24.0) / 2.0;
+    let fs = 7.5;
+    let lh = 10.5;
+
+    c.push_str(&format!("BT /F2 10 Tf 0.1 0.08 0.06 rg {} {} Td (ACROSS) Tj ET\n", margin, clue_top));
+    c.push_str(&format!("0.78 0.75 0.72 RG 0.5 w {} {} m {} {} l S\n", margin, clue_top - 3.0, margin + col_w, clue_top - 3.0));
+
+    let mut y = clue_top - 16.0;
+    for clue in &puzzle.clues_across {
+        if y < margin + 20.0 { break; }
+        c.push_str(&format!("BT /F2 {} Tf 0.79 0.41 0.29 rg {} {} Td ({}) Tj ET\n", fs, margin, y, clue.number));
+        c.push_str(&format!("BT /F1 {} Tf 0.35 0.3 0.28 rg {} {} Td ({}) Tj ET\n", fs, margin + 18.0, y, esc(&truncate(&clue.text, 55))));
+        y -= lh;
+    }
+
+    let dx = margin + col_w + 24.0;
+    c.push_str(&format!("BT /F2 10 Tf 0.1 0.08 0.06 rg {} {} Td (DOWN) Tj ET\n", dx, clue_top));
+    c.push_str(&format!("0.78 0.75 0.72 RG 0.5 w {} {} m {} {} l S\n", dx, clue_top - 3.0, dx + col_w, clue_top - 3.0));
+
+    y = clue_top - 16.0;
+    for clue in &puzzle.clues_down {
+        if y < margin + 20.0 { break; }
+        c.push_str(&format!("BT /F2 {} Tf 0.79 0.41 0.29 rg {} {} Td ({}) Tj ET\n", fs, dx, y, clue.number));
+        c.push_str(&format!("BT /F1 {} Tf 0.35 0.3 0.28 rg {} {} Td ({}) Tj ET\n", fs, dx + 18.0, y, esc(&truncate(&clue.text, 55))));
+        y -= lh;
+    }
+
+    c.push_str(&format!("BT /F2 6 Tf 0.6 0.55 0.5 rg {} {} Td (cruciverb) Tj ET\n", margin, margin - 10.0));
+
+    build_pdf_with_fonts(&c, pw, ph, bold_font.as_deref(), regular_font.as_deref())
+}
+
+fn esc(s: &str) -> String {
+    s.replace('\\', "\\\\").replace('(', "\\(").replace(')', "\\)")
+}
+
+fn truncate(s: &str, max: usize) -> String {
+    if s.len() <= max { s.to_string() } else { format!("{}...", &s[..max - 3]) }
+}
+
+fn build_pdf_with_fonts(content: &str, pw: f64, ph: f64, bold_ttf: Option<&[u8]>, regular_ttf: Option<&[u8]>) -> Vec<u8> {
+    let mut pdf = Vec::new();
+    let mut offsets = Vec::new();
+    let mut obj_count = 0;
+
+    pdf.extend_from_slice(b"%PDF-1.4\n%\xe2\xe3\xcf\xd3\n");
+
+    macro_rules! obj {
+        ($data:expr) => {{
+            obj_count += 1;
+            offsets.push(pdf.len());
+            pdf.extend_from_slice(format!("{} 0 obj\n", obj_count).as_bytes());
+            pdf.extend_from_slice($data);
+            pdf.extend_from_slice(b"\nendobj\n");
+            obj_count
+        }};
+    }
+
+    // obj 1: catalog
+    obj!(b"<< /Type /Catalog /Pages 2 0 R >>");
+
+    // obj 2: pages
+    obj!(b"<< /Type /Pages /Kids [3 0 R] /Count 1 >>");
+
+    // build font objects
+    let (f1_ref, f2_ref);
+
+    if let Some(reg_data) = regular_ttf {
+        // embedded TrueType font for F1 (regular/body)
+        let stream_id = {
+            obj_count += 1;
+            offsets.push(pdf.len());
+            pdf.extend_from_slice(format!("{} 0 obj\n", obj_count).as_bytes());
+            pdf.extend_from_slice(format!("<< /Length {} /Length1 {} >>\nstream\n", reg_data.len(), reg_data.len()).as_bytes());
+            pdf.extend_from_slice(reg_data);
+            pdf.extend_from_slice(b"\nendstream\nendobj\n");
+            obj_count
+        };
+        let desc_id = obj!(format!("<< /Type /FontDescriptor /FontName /DMSans /Flags 32 /FontFile2 {} 0 R /ItalicAngle 0 /Ascent 1000 /Descent -200 /CapHeight 700 /StemV 80 >>", stream_id).as_bytes());
+        f1_ref = obj!(format!("<< /Type /Font /Subtype /TrueType /BaseFont /DMSans /FirstChar 32 /LastChar 255 /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding /FontDescriptor {} 0 R >>", desc_id).as_bytes());
+    } else {
+        f1_ref = obj!(b"<< /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /BaseFont /Helvetica /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >>");
+    }
+
+    if let Some(bold_data) = bold_ttf {
+        let stream_id = {
+            obj_count += 1;
+            offsets.push(pdf.len());
+            pdf.extend_from_slice(format!("{} 0 obj\n", obj_count).as_bytes());
+            pdf.extend_from_slice(format!("<< /Length {} /Length1 {} >>\nstream\n", bold_data.len(), bold_data.len()).as_bytes());
+            pdf.extend_from_slice(bold_data);
+            pdf.extend_from_slice(b"\nendstream\nendobj\n");
+            obj_count
+        };
+        let desc_id = obj!(format!("<< /Type /FontDescriptor /FontName /PlayfairDisplay-Bold /Flags 32 /FontFile2 {} 0 R /ItalicAngle 0 /Ascent 1000 /Descent -200 /CapHeight 700 /StemV 120 >>", stream_id).as_bytes());
+        f2_ref = obj!(format!("<< /Type /Font /Subtype /TrueType /BaseFont /PlayfairDisplay-Bold /FirstChar 32 /LastChar 255 /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding /FontDescriptor {} 0 R >>", desc_id).as_bytes());
+    } else {
+        f2_ref = obj!(b"<< /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >>");
+    }
+
+    // obj: content stream
+    let content_id = {
+        obj_count += 1;
+        offsets.push(pdf.len());
+        pdf.extend_from_slice(format!("{} 0 obj\n", obj_count).as_bytes());
+        pdf.extend_from_slice(format!("<< /Length {} >>\nstream\n", content.len()).as_bytes());
+        pdf.extend_from_slice(content.as_bytes());
+        pdf.extend_from_slice(b"\nendstream\nendobj\n");
+        obj_count
+    };
+
+    // obj 3: page (deferred - write now)
+    let page_data = format!(
+        "<< /Type /Page /Parent 2 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 {} {}] /Contents {} 0 R /Resources << /Font << /F1 {} 0 R /F2 {} 0 R >> >> >>",
+        pw, ph, content_id, f1_ref, f2_ref
+    );
+    // we need to insert page as obj 3, but we already wrote objects 1,2 then font objects
+    // so obj 3 wasn't written yet. let's write it now
+    obj_count += 1;
+    offsets.push(pdf.len());
+    pdf.extend_from_slice(format!("{} 0 obj\n{}\nendobj\n", obj_count, page_data).as_bytes());
+    let _page_obj = obj_count;
+
+    // fix pages to reference our page object
+    // this is hacky but works - we'll just rebuild the whole thing properly
+
+    // actually let's just rebuild cleanly
+    drop(pdf);
+    drop(offsets);
+    build_pdf_clean(content, pw, ph, regular_ttf, bold_ttf)
+}
+
+fn build_pdf_clean(content: &str, pw: f64, ph: f64, regular_ttf: Option<&[u8]>, bold_ttf: Option<&[u8]>) -> Vec<u8> {
+    // collect all objects first, then serialize
+    struct PdfObj {
+        data: Vec<u8>,
+    }
+
+    let mut objects: Vec<PdfObj> = Vec::new();
+
+    // helper to add object, returns 1-based index
+    let mut add_obj = |data: Vec<u8>| -> usize {
+        objects.push(PdfObj { data });
+        objects.len() // 1-based
+    };
+
+    // obj 1: catalog (placeholder, will reference pages)
+    add_obj(b"<< /Type /Catalog /Pages 2 0 R >>".to_vec());
+
+    // obj 2: pages (placeholder, will reference page)
+    add_obj(Vec::new()); // placeholder
+
+    // font objects
+    let f1_ref;
+    let f2_ref;
+
+    if let Some(reg) = regular_ttf {
+        let mut stream = format!("<< /Length {} /Length1 {} >>\nstream\n", reg.len(), reg.len()).into_bytes();
+        stream.extend_from_slice(reg);
+        stream.extend_from_slice(b"\nendstream");
+        let stream_id = add_obj(stream);
+
+        let desc = format!("<< /Type /FontDescriptor /FontName /DMSans /Flags 32 /FontFile2 {} 0 R /ItalicAngle 0 /Ascent 1000 /Descent -200 /CapHeight 700 /StemV 80 >>", stream_id);
+        let desc_id = add_obj(desc.into_bytes());
+
+        let font = format!("<< /Type /Font /Subtype /TrueType /BaseFont /DMSans /FirstChar 32 /LastChar 255 /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding /FontDescriptor {} 0 R >>", desc_id);
+        f1_ref = add_obj(font.into_bytes());
+    } else {
+        f1_ref = add_obj(b"<< /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /BaseFont /Helvetica /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >>".to_vec());
+    }
+
+    if let Some(bold) = bold_ttf {
+        let mut stream = format!("<< /Length {} /Length1 {} >>\nstream\n", bold.len(), bold.len()).into_bytes();
+        stream.extend_from_slice(bold);
+        stream.extend_from_slice(b"\nendstream");
+        let stream_id = add_obj(stream);
+
+        let desc = format!("<< /Type /FontDescriptor /FontName /PlayfairDisplay-Bold /Flags 32 /FontFile2 {} 0 R /ItalicAngle 0 /Ascent 1000 /Descent -200 /CapHeight 700 /StemV 120 >>", stream_id);
+        let desc_id = add_obj(desc.into_bytes());
+
+        let font = format!("<< /Type /Font /Subtype /TrueType /BaseFont /PlayfairDisplay-Bold /FirstChar 32 /LastChar 255 /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding /FontDescriptor {} 0 R >>", desc_id);
+        f2_ref = add_obj(font.into_bytes());
+    } else {
+        f2_ref = add_obj(b"<< /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >>".to_vec());
+    }
+
+    // content stream
+    let mut cs = format!("<< /Length {} >>\nstream\n", content.len()).into_bytes();
+    cs.extend_from_slice(content.as_bytes());
+    cs.extend_from_slice(b"\nendstream");
+    let content_id = add_obj(cs);
+
+    // page object
+    let page = format!(
+        "<< /Type /Page /Parent 2 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 {} {}] /Contents {} 0 R /Resources << /Font << /F1 {} 0 R /F2 {} 0 R >> >> >>",
+        pw, ph, content_id, f1_ref, f2_ref
+    );
+    let page_id = add_obj(page.into_bytes());
+
+    // fix pages object (obj 2) to reference the page
+    objects[1].data = format!("<< /Type /Pages /Kids [{} 0 R] /Count 1 >>", page_id).into_bytes();
+
+    // serialize
+    let mut pdf = Vec::new();
+    pdf.extend_from_slice(b"%PDF-1.4\n%\xe2\xe3\xcf\xd3\n");
+
+    let mut obj_offsets = Vec::new();
+    for (i, obj) in objects.iter().enumerate() {
+        obj_offsets.push(pdf.len());
+        pdf.extend_from_slice(format!("{} 0 obj\n", i + 1).as_bytes());
+        pdf.extend_from_slice(&obj.data);
+        pdf.extend_from_slice(b"\nendobj\n");
+    }
+
+    let xref = pdf.len();
+    pdf.extend_from_slice(format!("xref\n0 {}\n", objects.len() + 1).as_bytes());
+    pdf.extend_from_slice(b"0000000000 65535 f \n");
+    for off in &obj_offsets {
+        pdf.extend_from_slice(format!("{:010} 00000 n \n", off).as_bytes());
+    }
+
+    pdf.extend_from_slice(format!("trailer\n<< /Size {} /Root 1 0 R >>\nstartxref\n{}\n%%EOF\n", objects.len() + 1, xref).as_bytes());
+    pdf
+}