Web Print Help

Web Print is a web service designed to render a PDF image of a campaign finance report. Web Print was designed in accordance with the FEC Electronic Filing Specifications.

How do I render a report to an Image in a web browser?

Web Print is accessible from any browser.
Choose the *.fec file you wish to render into an image. Please take note of the process and expected wait times:

• A file size less than 20MB - the PDF image will be rendered immediately.
• A file size between 20MB and 2GB - a message will be returned reading "We are processing your request. Please stand by, you will receive an email with a link to your report image. Report Image ID - xxxx". Processing time can vary depending upon the volume of requests, typically 5 minutes (for medium) to 30 minutes (very large) sized files. The rendered report will remain in our queue for 24 hours. Storing the report greatly shortens the render time should you choose to view the report again.
• A file size over 2 GB - a file of this size cannot be processed by Web Print. For assistance with files of this size, please contact the EFO Help Desk.

How do I consume the Web Print web service?

Software Developers may consume the SOAP web service which translates the filing data from the .fec file into a printable PDF format.
WSDL URL: https://efoservices.fec.gov/webprint/services/print?wsdl
Below are the Web Print web service end points.
1) print - Print expects three parameters, the first being an API Key, the second an email address, and the third is the byte[] of the .fec file (to which you are planning to render the image).
2) status - Status expects two parameters, the first being the batch_id and second is the submission_id. Once an email is received status can be checked of a previously submitted request. The rendered image will remain in our queue for 24 hours before being removed from the system. If an image is not accessible, please re-submit your request.

What is the purpose of API Key and how do I get it?

An API Key is a unique key assigned to an electronic filing software vendor. To utilize the web services, and obtain an API Key, the vendor representative must register here. Once registered, an API Key will be assigned. If an API Key is lost or forgotten, the vendor representative must login to the vendor login to view the API Key.

What is the expected Web Print web service response?

The web service will return a JSON format response as below.
{
"status":"COMPLETED",
"image_url":"https://efoservices.fec.gov/webprint/services/file/{submission_id}",
"message":"",
"email":"jsmith@domain.com",
"submission_id":"5798c88e8e3b2061e47cabf32ea0eb61",
"batch_id":123,
"success":true
}

• status
  "COMPLETED" - Image ready to view / download.
  "PROCESSING" - We are processing your request, and you will be notified with a link to your report image.
  "FAILED" - Image processing can fail for various reasons such as an invalid API Key, an invalid Email address, or an invalid FEC format.
  
• image_url
  URL to view / download image for the report.
• message
  Contains details about the response, can be a processing message or a reason for failure.
• email
  For file size greater than 20MB, an email will be sent with a link to your report image.
• submission_id
  A unique ID assigned to the report which can be used for progress tracking. Use the status end point to track the status.
• batch_id
  If file size greater than 20MB, there is batch number assigned to the request. This batch number may be used for reference when calling the EFO Help Desk for assistance regarding the file.
• success
  True - FEC has received your report and image process has been completed or it is under process.
  False - Please view the message for possible failure.

Please Note: Because .fec files can be very large, we are accepting "MTOM" Message Encoding.