Export code-heavy markdown to PDF without losing readability

Code blocks are usually where a markdown export starts to feel fragile. Long lines, missing language labels, and commentary that drifts too far away from the snippet can make the PDF harder to review than the source file.

The fix is usually simple. Keep the explanation close to the code, label the fenced block when possible, and preview the widest snippet before you export.

Three habits that help

1. Add a language tag to each fenced code block.
2. Keep a short explanation directly above or below the snippet.
3. Break up giant examples so one block does not dominate the whole page.

When this matters most

This workflow is especially useful for implementation notes, API handoff docs, runbooks, and incident write-ups where people need the code sample and the explanation in the same PDF.