[Deansatch]

I was wondering if it is possible to create a word document complete with formatting and image effects etc... and then use php to pull text from a database and images from folders and insert them into the preformatted page. Or the same with some sort of pdf template?

This doesn't have to be something that web users will be doing. It will be for them to fill in the details, then I can click on "convert to word" and that users information will be inserted into the relevant parts of the document ready to print.

I know there are ways to convert html to pdf etc... but I don't want to be restricted by html layouts and browser variations.

[job0107]

You could use FPDF Class.
See -> FPDF

[Deansatch]

I want to insert info into an existing template, NOT create a pdf on the fly. The template MUST have a set layout that will not change because of browser display issues etc...

[Jcbones]

Yes, you can do that.

although, you probably want to use .rtf instead of .doc, for compatibility reasons.

http://www.hotscripts.com/listing/rtf-generator-class/