PDFlib is the leading developer toolbox for generating and manipulating files in the Portable Document Format (PDF). PDFlib’s main targets are dynamic PDF creation on a Web server or any other server system, and to implement "Save as PDF" in existing applications. You can use PDFlib to dynamically create PDF documents from database contents, similar to dynamic Web pages. PDFlib has proven itself in a wide range of other use cases as well. Application programmers need only decent graphics or print output experience to be able to use PDFlib quickly. Since PDFlib frees you from the technicalities of the PDF file format, you can focus on acquiring the data and arranging text, graphics, and images on the page.

The PDFlib product suite consists of PDFlib, PDFlib+PDI (PDF Import) and the PDFlib Personalization Server (PPS), each product containing added functionality, all within the one downloadable package (different versions activated by license keys).

Note: Please review the following Platform and Product Requirements, Limitations of the Evaluation version and Supported Programming Languages before downloading or purchasing this software.

Feature Summary

PDFlib offers all functions required to generate PDF documents with text, graphics, images, and interactive elements such as annotations or bookmarks. Use PDFlib for the following tasks:

• Add »Save as PDF« capability to your application
• Create PDF documents on a Web server in real time
• Create database reports in PDF
• Create PDF/X-1/3/4/5 documents for commercial printing
• Convert TIFF, JPEG, or other image formats to PDF
• Create PDF/A for archiving

Major Features in Depth

What’s new in PDFlib 8?

New PDF Features for Acrobat 9

• PDFlib supports various PDF features according to Acrobat 9 (technically: PDF 1.7 Adobe extension level 3)
• External graphical content (Reference XObjects)
• Layer variants (also called layer configurations)
• PDF Portfolios
• Georeferenced PDF
• AES-256 encryption and Unicode passwords
• PDFlib+PDI and PPS can import and process Acrobat 9 data.

Font Handling and Text Output

• Quite a number of new typographical features can be found in PDFlib 8:
• Complex script shaping and bidirectional formatting for Arabic, Thai, Hindi, and many other writing systems
• Fallback fonts
• OpenType layout features, e.g. ligatures and swash characters
• Retain fonts across documents
• SING fonts for CJK Gaiji characters
• Redesigned font engine
• Wrap text around image clipping paths
• Text on a path

Other important features

• There are a number of other important new features, details can be found in the product documentation
• Reusable path objects
• PDF/X-4 and PDF/X-5
• Alpha channel in TIFF and PNG images
• JBIG2-compressed images
• Compressed object streams and cross-reference streams
• Built-in PANTONE® Goe™ color libraries
• PDFlib 8 also introduces a variety of improvements in existing functions.

Limitations of the Evaluation version.

• The evaluation version is a fully functional product including documentation and samples available. The evaluation version is restricted by a watermark in the output, which disappears once a license key is applied

Supported Programming Languages

• COM for use with VB, ASP, Borland Delphi, etc.
• C and C++.
• Cobol (IBM eServer zSeries).
• Java, including servlets.
• .NET for use with C#, VB.NET, ASP.NET, etc.
• PHP hypertext processor.
• Perl.
• Python.
• REALbasic.
• RPG (IBM eServer iSeries).
• Ruby
• Tcl.