pdf programming

[tomte]

I am new to PDF programming and have a question. Unlike output formats like Postscript and PCL, PDF does not appear to be linear in it's format. If I wanted to split a PDF file apart during the print process and invoke extra postscript commands, can I do this and what do I need to be aware of, also, are there any good resources/sites for PDF programming?

 

[tgreer]

PDF isn't a language, it's a format. That said, it is object-based and you can dissemble, and re-assemble PDFs. There was a PostScript-passthrough operator, but I think it's been deprecated in PDF 1.5.

It may be that your best bet is to start from PostScript, and dynamically generate various PDF documents as needed.

PostScript has a "pdfmark" operator specifically to create PDF objects/structures through Distiller.

Adobe publishes a PDF Reference Manual.

Thomas D. Greer

 

[tomte]

My mistake the PDF specification guide 1.3 calls it a language similar to Postscript but not as flexible. I am curious as to the dissassemble part. In essence what I want to do is dissassemble a PDF file reassemble the file adding objects into the document without end user intervention. I can break postscript on showpage commands, but I am wanting to do something similar with a PDF. I am looking for good references for developing PDF file structures. What do you recommend

 

[tgreer]

I recommend Adobe's PDF Reference: Version 1.4 (3rd Edition). You can get on Amazon new or used.

It's the official, definitive guide to the PDF spec.

You've set yourself a very difficult task, though. Not all PDFs are created equal, or even created correctly. If you want a tool that will work with any PDF, you'll essentially end up rewriting Acrobat!

Is this a personal project, or are you trying to solve a particular business problem perhaps certained around a specific "kind" of PDF?

 

[tomte]

Not a specific problem so to speak, trying to increase my knowledge of the PDF format. I have written a number of utilities for printing PDF to specific types of printers, but now I would like to expand the flexibility of the tools I have. To do so, I need to have a better understanding of the PDF document structure. Example, I might want to take a PDF and create multipart forms from a single page PDF. The printers I am using support native PDF printing (provided the PDF is structured properly) which can be advantages in transfer time, etc. I currently can do this in Postscript and PCL. I just want to take it up to another level, with plug ins or standalone utilities. Thank you for the help to date.