Advances in workflow technology for PDF
The brand-new pdfToolbox 11
David van DriesscheCTO - Four Pees
Dietrich von SeggernCEO – callas software
Who are we?
callas software Berlin, Germany
Four Pees, Gent, Belgium
What is pdfToolbox?
What is pdfToolbox Desktop?
• Plug-in for Acrobat and standaloneapplication
• Easy to use– Switchboard for ready-made actions– Visualizer for visually inspecting PDF documents
• Yet powerful– Profiles for more customization– Variables to make profiles dynamic– Process plans to introduce processing logic
All manual (point-and-click) right?
• Yes, pdfToolbox Desktop requires an operator• But…– pdfToolbox Server automates using hot folders– pdfToolbox CLI and SDK allow closer integration
into web portals, automation applications, etc...
• And they all support the same functionality
Integrable PDF technology for automation - not a workflow
Built into• Adobe Acrobat Pro (“Preflight”), Foxit Phantom
and QuarkXPress• Kodak Prinergy (“Preflight+”), Xerox FreeFlow and
other workflows• … many MIS / ERP systems• The engine behind most big online printers in
Europe• …
From Preflight to Automation
Utilizing Standards for interoperability and reducing complexity
• PDF 2.0pdfToolbox 9
• Processing Steps (ISO19593)pdfToolbox 10
• Print Product Metadata (ISO21812) Viewer in pdfToolbox 11
• PDF/X-6 (ISO15930-9:2020)
Automation Engines for driving PDF
Variables (and Javascript)
• Simple variables in 2006 (pdfCorrect)• Flexibility for the interface between
host application or user and pdfToolbox 4
• JavaScript variables in 2016 (pdfToolbox 9)• Information about the PDF is accessible and
can be used in scripts for modifications
Process Plans
• Process Plans allow creating “recipes”– Step by step instructions on how to handle a PDF– With conditional logic (if this happens, do that)
HTML to PDF
• A complete HTML rendering engine built into pdfToolbox
• Used for:– Decorating PDF files– Creating custom preflight reports– Creating “administrative” documents such as
shipping receipts or proof previews
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+32(0)9 237 10 00
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Grommets (eyelets)
Tiling
Imposition
• Static imposition (runlists and sheetconfig cfg files)
• Dynamic imposition auto adjusted to PDF parameters – using variables when needed
• Very little interactive imposition
Derive objects: Shapes
Processing:(0. Optionally: Filter objects)1. Raster page2. Trace (vectors)3. Adjust size4. Create objects: white, varnish, die line …
…derive clipping path from die line
Inventing bleed
• Rectangular bleed via mirroring or pixel repetition
• New in pdfToolbox 11: Bleed for irregular shapes (using Shapes technology)
Label
Packaging
Large Format
Spotify
• Take an RGB image• Convert it into “x” spot colors
• Useful for screen printing, tampon printing etc…– Colors are automatically assigned– Can search closest matches from a spot – color library
From and to PDF
• Convert other formats to PDF– Images (PNG, JPG, TIFF, Photoshop)– Office files– Postscript / EPS
• Convert PDF to other formats– Images– Extracted text– PostScript / EPS
Preflight
Crop to visible
Adding undercolor white
Extracting images
Outlining page boxes
Using JavascriptTiling
Adding bleed
Checking ink coverage
Splitting PDF
Removing layers
Sharpening images
Downsampling images
Office files to PDF
Converting to multi-channel PDF
Using DeviceLink profiles
Adding printer marks
Rearranging pages Creating rich black
Fixing overprint issues
Fixing spot color names
Remapping spot colors
Exporting dieline to DXF, CF2, SVG
Removing spot colors
Rotating pagesChanging page size
From/to PostScript
Converting to images
Flattening transparency
RGB to CMYK
Outlining text
Imposition
Adding barcodes
Adding overlay
Comparing PDF files
Embedding fontsCrop to visible Removing invisible objects
Re-distilling PDF
Merging PDF
Extracting dielines
Adding grommets
Spotify
Using Process Plans
Adding varnish
Replacing fonts
Adjusting tone curves
Optimizing PDF
View ink coverage
Inspecting objects
Step and repeat
That’s it folks!Questions?
David van DriesscheCTO - Four Pees
Dietrich von SeggernCEO – callas software