PDF SDKs: Outrageously Unsexy Software

PDFs were revolutionary when they were first developed in the early 90s. Finally, a document file type that would look the exact same no matter what operating system, software or hardware you were using. Working on a Gateway 2000 or an Apple Lisa? The document was identical. What a breakthrough!    And without fail, we immediately wanted to be able to edit PDF documents.        

Sometimes we wanted to edit information in the actual document and didn’t have the original. Or we wanted to split a PDF into two separate PDFs, extract data from one PDF to place in another, or all of the above and merge into a brand-new document.   

That’s when PDF editing software was born.   

PDF editors come in many variations. You can edit pdfs online through free versions, best for one-off document needs, or companies may offer a SaaS product for relatively simple changes. There are options with packaging platforms such as Docker, NuGet and Maven for software developers.   

But what if you need a PDF editor for enterprise-sized projects? When hundreds or even millions of documents need to be created, edited or manipulated in some way?   

Now we are jumping into PDF SDK Libraries, created specifically for software developers working on complex applications that require more elaborate workflows.  

Let’s get started – can you feel the excitement? 
   
First – What the heck is an SDK?    

Think of Software Development Kits (SDKs) as meal delivery kits – they come with all the ingredients you need to make a nice meal, but in this case, the developer uses the kits to create specific applications. The benefits are that developers do not have to write code or build things from scratch, meaning complex projects are completed faster and more efficiently.    

SDKs will include “libraries” or pre-written collections of code for speeding up the development process, APIs, reference documentation and sample code, among other resources a developer may need. Developers pick and choose which code to use to create their needed application or process.    

A PDF SDK is a document editor that lets you create, manipulate, convert and manage all types of PDF files.  

How does a PDF SDK make developing easier?   

In an episode of Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten tells a story about how she wanted to have three different types of barbeque sauce at her store – mustardy, tomato-y and Asian-inspired. Each one was fine on its own but didn’t quite get the job done for her ribs. So, she combined them into one fantastic sauce she uses all the time.     

PDF SDKs are similar.  

Because they are a combination of a bunch of different functionalities and features for manipulating PDF files, they include pre-written code that can be combined to create the exact process and workflow developers need for their applications. Additionally, SDKs often come in different versions based on platforms and programming languages a developer uses, making integrations seamless.   

For example, banks going paperless may still want to provide the option for customers to see a monthly statement. These statements will include the bank’s info, the customer’s info, lists of transactions with dates, and so on. But the bank isn’t going to create individual statements for each person each month.    

Instead, these statements appear after an application pulls all of the customer’s information from various databases into one final PDF that can be viewed online and printed at the customer’s discretion. This is where PDF software shines – making that process invisible to the customer. They only see the final version, not the work PDF software in the background.     

Internal Processes/External Products  Leveraging PDF SDKs for Streamlined Workflows  PDF SDKs can play a pivotal role in workflows within organizations. Automating document generation, extracting vital information from PDFs, merging or splitting documents for specific reporting needs, or providing collaborating tools such as commenting or annotations, SDKs can provide companies with a large array of capabilities to optimize their internal processes. By integrating PDF SDKs into their existing systems, they reduce manual tasks and increase productivity. 

Creating SaaS Applications & B2B Software  

For many software companies, integrating document processing features can be an important element to their own software products. Using a PDF SDK allows them to embed PDF functionality directly into their own applications without having to develop processes from scratch. Licensing and pricing are based on OEM, SaaS, end-users and types of use. Be sure to clarify when researching PDF SDK options.  

What are the Benefits of a PDF SDK? 

Bottom line? It's about time and money. But mostly money, let's be honest.     

Using a PDF SDK shortens development time and increases productivity because it lets developers focus on the essential elements of the applications – which, in turn, results in higher quality output. Instead of spending time researching ways to create workflows, companies can focus on their own core competencies.  Companies also require fewer resources on projects, because the elements of a PDF SDK were designed to work together seamlessly. This reduces the amount of testing and rework during a project and helps limit downtime on the part of an end-user. Which leads us to getting to market faster – we told you it was about the money. And it’s not just about products being sold to customers, it could also be enhancing the customer experience – like the bank example above.    

Why Not Just Use an Open-Source PDF SDK?  Look, we’re engineers. We love open-source software when it makes sense. And it might work for your PDF project.  Or not.     Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of using open-source PDF SDKs ProsConsFree!You get what you pay for!  Sometimes open-source cannot scale the way you need it to – just be aware of
the pitfalls. 
 Usually just basic functions offered. Limited capabilities for editing PDFs and developing PDF workflows. 
 Relies on developer community for updates, bug fixes and advances, often done on their own time. No technical support, limited documentation, no one entity responsible for customer support when needed.  
  Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of using enterprise PDF SDKs  ProsConsOffer flexible pricing options based on usage: internal, end-user, OEM or SaaS.A license agreement purchase is necessary, but someone has to feed the engineers.
 Offer advanced tools for creating, editing, modifying, converting, extracting, printing and securing PDF documents.  
 Are you kidding? You get everything with this version!  Software engineers & support teams are constantly working with customers, updating features and offering support on projects non-stop. You may have to talk to a human.   Depending on the type of project and your timeline, using open-source software may work perfectly fine for you. But we do reserve the right to do the “Told Ya So” dance if things go down the crapper. 
 
  Look Before You Leap: What to Consider When Choosing a PDF SDK  Now you know why PDF SDKs are used – but how do you find the best PDF editor for your project? Research and test the software.    Here are some things to consider:    Reliable & Stable Code   SDKs are packaged to work together cohesively, so both the developer and user’s experience are consistent, and you want to make sure the code is from a reliable source that will play nice with all Adobe Acrobat/PDF-related products    Documentation & Support  SDKs come with get started guides, sample code, other helpful resources – and good ones come with the option to reach out to humans to help you develop your proof of concept even during trial periods (mentioning for a friend).    Functionality  Gives developers a myriad (we said it) of options to choose from in how they want to develop their applications.    Compatibility  Developers can choose SDKs based on the platform and programming languages they prefer and are currently using, including package manager such as NuGet and Maven.    Updates  How well is the PDF SDK maintained and does the company communicate updates with you consistently?    Free Trials   Duh. A reputable company will want you to test the hell out of their PDF SDK to make sure it performs the way you need it to before buying it.    Company History with PDFs   Okay, this one is a bit self-serving, but we’ve worked with PDFs almost as long as they’ve existed, there’s not much we haven’t seen. We’re an Adobe Channel Partner and have been for years. No other PDF SDK company has the experience and expertise we have. I mean, we actually have second generation Datalogics engineers working for us. That’s dedication and expertise that our competitors don't have.       PDF SDK & Functionality  Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of functionality: How is the software being used, what do you need it to do, what platform and what programming languages?    Server- or Client-Side Setup
First of all, do you need client-side or server-side SDKs?  Client-side PDF SDKs operate on a user’s device, offering tools for local PDF document manipulation. This would include user-friendly interfaces for viewing, editing and creating PDFs locally.   Client-side PDFs offer lower infrastructure costs, reduced maintenance and infinite scalability as well as improved privacy since it is specific to one user’s device.  
Server-side PDF SDKs run on a – wait for it – server, which means the tools for processing PDFs run through an API. It automates PDF processing workflows, such as bulk merging, splitting, converting, or programmatically adding items such as watermarks or digital signatures.  Server-side usage improves performance for complex processing, provides better security and greater control over documents, and offers more flexibility in integration. Or – combine them both for a hybrid option, ya hippies! 

This can include remote document access, complex processing, universal document conversion and editing, real-time collaboration and form data submission. It’s the best of both worlds.  The choice between client-side and server-side PDF SDKs depends on project specifics, considering factors like document volume, required automation level, and available resources. Both types can be developed to optimize PDF document workflows.   Brass Tacks  Let’s look the type of functionality you can embed into your workflows – internal or external, client-side, server-side or hybrid – for your project:    PDF Creation & Modification  Optimize (size, resolution, etc.)  Merge & split  Annotations  Flattening  Bookmarks, links & labels  Underlines & highlights  Creating transparencies  Add content and/or elements  Color spaces – Grayscale, RGB, CMYK, ICC (International Color Consortium), gradients, etc.  Layers  Linearization (web)   
Extraction  Content  Attachments  Fonts  Flattening  List info, layers & paths  Metadata     Print/Commercial Printing  Silent printing  Automating tray pulls  Building RIPs  PDF print optimization   Security  Passwords  Encryption/Decryption  Redaction  Set permissions  Lock document  Watermark    Forms  XFA to Acroform  Static XFA flattening  Dynamic XFA flattening  Import/Export data    Images  Extract  Import/export  Thumbnails  Render pages  Rasterize pages  Resampling  Separations    Text  Text extraction by pattern, region, multi-regions, annotations, form field  Text search  Insert header/footer  Add glyphs, Unicode & vertical text    Conversion  PDF/A Converter  PDF/X Converter  ZUGFeRD Converter  PDF to Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)/EPS to PDF  PDF to PostScript (PS)/PS to PDF  XPS to PDF  PDF to Word, Excel, PowerPoint  Factur-X Converter    OCR – Optical Character Recognition  Add text to document  Add text to image    (View entire list of features for Adobe PDF Library based on C++, .NET, .NET Framework and Java on GitHub).    Languages & Platforms  No, we’re not talking about all of the cursing done while developing, although that is an important aspect of working with software.    Are you working in C#, C++, Java, do you need it on Windows, Linux or Apple, or is the software available in any of the package managers like NuGet, Maven or Docker (not the super-comfortable pants)?    Make sure the software plays nicely not only with the development team, but also when integrating with the other ten million pieces of software you are using. But you probably already knew that part.        Quick Use Case Examples    Aerospace - Dynamically creating PDFs from internal information that include 3D models and product information for robotics division; must include ability to collaborate with comments and annotations and be visible to non-engineers.     Automotive - Parsing and extracting technical data from tables and officially approved manufacturing documents into new documents for internal workflows.    Aviation – Processing documents, converting into images and creating bookmarks for internal use while integrating with Oracle’s cloud server.    Banking – Sanitizing documents received from third parties by redacting sensitive information, JavaScript, dynamic forms and annotations from the document prior to publishing final form.    Engineering – Creating large reports for customers in the mining, oil/gas, water and clean power industries that included engineering drawings, data, annotations, headers and footers for each page, pagination, table of contents and flattening entire document prior to sending.      Finance – Automatically creating barcodes to PDF files that are generated from Excel sheet input and allow the final forms to be edited and updated by both the customer and financial organization.        Healthcare-Hospital - Extracting patient information from intake forms and adding it to electronic health records keeping in compliance with HIPAA regulations.     Healthcare-Long Term Care – Printing a high volume of PDF files from internal applications with improved performance and more control.    Healthcare-Clinical Trials – Document management between research sites and patients' needs to include redaction of sensitive information, annotations, text editing and searching, highlights, time stamping and digital signatures.    Insurance – Improve the performance of the application that allowed customers to view their policies, including the ability to merge and bookmark within the app.       Insurance-Software – Software used for paperless insurance environments needed to be able to view and store a multitude of different document types – PDF, DocX, XLSX, JPG, TIFF, MSG and others – as well as edit and annotate PDFs.    Legal – Software that helped attorneys manage the storage and destruction of closed files needed the ability to create PDF files, convert to PDF/A (archive) files, and for PDF OCR manipulation and optimization.    Manufacturing – Medical manufacturing and distributions company needed to automate and speed up the performance of printing out reports and safety data sheets for its customers.    Manufacturing-Software – Printing services company in the manufacturing sector printed PDFs of 80,000 – 90,000 pages and needed to embed fonts and merge transparent objects to remove errors and speed up the printing process.    Printing – Direct mail service online printing platform wanted to allow its customers to personalize documents for their own customers with variable data printing, which streamlined the creation, printing and sending of content saving time and creating a better experience for those who received the personalized mail.    Real Estate – Using variable data printing, the organization wanted to be able to use one template for its real estate brochures, with the ability to extract and exchange content such as descriptions, images, financial information, and print documents on an as-needed basis for open houses and mailings.       Software – Technology provider offering automation software to commercial printers wanted to add preflight and editing capabilities to its software for better printing performance and service.    Software – Company specializing in 2D & 3D product management software needed the ability to parse the PDFs they were creating, add headers and footers, edit content, annotate, modify and prepare documents for printing.    Software – Manufacturing software firm wanted to be able to offer its clients the ability to parse PDFs with CAD drawings along with adding text, graphics and other images for its clients to view quickly and clearly.    Security – Company that assisted with mobile patrols and security guards offered criminal record checks, digital fingerprints and threat risk assessments was working with a federal agency on background verification checks. They created PDFs that were tamper-proof and password-protected, with digital signature abilities.   
Security - A global security company focusing both on physical and digital solutions needed software that would allow them to develop internal document workflows for adding text, images and barcodes to multi-layer PDFs, and to potentially create JPG and TIFF files as needed. The PDF documents could then be sent to printers and easily managed for proper output.       Why do developers use Datalogics software?    We’re Mothership-adjacent.  As an Adobe Channel Partner, developers know Adobe PDF Library plays nicely with all Adobe Acrobat products. It is also one of the most widely used and most consistently developed SDK in the world, which is why the largest global companies depend on it.    Our Expertise  But it’s more than software - our secret sauce is our knack for combining cutting-edge technologies with more expertise than we would like to admit we have. Some of our employees have been around 20, 30 and even 35 years (that’s before PDFs were invented!). We know PDFs inside and out, so throw any problem at us. Chances are good, we’ve seen it before...and if not, we’ll figure it out.      Sign up for a free trial of our Adobe PDF Library SDK and start on your proof of concept today.