callas pdfChip is a command-line conversion tool that takes an HTML file
– optionally augmented using CSS3 and JavaScript – and performs a high-quality
conversion to PDF that is ready for print or archival (PDF/X or PDF/A).

pdfChip is ideally suited for high-volume dynamic HTML to PDF generation
of single and multi-page PDF documents of anything that is normally shown on
a web site itself, but at times needs to be available in a printable form as well.

With an increasing amount of content stored in web-based
content management systems (CMS), callas pdfChip will prove
to be particularly valuable to businesses needing to provide up-to-date
information to customers through their own preferred channels.

callas pdfChip is recommended when businesses need flexible and
automated high-volume PDF creation.

Example cases include content-rich transactional printing,
book and catalog creation, and web-to-print applications or imposition.

callas pdfChip allows businesses to dynamically format content
for distribution through any channel they require.

callas pdfChip is based on easy-to-use,
common and established web technology

callas pdfChip is built on standard technologies such as
Qt WebKit, HTML, CSS and JavaScript that are widely known
and that require no dedicated development resources.

The HTML templates used by callas pdfChip are very similar to
what would be needed for use on websites.
A good understanding of up-to-date web technology is
sufficient to get started with pdfChip.
Anyone with experience building up-to-date website solutions
will have enough background in HTML, CSS and JavaScript
to get going with the product very quickly.

There is no need to learn custom XML or XSL-FO based languages;
anything that works in HTML is immediately usable in callas pdfChip.
That sets callas pdfChip apart from solutions that have their
own custom XML or XSL-FO based template languages.

The fact that callas pdfChip is a command-line tool as opposed to
a development library means that its functionality can easily be
integrated into all kinds of different custom environments without
needing dedicated development resources.

callas pdfChip can also be driven by automated solutions
such as Laidback Solutions FileTrain or Enfocus Switch.

Wide applicability across different markets

With its extensive feature set and high-quality PDF output,
callas pdfChip is ideally suited as the back-end high-volume PDF
creation solution for many different applications, amongst others:

• Imposition and content aggregation workflows


• Creating downloadable web content


• Composition workflows where templates and user contents
  have to be combined on the fly and where printable
  PDF documents have to be delivered


• On-the-fly preparation and publishing of magazine and newspaper content


• On-the-fly preparation and publishing of sales literature and user manuals


• On-demand book printing


• Dynamic generation of one-off content such as
  real estate property information, tickets, stubs, order data, invoices, receipts,…
  (for example in web-to-print environments)


• Variable data printing where templates have to be filled with data
  coming from a data source (such as a database or CRM system)


• Transactional printing workflows where transactional data
  needs to be combined with visually rich designs

Use Case - Create an HTML template for ZUGFeRD-based invoices

This article explains a rather complex project that shows how a
HTML template for invoicing can be created in Adobe InDesign,
exported into a callas pdfChip template using the export filter and
then turned into ZUGFeRD-invoices.

As always when it is about creating various instances from a template
there is need for a data source that has the variable data.

This example uses XML files in the ZUGFeRD format.
(ZUGFeRD is a German standard for electronic invoices and
a ZUGFeRD invoice consists of a PDF/A-3 container
into which an XML invoice is embedded)

This example reads data from such ZUGFeRD invoices,
puts it into the corresponding objects in the template and
creates a single PDF file for each invoice.

Finally the XML is embedded into the PDF and
the file is saved according to the PDF/A-3 standard.
So a full ZUGFeRD invoice is created.

For all details, see:

• Create an HTML template and turn into ZUGFeRD-based invoices with callas pdfChip

When to Use and Not to Use callas pdfChip - Details

• When to Use and Not to Use callas pdfChip - Details - Popup-Window

callas pdfChip Architecture

callas pdfChip is a powerful PDF creation technology
which uses HTML as its input format.
It extends the use of HTML, CSS and JavaScript to
create high-quality, true-color, high-performance and
printable PDF documents.

callas pdfChip compensates for limitations of the HTML format
and provides features to define page breaks and page numbers,
to use the printing color space, and much more.

News in callas pdfChip v2.0

• Extended PDF feature support

• Support for the ISO Standard PDF 2.0;
  including the possibility to add correct version information and
  specific support for the new black point compensation entry.


• Better support for setting PDF blend modes.


• Support for Photoshop (PSD) or TIFF images in a generated
  PDF document, next to the already supported image formats
  (such as GIF, JPG, PNG and more).


• Support for referenced PDF documents which are included
  without quality loss in the generated output PDF.



• Easier & safer integration

• Web server environments:
  Support for an additional command-line parameter to
  allow or disallow access to remote content.


• To increase processing speed on Windows:
  a 64-bit version is now available.


• On all platforms, referenced image and PDF data
  is now handled in an optimized way to avoid
  high-memory consumption during PDF creation.


• The latest version of the TEC-IT barcode library has been
  integrated for more complete barcode support.

News in callas pdfChip v1.4

• Page scaling factor (UserUnits)

Used if result PDF exceeds the maximum dimensions of PDF (200x200 inch).
UserUnits can be defined in HTML/CSS.

• Optional content + Processing steps

Support for defining Layers (optional content) for content objects
incl. Layer groups and information for Processing steps in CSS.

• New option: --zoom-factor

The precision of placements can now be increased using
the --zoom-factor parameter for applications that need
very high calculation accuracy when positioning objects.

News in callas pdfChip v1.2

callas pdfChip v1.2 update focuses on ease-of-use:

• Debug Plug-In for Chrome

One of the challenges in developing pdfChip templates,
is figuring out the right HTML to get the effect in PDF that you want.
This is especially difficult, because an HTML template using JavaScript
will not open correctly in a standard browser such as Chrome.

With pdfChip 1.2 comes a Chrome plug-in that emulates
the pdfChip specific JavaScript objects and functions.
This makes it possible to use the Chrome JavaScript debugger
for your templates.

• Extended support for barcodes

pdfChip contains a built-in barcode library that supports
over 100 (119 to be precise) barcode types.
Many of these barcodes have special features and
parameters that could not be used in pdfChip.

From pdfChip 1.2 on, these specific parameters can also be used in
your templates, making the barcode functionality even more powerful.
At the same time, it is now possible to use much more coloring schemes
for barcodes, opening up a wide array of more creative barcode uses.

• InDesign template generator

pdfChip templates can be created with any good text editor
or with a tool specifically targeted towards web design.
For those people who feel more comfortable with design tools,
such as Adobe InDesign, callas released the pdfChip template
generation export filter for Adobe InDesign with the pdfChip 1.2 release.

This export filter converts an InDesign document into a correct
pdfChip template, correctly taking over the positions of all elements
on the page, the color and styles of page elements and more.
This allows to dramatically reduce the time required to build a
correct pdfChip template.

• Additional features

Creating a template that correctly loads fonts and images
can be difficult, because of the asynchronous way pdfChip
(and the WebKit engine within) handle those page resources.

In pdfChip 1.2, there is a new, elegant way, to handle this problem.
pdfChip is capable of outputting more than one PDF document.
When generating business cards for example,
each business card could be saved in a single PDF file.

It is now also possible to cross link between those files.
This means that each generated PDF file can contain links
to one or more of the other generated PDF files.

Most of the time, pdfChip templates will be a mix of
HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and where necessary enhanced
with things, such as MathML or SVG.
Sometimes, more simple needs could be handled by a
single SVG file however. pdfChip 1.2 allows specifying a single
SVG file which will be converted into a PDF seamlessly.

News in callas pdfChip v1.1

callas pdfChip v1.1 update adds a number of features
especially useful when creating long, dynamic documents:

• Making integration easier

Using pdfChip to convert an HTML template to a good
PDF file is straightforward and easy.
pdfChip v1.1 focuses on making integration of the tool in a
larger project just as easy by adding a number of features:

• Control the maximum number of pages in the generated PDF file.

Makes it e.g. possible to create single page PDF files in just
one go instead of one PDF file with many pages.
Since the destination PDF can now be defined in the JavaScript
code it is possible to start a new PDF whenever needed.



• Enhanced error reporting,
  specifically for JavaScript and when placing bar codes.

During development it can be critical to understand what
errors occur and how to adjust the HTML template.
Error reporting is now improved in order to make it easier
to develop complex PDF publishing applications.



• Passing command-line variables straight to the HTML template.

Allows for passing command-line variables straight to
the HTML template, where JavaScript can pick it up and use it
to shape the resulting PDF file.

The ability to pass this kind of small information to an HTML template
adds even more flexibility to PDF publishing; compared to what was
already possible with the highly dynamic HTML/JavaScript architecture.




• Long, dynamic PDF documents

Long documents, that need to include lists of references such as
a list of figures, list of tables or simply a table of contents,
were a challenge in pdfChip v1.0.

In pdfChip v1.1 the new concept of a “list collector” is implemented:

• List collector.

This new feature allows content to be marked using
simple CSS and stores information about this content in a
JSON (JavaScript data) file.
This information can then be used to automatically
create a table of content with page numbers for
the generated PDF document for example.




• Advanced templates

• Device-N color space.

Device-N color space is an advanced PDF color space
that is essential for content where a number of different
spot colors or a combination of CMYK and spot colors is
used for page objects like images or vector graphics.



• Improved placing of PDF files.

Placing of PDF files has been improved.
pdfChip provides information about PDF files that are placed
in the HTML template, e.g. about their trimbox or bleedbox.
This information can then be used in JavaScript
to modify the placement.

Key Features

• Command-line (CLI) application
• HTML(+) in, PDF out



• Full support for HTML5
• Including CSS3, JavaScript, SVG, etc...



• Built on Qt WebKit as HTML rendering
• Support for all standard HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript features


• Ability to use JavaScript libraries such as
  JQuery or MathJax to speed up development


• Support for HTML editors to develop HTML input for callas pdfChip


• Highly optimized PDF generation to overcome
  inefficiencies of typical HTML output


• Support for professional TrueType and OpenType fonts



• Professional PDF generation

Uses custom extensions to HTML / CSS / JavaScript
where needed to get first-class PDF for print and publishing

• Proper definition of media, crop, trim and bleed box


• Generation of CMYK, Lab and Gray color spaces


• Generation of ICC-based color spaces


• Generation of spot colors (named colors)


• Inclusion of dynamic XMP metadata


• Inclusion of necessary PDF/X or PDF/A standard tags


• Control over PDF specific properties (overprint, line styles…)



• Uses XSL-FO (Extensible Stylesheet Language – Formatting Objects)
• Unlike other applications using XSL-FO callas pdfChip,
  through its use of the widespread HTML,
  requires no specialist or technical know-how.
  This approach is particularly advantageous for
  both printing and online publishing applications.



• Custom pagination support
• JavaScript support to modify the HTML DOM and
  output custom PDF pages at will


• Support for multiple PDF generation passes to add
  any number of static or dynamic underlays and overlays
  to the final PDF document


• Support for any page numbering pattern and
  running headers and footers



• Integrated bar code support
• Integrated barcode generation functionality,
  with support for over one hundred different
  types of common and specialist bar codes


• Bar code addition through addition of easy to
  define custom HTML object


• Full control over barcode appearance through
  HTML parameters and CSS styling



• Dynamic handling of multiple native PDF files
• callas pdfChip can be used to dynamically combine
  multiple native PDF files on one or more pages, instead of
  inserting them as images in the print data stream.



• Support for personalized data
• A database connection or targeted use of PDF metadata can also
  be used for personalized document creation and printing.

Key Features - Details

Benefits

High-speed and high-quality PDF generation

• Powerful PDF creation from HTML


• High-quality, true-color, high-performance and printable PDF documents


• Not only for print but also for online publishing


• Highly-optimized engine based on Qt WebKit


• Compensates for limitations of the HTML format


• Smallest output PDF size possible


• Provides features to define page breaks and page numbers,
  to use the printing color space, and more


• Supports multi-processor environments for parallel generation of multiple PDF files


• Generation of standards-compliant PDF files in PDF/X and PDF/A workflows


• Dynamically combine multiple native PDF files on one or more pages


• Dynamic inclusion of all necessary XMP metadata


• Targeted use of PDF metadata


• Possibility to use the exact same HTML and CSS code
  on the web and for PDF generation (through use of callas pdfChip
  specific custom HTML, CSS and JavaScript where necessary)




Low entry level

• Based on widely understood technologies such as
  HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript


• A good understanding of up-to-date web technology
  is sufficient to get started with pdfChip; no need to learn
  custom XML or XSL-FO based template syntax


• Command-line integration for fast and seamless
  implementation of the technology in your projects


• Easy installation through unzipping of installation archive;
  no dependencies on special software or hardware


• Comprehensive user documentation and tutorial included,
  quick learning curve guaranteed




Wide feature support

• Full support for SVG, either inline in HTML or
  through referencing separate SVG files.
  SVG is converted losslessly into PDF code without rasterisation


• Support for MathML


• Built-in extensive support for barcode generation through
  custom HTML objects with support for CSS based styling


• Personalized export for print via JavaScript

System Requirements

callas pdfChip is a command-line tool.

• Mac: macOS (Intel), version 10.7 or newer, 64-bit-compliant.


• Windows:
• Windows 7 or newer


• Windows Server 2008 R2 or newer


• Linux: The minimum required Linux OS versions are shown below
  (Linux OS versions with a higher number are always supported as well):


• Debian 7 (and derivates like Ubuntu 12.x )


• RedHat RHEL6 (and derivates like CentOS6)


• SuSE SLES11 (and derivates like OpenSuSE11)


• Note: Other Linux distributions are also supported
  if the version of the glibc is at least v2.10


• Recommended are at least 2 GB of free storage