callas pdfChip
Reference Cases/Customer Use Cases
For more details, please contact NewFormat.
- 2021: callas pdfChip creates fully automated invoicing process at Børsen, Denmark
The Danish publisher Børsen with a circulation of over 57.000 newspapers a day
uses callas pdfChip to generate high-quality content as PDF-based invoices,
fast and very flexibly.
It uses uses an HTML-based template, offering a wide range of
layout and customization capabilities.
The support by callas pdfChip for JavaScript in those templates
allows for doing calculations on the invoice data, so that it could
be presented on the invoice in exactly the correct format.
This allows handling the complex XML from the accounting system
using a Switch script, splitting it up into smaller chunks and
sending the data for a single invoice to callas pdfChip,
which then formats it as a proper PDF invoice.
Integrator: Kompetence, Denmark.
- 2020: callas pdfChip streamlines the production process for etikett.de, Germany
The label printing website etikett.de (also known as label.co.uk)
recently launched a Transparency label generator.
Customers can use Transparency to design their own secure labels,
protecting their products against counterfeiting.
The entire process is fully automated
- from receipt of order to approval and production.
The site has achieved this thanks to pdfChip from callas software
as well as a page description system developed by calibrate GmbH,
which saves the label design provided by the customer as a
JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file and hands it over to pdfChip.
- 2015: CS Labels, Willenhall/Wolverhampton, UK
Feeding two Xeikon Cheetah (30 metres per minute presses)
Other supporting technologies:
- callas pdfToolbox,
- Laidback Solution FileTrain,
- ColorLogic ZePrA Colour Management Server,
- ColorLogic ReProfiler Digital Colour Engine.
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callas pdfChip
a modern PDF generator creating high-quality PDF from HTML templates
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:
When to Use and Not to Use callas pdfChip - Details
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.
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
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callas pdfChip comes in several flavours for specific needs
and workflow automation requirements
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Max. number of simultaneous conversions (number of parallel processes): |
1 |
4 |
8 |
Unlimited |
Max. number of pages
per hour: |
1000 |
5000 |
25000 |
Unlimited |
Set of barcodes: |
EAN, UPC, Code 39 & 128, ISBN, QR |
All |
All |
All |
Max. number of pages per PDF document: |
25 |
250 |
1500 |
Unlimited |
Support for advanced pagination: |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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For more information contact NewFormat
NewFormat AB
Smörblommegränd 14, SE-165 72 Hässelby (Stockholm), Sweden
tel:+46 (0)70 631 53 01
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