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NewFormat AB

PDF standards make the world work




Our solutions are based on
tested, reliable, and highly accessible software solutions.

NewFormat is Appointed Reseller and Solution Partner in
Nordic (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway)
and
Baltic Region (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)
of leading PDF technology from callas software GmbH.




callas software - Logo

PDF Workflow Technology

Your PDF problems solved
callas software finds simple ways to handle complex PDF challenges

Solutions for Prepress, Print Production, Publishing, and Document Exchange

callas software plug-ins for Adobe Acrobat
enhance native capabilities and features of Adobe Acrobat.



callas software pdfChip - Logo

callas pdfChip
Solutions for dynamic creation of
high quality PDFs in high-volumes from HTML
(including PDF/A and PDF/X)
for print, publishing and e-archiving

Dynamic conversion of HTML content for distribution through any channel.

Built on standard technologies that are widely known such as
Qt WebKit, HTML, CSS and JavaScript and with extended support for
CMYK, spot color, XMP metadata, PDF standards, SVG, MathML,
advanced pagination, barcodes and more.

Capable of generating single and multi-page PDF documents,
it is ideally suited for high-volume dynamic PDF generation.


callas pdfChip fully supports the ISO Standard PDF 2.0!




    News - New key features in callas pdfChip


    callas software has released a pdfChip app for Enfocus Switch.

    An increasing number of projects where callas pdfChip is used,
    also use Enfocus Switch for workflow automation purposes.

    The new pdfChip app for Enfocus Switch is an ideal way to
    integrate PDF creation using callas pdfChip into Switch flows.

    Requirements:

    • callas pdfChip 2.1.061

    • Switch Version Required: 2021 Fall or higher

    • For Windows and Mac

    The callas pdfChip application is available for free on


    See also




    callas pdfChip vs classic command 'Print' in a browser?

    "callas pdfChip lets you take an HTML file and turn it into a high quality PDF file.
    The difference to do the classic commands 'Print' in a browser and 'Save as PDF file',
    is that callas pdfChip provides an extreme degree of control of what is happening,
    especially from a prepress view, when creating high-quality PDFs from HTML.
    You can use spot colors, you can address transparency, and you can set
    picture geometrical boxes, ... so it is not quite the same!"




callas pdfChip Workflow - Picture





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.



callas pdfChip Webinars/Video Recordings, Tutorials, Demonstrations

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Video Demonstrations of callas pdfChip - Popup-window

callas pdfChip - Tutorials

Reserve online-demonstration of callas pdfChip




callas pdfChip Training

callas pdfChip - Instructor-led Training



Products

callas software pdfChip - Logo


Download - Icon
Click Here for Free Trial of callas pdfChip.

(You will be asked to fill in a contact form.
To help us identify your software download and support you,
please enter the code NewFormat in the form field named Preferred Reseller).



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.

callas pdfChip Workflow - Picture

    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.

callas pdfChip - Adobe InDesign HTML Invoice Template - Picture

    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.

callas pdfChip Architecture - Picture

callas pdfChip Architecture - Picture

callas pdfChip Architecture - Picture




    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
    Key Features Details - Popup-Windows



    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



callas pdfChip comes in several flavours for specific needs
and workflow automation requirements

callas software pdfChip S - Logo callas software pdfChip M - Logo callas software pdfChip L - Logo callas software pdfChip XL - Logo
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


    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



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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