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Aftia_Jeff
Inspiring
March 24, 2022
Answered

Doc Gen and with PDF input

  • March 24, 2022
  • 1 reply
  • 1034 views

Can PDF be used as an input for the Document Generation API?   I assumed that it could because Adobe Sign text tagging (https://helpx.adobe.com/sign/using/text-tag.html) can be used with PDF.  Not much difference between {{Sig_es_:signer1:signature}} and {{first_name}}. But  after re-reading the Doc Generation documentation, I'm doubting myself.

 

Follow-up question, if that's a negative, are there any plans to add PDF.  This request is from a prospect currently using PDFBox.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Ben Vanderberg

@Test Screen Name, I think what @Aftia_Jeff is asking is whether the template can be based as a PDF document rather than a Word document. 

 

It's a good question, and the simple answer is no. While you are correct that Sign tags can be used in PDFs, there is one big difference between Acrobat Sign and Document Generation API:

  • When you use Text Tags for Acrobat Sign, it will simply overlay on the text tag where the Sign text field needs to go. If it is in the middle of a paragraph, it just layers the graphic on top, it will not reflow the document based on the length of the contents of the tag.
  • Document Generation API actually writes on the content layer, replacing the tag with that field. This approach is great for merging content, but it only applies to Word-based templates only because of the need for reflow.

 

One way I suppose you could use a PDF template is to convert the PDF to Word, and then use Document Generation API.

 

As for what @Test Screen Name mentioned, the main reason that PDF is not supported for images is because it is limits of Microsoft Word, and that a PDF 1 or many pages, vs. images are a singular image.

1 reply

T
Test Screen Name
Legend
March 27, 2022

Using PDF as a picture source as part of a page template? As what Adobe call an "image source" The documentation of image tags is clear "Supported image formats are JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF and SVG."  Of course a PDF is not an image, but then neither is an SVG. Also - since output can a Word document, "image" support may be constrained to what Word can handle. 

Ben Vanderberg
Community Manager
Ben VanderbergCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
Community Manager
March 28, 2022

@Test Screen Name, I think what @Aftia_Jeff is asking is whether the template can be based as a PDF document rather than a Word document. 

 

It's a good question, and the simple answer is no. While you are correct that Sign tags can be used in PDFs, there is one big difference between Acrobat Sign and Document Generation API:

  • When you use Text Tags for Acrobat Sign, it will simply overlay on the text tag where the Sign text field needs to go. If it is in the middle of a paragraph, it just layers the graphic on top, it will not reflow the document based on the length of the contents of the tag.
  • Document Generation API actually writes on the content layer, replacing the tag with that field. This approach is great for merging content, but it only applies to Word-based templates only because of the need for reflow.

 

One way I suppose you could use a PDF template is to convert the PDF to Word, and then use Document Generation API.

 

As for what @Test Screen Name mentioned, the main reason that PDF is not supported for images is because it is limits of Microsoft Word, and that a PDF 1 or many pages, vs. images are a singular image.

A
Aftia_JeffAuthor
Inspiring
March 28, 2022

Makes sense, thanks Ben.

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