What about pdf?

From Printing

Contents 1 understanding pdf creation 2 implications and goals 3 solution model 4 PDF Converter 5 Characteristics 5.1 Printing Technology 5.2 Print Quality 5.3 Security and authentication 6 UI interface features 6.1 page setup 6.2 Settings 6.3 Colors 6.3.1 options not considered

understanding pdf creation

1. creating pdf is storing it on virtual paper;
2. we understand how pdf creation is technically connected to printing in general: it uses the same kind of transformation to get it on virtual paper;
3. users do not see this connection at all;
4. users generate pdfs to distribute and ensure that they can be read in (reasonably) high fidelity on any platform;
5. an important aspect of this is the absolute control users have over how a pdf displayed (fonts, format, layout);
6. another important aspect is that users see pdf as an immutable format, which is only true when the pdf is locked with a password.

implications and goals

1. we want to makes the creation of pdfs so easy and ubiquitous, its use will grow dramatically;
2. if it makes sense to print from an application, it makes sense to create pdfs;
3. after integrating printing in an application, the integration of pdf creation should a no-brainer for developers;
4. for users pdf creation should a no-brainer;
5. creating pdfs is not necessarily integrated with printing (see "users do not see…" above);
6. the user experience of creating pdfs is not necessarily the same as that of printing (see "users do not see…" above);
7. we offer a generic, quick and easy way for creating pdfs, which does not compete with specialised workflows (scribus, high end vector graphics apps, form creation applications);
8. using a virtual pdf printer (as some desktop environments do) to print a pdf from the print dialog is with a distance the most awful way to create a pdf.

solution model

We see the best compromise addressing both developer and users needs is to:

1. either introduce a specialised ‘Export to pdf… (working title, could be ‘Save to pdf…’) in the file menu (just below the Save section); this opens a dialog that lets users control the transformation to virtual paper, specific pdf file options and save the file;
2. or to include pdf in an existing general Export… function, with exactly the same options as above;

whatever fits the application model best.

We will design the complete pdf dialog for the first case. The printing framework will make it available and it will be designed (UI and technical) in such a way that once developers have taken the trouble of integrated the print dialog, the extra effort of integrating the pdf dialog consists of a couple of lines of new code (the same handlers and call-backs for set-up and content drawing are to be re-used). The second case can be handled by a UI panel similar to the pdf dialog, that developers can integrate into their export dialog.

PDF Converter

• Formats application data for virtual paper, saved to a PDF File format with the extension .pdf .
• Generates a file that is a combination of vector graphics, text and raster graphics.
• Used widely for both personal and commercial applications.

Characteristics

Printing Technology

• Uses three technologies:
  • A subset of PostScript,
  • A structured storage system with data compression.
  • Font-embedding system to make it platform independent.

Print Quality

Print quality can be set based on requirement:

• Smaller File Size for low quality and to optimize PDF Files.
• Default File Size uses default conversion settings.
• Larger File Size for better quality.

Security and authentication

• Passwords can be set to restrict users from opening, printing, and editing PDFs.
• A certificate can be used to encrypt PDFs. (for lack of poppler support, this will not be designed in in the first version)
• Document can be attested,approved, and verified by adding a digital signature. (for lack of poppler support, this will not be designed in in the first version)

UI interface features

page setup

• Poster printing (do we need this)
• Print format: 11x17; legal; letter; executive; 5.5x8.5; A3; A4; A5; A6; B4; B5; 8x13; custom;
• Number of Pages
  • All
  • From Page Number __ to Page Number __

Settings

• border: on/off
• orientation: portrait; landscape; rotate
• page number: on/off (font, size, position) (is it worth the trouble?)
• Print Quality
  • Low quality;
  • Default Quality;
  • Better Quality;
  • Optimise and Compress;
• pdf type (always portable)
  • for viewing
  • for printing
  • archival
• Output Preview;
  • zoom: on/off (X%)
• File browser for target location (write file);
• Password
• watermark: on/off
  • select: confidential, copy, draft.
  • only first page: on/off

Colors

• color management
  • Preserve file colorspace
  • pdf default colorspace

options not considered

• Combining content
• Reviewing and commenting
• Forms