Use Cases

Batch PDF Generation

Generate multiple PDF documents from data in a loop, adding a page per record and saving each to a separate file. This pattern is useful for invoice generation, certificate printing, and statement production:

List<ReportData> records = fetchReports();
for (ReportData data : records) {
    try (Document doc = new Document()) {
        PageCollection pages = doc.getPages();
        Page page = pages.add();
        doc.save("reports/" + data.getId() + ".pdf");
    }
}

PDF Merge Pipeline

Combine monthly report PDFs into a single year-end document using PdfFileEditor.concatenate(). Pass an array of input file paths and an output path:

String[] monthly = {
    "jan.pdf", "feb.pdf", "mar.pdf", "apr.pdf",
    "may.pdf", "jun.pdf", "jul.pdf", "aug.pdf",
    "sep.pdf", "oct.pdf", "nov.pdf", "dec.pdf"
};

PdfFileEditor editor = new PdfFileEditor();
editor.concatenate(monthly, "year-end.pdf");

Enable disk buffering with setUseDiskBuffer(true) for large file sets:

editor.setUseDiskBuffer(true);

Secure Document Distribution

Encrypt a document with a user password and an owner password before distribution. The user password is required to open the file; the owner password controls permissions such as printing:

try (PdfFileSecurity security = new PdfFileSecurity()) {
    security.setInputFile("report.pdf");
    security.setOutputFile("report-secured.pdf");
    security.encryptFile("userPass", "ownerPass",
        DocumentPrivilege.getForbidAll(), KeySize.x128);
}

Form Data Collection

Read submitted form field values from a filled PDF. Iterate the form fields and print the full name and current value of each field:

try (Document doc = new Document("submitted-form.pdf")) {
    Form form = doc.getForm();
    for (WidgetAnnotation field : form.getFields()) {
        System.out.println(field.getFullName() + " = " + field.getValue());
    }
}

This is useful for processing filled application forms without requiring a separate form-submission server.

PDF/A Long-Term Archiving

Convert standard documents to PDF/A-1b for regulatory or legal archiving. Document.convert() applies PDF/A validation rules and writes a conformance report. The result is a self-contained PDF/A file meeting ISO 19005 requirements:

try (Document doc = new Document("input.pdf")) {
    doc.convert("pdfalog.xml", PdfFormat.PDF_A_1B, ConvertErrorAction.Delete);
    doc.save("archived.pdf");
}