Discover how to manipulate PDFs using Python. Gain hands-on experience with real-life scenarios and broaden your knowledge in handling and processing PDF files efficiently.

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mypdftoolbox.tar.gz

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This course will provide you with hands-on experience in PDF manipulation using the Python programming language. It integrates the most common real-life scenarios into its proceedings and supplies you with a framework of "how to do it". 

This course is addressed to Python programmers who seek to broaden their knowledge in the Python programming language. Moreover, it targets those who are eager to gain in-depth experience in handling and processing PDF files which constitute a large part of our day-to-day lives.

PDF Management in Python

# Introduction ##

The PDF took shape from the concept of the paperless office that was popular at the start of the 1990’s.

Thirty years ago, Dr. John Warnock  in collaboration with his team, sought to fix the following problem: *“The inability to exchange information between machines, between systems, between users in a way to guarantee that the interchanged file would look the same everywhere it went.”*

Dr. John Warnock, the Adobe co-founder, paved the ground towards resolving the aforementioned problem in a memo dated 1991, in the  *Camelot Report*, where he delineated the idea for the PDF.

Driven by his vision and need to meet potential clients, Dr. John Warnock was looking for a Windows programmer to produce a demo for IBM, and he bumped into Bob Wulff, who was leading a team to produce a demo software at the time.

The demo turned out to be a great success, and the development of a commercial version started first under the code name Camelot, after which it was renamed to Carousel. 
The documents created with Carousel were named Portable Document Formats, or PDFs, and here started the journey.

Since its inception, the PDF has seen tremendous growth over the years and new features have been continuously introduced. We will outline the salient features that have emerged across the lifespan of this efficient file format. We will also highlight the ones that we will grasp throughout this course.

# The PDF journey

The following figure is a timeline showing the chronological order of PDF releases throughout their lifespan:






## PDF 1.0 ###

PDF version 1.0 was announced at Comdex Fall in 1992. This pioneering technology won the Best of Comdex award.
Version 1.0 of Adobe Acrobat, the software program capable of reading the newly created format known as PDF was eventually released in June 1993.
Despite the hype, the new format and related tools didn’t spread widespread adoption. This was due to several reasons, mainly that the first version was only available as a paid product and the file download times were very slow at that time.

## PDF 1.1 ###

Acrobat 2.0 became widely available in November 1994. It supported the new PDF 1.1 file format, which added support for:
* **External links**.
* Article threads.
* **Security features**.
* Device-independent color.
* Notes.

## PDF 1.2 ###

In November 1996, Adobe launched Acrobat 3.0, referenced by the code name, Amber, and the paired PDF 1.2 specifications. 
PDF 1.2 was considered the first version of PDF that was really usable in a prepress environment. 

**Prepress** refers to the process that occurs between the creation of a print layout, and the final printing. The prepress process is important, as a computer-generated print layout may appear different in alignment, format, and color if it is directly printed on a press machine.

The release of a plug-in that allowed for viewing PDF files in the Netscape browser increased the popularity of PDF files. Adobe also added the possibility to link PDF files to HTML pages, and vice versa. 

The subset of new features introduced with this release were:

* Forms, which allow using a PDF as an electronic form.
* Improved color support.
* Support for multimedia features. 


## PDF/X.1 ### 

To solve the reliability issue of PDFs, a consortium of prepress companies convened and released the PDF/X.1 standard in 1998. PDF/X.1 evolved from the PDF 1.2 file specifications, and became a very well-defined description of what a PDF file should look like in order to accommodate blind transfers. With a PDF/X.1 file, users have the assurance that all fonts are correctly included, all high-res images are well embedded, and so on.

## PDF 1.3 ###

Acrobat 4 was released in April 1999, and simultaneously brought us the PDF 1.3. 

The initial version of Acrobat 4 contained a lot of bugs that impacted the usability of this software for prepress purposes. 
By the time Acrobat 4.05 was released, the PDF had been accepted as a file format for information exchange.

Below is a list of the new features that came along with this release:
* **Annotations**.
* **Digital signatures**.
* JavaScript actions to support interactive functionalities.

## PDF 1.4 ###

By mid-2000's,  Adobe released PDF 1.4 without accompanying it with a new version of Acrobat. They also did not release the full specs of PDF 1.4.
In May 2001 Acrobat 5 came out with many new features and PDF 1.4 became a reality.

New features:

* Transparency.
* Improved support for JavaScript.
* **Support for Tagged PDF comprising meta-information**.


## PDF 1.5 ###

In April 2003, PDF 1.5 and Acrobat 6 were launched.  

PDF 1.5 introduced a handful of new features:

* **Improved compression techniques**, including object streams and JPEG 2000 compression.
* Support for layers.
* Improved support for tagged PDF.

Moreover, Acrobat Professional which was considered the high-end version of Acrobat 6, was launched and geared towards prepress use. It offered a range of new and handy features.

## PDF 1.6 ###

In January 2005, Adobe released Acrobat 7. It offered support for a new PDF flavor, PDF 1.6, which encompassed the following features:

* **Improved encryption algorithms**.
* Capability to include OpenType fonts.
* Ability to embed 3D data.
* PDF 1.6 files can be used as a kind of ‘container’ file format, by offering the possibility to embed files into a PDF.

## PDF 1.7 (Going ISO) ###

In October 2006, Acrobat 8 was introduced, referenced by the code name Atlas, along with the last PDF version that would be controlled by Adobe. In January 2008, PDF 1.7 officially became ISO 32000-1:2008 certified with its full specifications published on July 1st.

New features:

* **Improved support for commenting**.
* Embedding of default printer settings.



Learn about PDF feature progression to understand what can be manipulated.

The Progression of PDF

Introduction

PDF Management Core Functions

Pages Processing

Content Processing

Document Processing

Conclusion

Appendices

The Progression of PDF

Introduction