30 replies to this topic

[Martin Osieka]

This plugin allows the digital image editor "Paint.NET" to save images as PDF documents.

Download the latest version v1.3 here
The 'About ImPDF.FileType...' section provides a rough description of options and features.

Installation
Unzip "ImPDF.FileType vX.X.zip" and copy the two files "ImPDF.FileType.dll" and
"ImPDF.Command.exe" into the "FileTypes" folder of your Paint.NET installation.
A typical location is "C:\Program Files\Paint.NET\FileTypes".

Screenshot of some options


Feature History
v1.3 (22.7.2012):
- Added Content option which allows to store the composite (flat) image or the layers or both
- Added Viewer settings for open pdf in window mode. This allows to define things like the visible panel, the layout of the pages in the window, the view size of the image, the zoom value, the start page and more
- Added Viewer setting to open pdf in presentation mode (slide show). Here you can define transition effects, transition time, view duration, looping, and background color. This feature embeds JavaScript into the pdf. So be prepared to check your viewer settings.
- Added Security Settings: This allows you to encrypt the PDF using 40bit and 128bit password protection. You may define a password required to open the pdf and restrict the access to the pdf. Encryption is not possible if you like create PDF/A documents

v1.2: Added conformance to PDF/A-1B ISO standard for long-term archiving of documents.
Select this feature via the "Conformity" combo box in the "Save configuration" dialog.
In additon you have to select an RGB color profile (best would be the one of your display).
See www.color.org for the idea of color profiles. By default the plugin looks for the
profile "ImPDF.Default.icc" in the Filetypes folder of Paint.NET. So you may place a copy
of a profile there.

v1.1: Adds some layout and viewer options.
Select the page size from some presets or choose a user-defined size or the image size.
Borders may be added to restrict the part of the page used for displaying the image.
The image can be scaled and positioned relative to the page.
Viewer options allow you to view the page rotated or in full screen view at the time
when you are opening the PDF.
v1.0: The first version is quite simple. It just allows to create a one page PDF in
the size of the original image showing the composite image. The encoding and
some PDF description entries can be set.
Future version may generate layered PDFs.

Known issues
------------
v1.1:
- You have to set the user environment variable ImPDFArguments (v1.1 only)
- the "Defaults" button may cover other dialog controls => resize the dialog a bit
Rick will check if this is a plugin or an application issue.
- 'Final Page Size' may show 'Unknown' => change any dialog setting forth and back
This is because the dialog has no idea about the document size temporary.
- "OK" button is not diabled if the set of settings is not in a good state
Only the application is able to disable the "OK" button.
- "Cancel" just cancels the operation but not any changed setting. I guess this an application issue.
- The preview does not show a preview of the page or the degeneration caused by JPEG encoding.
The application generates the preview using the standard load method of the filetype plugin. But this plugin does not provide load because it is not able to load all variants of PDFs (just the ones the plugin generates). Maybe the application could add an OnSavePreview method in the future.

Older versions
---------------
v1.2: PDF/A-1B
v1.1: Layout and viewer options
v1.0: PDFs based on image size and resolution

Edited by Martin Osieka, 22 July 2012 - 02:35 PM.

[Djisves]

Excellent! I needed this for a long time, I just didn't know I did. I was doing all the work the hard way, copying and pasting into MS Word and then converting to PDF. Thank you very much!

If you'd consider suggestions for future development of the plugin, my wishlist includes the options to:
- Set the page size and margins (in centimetres and in inches). Offer different standard sizes as preset (e.g. A4, Letter, Legal etc)
- Limit the image size within the page and margins
- Position the image within the page (centre, top, bottom, left, right)
- Use other image file or document template or pdf or doc as background (very useful for stationery, lettereads, watermarks)

[Ego Eram Reputo]

This will improve the workflow! Thanks Martin, an excellent plugin

[Martin Osieka]

Thanks for the positive feedback. Always good to read that software made for the community may be useful.

>>- Set the page size and margins (in centimetres and in inches). Offer different standard sizes as preset (e.g. A4, Letter, Legal etc)
>>- Limit the image size within the page and margins
>>- Position the image within the page (centre, top, bottom, left, right)

This is on the list, there is only the UI part missing.

>>- Use other image file or document template or pdf or doc as background (very useful for stationery, lettereads, watermarks)
The problem there is the user interface. I'm using xml templates to describe PDFs but you have to edit these xml files with a text or xml editor
I guess the only ui element (inside of Paint.NET) may be a selector for one of these templates.

[yellowman]

Beautiful, finally we have had it, Thanks a bunch Martin.
I hate go through the Print procedure, but no more from today, "Just one thing I like about PDF Print, it doesn't ask to flatten".

[Rick Brewster]

If it's flattening the image, then it had better ask you to flatten. Otherwise I can't allow a plugin with a known data loss issue to be available on the forum.

[Djisves]

Rick, it does ask/warn that the user is about to flatten the image.


Martin, thank you for your reply and the information. That's excellent news. I'm waiting patiently for the next version.
On the background matter, a simple selector to choose a document will be just fine, if at all possible.

And one more request, if I may:
Since we cannot fiddle with the security settings at our end, it would be very useful if the default restrictions set Document Assembly to "Allowed".

[Martin Osieka]

Rick, it does ask/warn that the user is about to flatten the image.

I guess this was a more general remark to "Just one thing I like about PDF Print, it doesn't ask to flatten".

I'm just not sure about a future version which will generate layered PDFs. Because for this the plugin needs the layer bitmaps and not the composite image.

And one more request, if I may:
Since we cannot fiddle with the security settings at our end, it would be very useful if the default restrictions set Document Assembly to "Allowed".

This is only possible if the PDF is encrypted. Because w/o encryption the PDF specification tells the PDF viewers to disallow assembly. For encryption you have to provide an owner password. I implemented 128-bit encryption in ImPDF.Command.exe but there is no ui in the moment.

[yellowman]

You guys misunderstood me, I am not talking about exporting the layers individually , but exporting the file as "PrintScreen" directly in actual size from PDN, anyways it is hard to explain, so much discussion have already been made about this subject.
But I already found the solution, by using a one great screenshot application, and it gives me an almost lossless PNG "of course with no transparent pixs", at least is acceptable for me, but only problem I have is with the large canvas, because when view it in 100% "actual size" it won't fit in my screen.
Hoping one day we will have something like "Take a SnapShot" feature for the actual size.

Edited by yellowman, 15 October 2011 - 09:18 PM.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

@Martin: Have you given any thought to 'approximating' CYMK PDFs? http://cmyk-pdf.com/

I'm always looking for ways to get images to a printer in a useable format. CYMK PDF seems to be one that would be acceptable to most of the printers I submit to.

(Forgive me if this already implimented - I'm not at my home PC at the moment.)

[SAND33P]

EPIC, needed this for logo design today, nice you could add this in

[Martin Osieka]

@Martin: Have you given any thought to 'approximating' CYMK PDFs? http://cmyk-pdf.com/

I'm always looking for ways to get images to a printer in a useable format. CYMK PDF seems to be one that would be acceptable to most of the printers I submit to.

Color management is always an issue if you are working with images. But I guess you know there is no simple conversion between RGB and CMYK.

At the end what you need to work on a professional level is a PDF which conforms to the PDF/X-1 ISO standard.

In the moment I'm on the road to implement PDF/A-1b. This is already a big step in the right direction. Because this is the standard for long-term archiving of documents and forces you to embed an output intend which maps DeviceRGB to a device independent color space.
What you also have to know is that if you are working on the ISO standard level you have to pay for specifications and licenses.

Everything would be easier if Paint.NET would support color management. But I understand why there is just a little chance that this will happen.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

So very pleased you're still developing this plugin!

I'm fully aware of the problems converting RGB to CYMK, which is why I used the term 'approximating' .

Thanks for the informative reply.

[Martin Osieka]

Update v1.1: Adds some layout and viewer options. See first message of the thread.

[Martin Osieka]

Please set the environment variable "ImPDFArguments" to something like "Test" and restart Paint.NET.
I guess I missed to catch an exception.

[Martin Osieka]

[quote name='jackpelter' date='25 October 2011 - 10:51 AM' timestamp='1319539882' post='362051']
@ Martin [quote] Please set the environment variable "ImPDFArguments" to something like "Test" [unquote] How do I do that please.
[/quote]

Sorry. On Win7. Open the control panel from the Start menu of Windows.
Enter "Environment" into the Search control on the top.
Select: Edit environment variables for your account.
Select: New user variable
Enter for the variable name: ImPDFArguments
Enter for the variable value: Test
Close the dialog
Restart Paint.NET

[Martin Osieka]

Update v1.2: Added conformance to PDF/A-1B ISO standard for long-term archiving of documents.
See first message of the thread.

[Djisves]

Excellent, thank you! It looks like a major upgrade from v1.0. I've tried it and it works like a charm. It does everything I need except allow assembly but I understand the limitations and I can live with that. All in all, a very useful plugin.

One imporvement in the "Save Confoguration" dialogue box, could be a clearer indication on what the units in the "Border" fields stand for. I understand that they depend on the units (cm or in) as set by the user for "Final Size" but others may not.
And, of course, the units for "Final Size" width and height cannot be "square" but good ol' plain "cm" and "in".

[Martin Osieka]

One imporvement in the "Save Confoguration" dialogue box, could be a clearer indication on what the units in the "Border" fields stand for. I understand that they depend on the units (cm or in) as set by the user for "Final Size" but others may not.

The space in the dialog is limited. Maybe I can improve this.

And, of course, the units for "Final Size" width and height cannot be "square" but good ol' plain "cm" and "in".

"Page Size" and "Final Size" are areas. Means in x in = sqin. At least in good old Switzerland ;-)

[Djisves]

Martin, this "square" thingy is really very insignificant and has no implication whatsoever on the quality and/or functionality of your excellent plugin. I'm thankful for the plugin and for the time and effort you put into it. So perhaps I shouldn't have metnioned it, but...

I admit that Swiss people are somewhat unique (for lack of a better word) in their ways and that I've not been to "good old Switzerland" for almost three years now. However, I'm quite sure math is still math over there or I'd have heard about it. Trust me on this one.

Yes, the unit of measure for an area should be something squared. "in X in" does indeed produce square inches. But the numbers in your numbers boxes are NOT square inches, just good old plain inches. The units in the number boxes in the dialogue box are units for width and height, units of length.
The standard A4 page size in centimetres is 21cm for width and 29.7cm for height. If you insist in using square units then you should only have one number box and it should show "623.7" for sq. cm (or "96.68" for sq. in), that is the product of the two numbers that currently show.

I hope this makes sense in good old Switzerland and I hope I can visit again soon, hopefully in 2012.

Edited by Djisves, 03 November 2011 - 06:10 PM.