Introduction

The 3-Heights™ PDF Optimization Tool optimizes PDF files to enable their use as high resolution files for printing or, with less resolution, for electronic document exchange or space-saving document archiving.

Many processes produce very large PDF files that are not suitable for electronic document exchange. Users are then tempted to convert the PDF documents

into other formats, but this only makes the situation even worse. The correct approach, and the easiest, is to optimize large PDF documents.

This process optimizes fonts and images to the best possible size and quality. It also removes redundant document content and "linearizes" PDF documents to enable fast web display.

Brief description

Performance Characteristics

• High throughput
• Optimum quality with less storage space requirements
• Needs-oriented display
• True to the original
• Simple integrability

Areas of Use

• Incoming mail
• Outgoing mail
• Output management (print, web)
• Archiving

Functions

• Optimization for electronic data exchange, web publishing and archiving
• Customized image compression
• Define image resolution
• Define downsampling
• Set compression
• Linearization (fast web display)
• Compile and subset fonts
• Remove unnecessary and redundant objects
• Remove or clear form fields and annotations
• Optimize for printing
• Color conversion (to RGB, CMYK or grayscale)
• Allow high print quality
• Set minimum PDF version of the output file
• List and extract parameters

Sectors

• Public sector
• Telecommunications
• Banking and insurance
• Archives and libraries
• Health sector
• Pharmaceutical industry
• Online memory services

Functions

The use of the latest compression algorithms enables the tool to reduce the memory space requirements for images or lessen their resolution, remove redundant and alternative information, optimize fonts through summarization or subsetting, convert colors and linearize the PDF.

Functions

Optimization for Electronic Document Exchange, Web Publishing and Archiving

• Customized compression of bitonal, monochrome and color images
• Define image resolution in dots per inch
• Define threshold value for downsampling
• Set the quality index of lossy compression
• Linearization (fast web display)
• Compile and subset fonts
• Read encrypted input files
• Encrypt and set access authorization for the output file
• Process memory-resident files
• Removal of:
  • Redundant objects
  • Obsolete objects stemming from previous changes to the file
  • Embedded standard fonts (e.g. Courier, Arial, Times)
  • Embedded, non-symbolic fonts
  • Unnecessary file information
  • Article threads
  • Alternative images
  • Metadata
  • Page piece information
  • Document structure tree including markup
  • Miniature page preview images
  • Spider (web capture) information
• Remove or clear form fields and annotations

Optimize for Printing

• Color conversion (to RGB, CMYK or grayscale)
• Allow high print quality
• Set minimum PDF version of the output file

List and Extract Parameters

• Fonts and their properties
• Images and their properties
• Error code
• Number of pages

Benefits

Properties and Benefits

The 3-Heights™ PDF Optimization Tool is also suitable for high optimization volumes; it is easy to integrate and adapts flexibly to requirements. The tool enables the efficient production of PDF documents for specific purposes.

Performance Characteristics

• High throughput
• Optimum quality with less storage space requirements
• Needs-oriented display
• True to the original
• Simple integrability

Areas of Use

All Corporate Areas

The 3-Heights™ PDF Optimization Tool can be used in all corporate business processes. Examples include reducing memory space requirements for document dispatch, generating account statements in online banking, issuing quotes via (web-based) document servers, converting raster images and colors when preparing artwork, and converting colors to unify corporate color space standards.

Areas of Use

• Incoming mail
• Outgoing mail
• Output management (print, web)
• Archiving
   

Sectors

• Public sector
• Telecommunications
• Banking and insurance
• Archives and libraries
• Health sector
• Pharmaceutical industry
• Online memory services

Technical Details

Architecture

The 3-Heights™ PDF Optimization Tool is available in the following technical variants:

• as a Windows service with watched directories (Service)
• as a command line for batch processing (Shell)
• as a programming interface for integration in existing applications (Application Programming Interface, API)

Variants and Options

Product Variants

• Shell tool (command line)
• API (programming interface)
• Windows service (system service)

Formats

Input Formats

• PDF 1.x (e.g. PDF 1.4, PDF 1.5.)

Target Formats

• PDF 1.x (e.g. PDF 1.4, PDF 1.5)

Compliance

• Standards: ISO 32000 (PDF 1.7)

Platforms

Operating Systems

• Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, Windows 7  – 32 and 64 bit
• FreeBSD 4.7 for Intel
• HP-UX 11.0 – 32 bit
• IBM AIX (4.3: 32 Bit, 5.1: 64 bit)
• Linux (SuSE and Red Hat on Intel)
• Mac OS X
• Sun Solaris (2.7 and higher)

Interfaces and Languages

Interfaces

• API: C, Java, .NET, COM

For further product details please see "Further product details"

Programming Languages

All program libraries are written in efficient and thread-safe C++. API offers a selection of the following connections to programming languages:

• C#, VB .NET, J# via .NET
• Java via JNI
• MS Visual Basic, Borland Delphi, MS Office products such as Access and C++ via COM
• C and C++ via native C

Product Code

• POL

Related Products

• The 3-Heights™ PDF Analysis & Repair Tool

Further Product Details

The 3-Heights™ PDF Optimization Tool optimizes PDF documents with regard to size, fast web display and high-quality printing. In particular, it optimizes fonts, images and redundant information.  

The 3-Heights™ PDF Optimization Tool optimizes text, images and redundant information in PDF files. Typical applications include file size reduction, linearization for fast web display and conditioning for high-quality printing.