Aspose Alternative Java PDF Library

Introduction

Developers working with the PDFs know the pain that comes with the handling the format. This is especially true for Java developers specifically the ones who are looking for enterprise level solutions to integrate into their own systems.

In this blog we will look the the strengths, best use cases and licensing options of JPedal as a viable Aspose Alternative for Java PDF processing.

Increased Platform Compatibility: Good or Bad?

The Aspose Java PDF library comes under the umbrella of Aspose’s other products that are aimed at developers working with PDFs. Aspose also offers API for developers on a different platforms such as C++, Python and Node.js.

The PDF libraries can thus become a victim of feature parity challenges, since resources are spread out amongst different platforms. This often leads to limitations in the PDF library’s capabilities and missing functionality.

JPedal on the other hand was designed specifically for Java developers who are working with PDFs, and provides a comprehensive Java PDF SDK that uses minimal code (more on that soon).

JPedal was created back in 2002 and has been constantly updated with the latest tools. The development and support for the product is also overseen by the same engineers that created the product.

Feature Comparison

The Aspose PDF library library offers a range of different features that will be helpful for Java developers, including the ability to convert PDF files, parsing from PDF documents, processing said documents and the ability to add elements such as images and tables. You can find he full feature set for the Aspose Java PDF library here.

Likewise, JPedal also offers similar features such as functionality for manipulating PDFs, extracting content, processing, a detailed PDF inspector and much more.

One of the offering is a Java Swing PDF viewer which comes with a lot of its own features and has a customizable UI. Aspose does not have a PDF viewer included in their Java PDF SDK package.

In addition the viewer also offers advanced printing options directly from the UI including previewing output, setting scaling, margins, page ranges (odd/even/custom), grayscale printing, and fast draft mode.

For Java developers using the SDK for as a PDF forensic tool, the PDF inspector is ideal for deep document analysis, including COS tree browsing, object dictionaries, raw/decoded stream data, and single-step debugging.

Support and Documentation

Enterprise companies know the pain of integrating a SaaS technology into their tech stack and this is where the support offered will make a huge difference.

Both the Java PDF libraries offer in-depth API docs and detailed tutorials. However, JPedal does have the advantage of offering fast and reliable support from the same developers who created the library.

Additionally, JPedal offers source code access to OEM users and also supports the latest Java versions. The on-boarding procedure for JPedal revolves around a relationship-building approach and it has a range of consumers, from start-ups to enterprise level clients like Adobe’s Cold Fusion. JPedal also uses minimal code to reduce processing overhead, functionalities come with only a few lines of code.

Pricing and Licensing

The pricing plans for both the products are also completely different. Aspose uses a tiered licensing structure based on annual subscriptions, with pricing that varies depending on the specific product, platform, and number of developers.

Bundles, enterprise options, and additional support typically require custom quotes. This fragmented approach can make it challenging for developers to easily compare costs and understand the overall value.

JPedal handles things differently, in the sense that pricing plans and licensing is straightforward. It has two tiers, you can get either a server license or an OEM license depending on your usage, the prices for which are displayed on the JPedal site.

Conclusion: Aspose Alternative for PDF

If you’re looking for a very specific use case and want to customise your SDK to your need, Aspose might be the better option. However if you want a straightforward pricing plan, support from the original engineers and a nifty Java Swing PDF JPedal would be the way to go.

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ExtractClippedImages.writeAllClippedImagesToDir("inputFileOrDirectory", "outputDir", "outputImageFormat", new String[] {"imageHeightAsFloat", "subDirectoryForHeight"});

final PdfManipulator pdf = new PdfManipulator();
pdf.loadDocument(new File("inputFile.pdf"));
pdf.addPage(1, PaperSize.A4_LANDSCAPE);
pdf.addText(1, "Hello World", 10, 10, BaseFont.HelveticaBold, 12, 1, 0.3f, 0.2f);
pdf.addImage(1, new BufferedImage(), new float[] {0, 0, 100, 100});
pdf.rotatePage(1, 90);
pdf.apply();
pdf.writeDocument(new File("outputFile.pdf"));

Viewer viewer = new Viewer();
viewer.setupViewer();
viewer.executeCommand(ViewerCommands.OPENFILE, "pdfFile.pdf");

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ExtractTextAsWordList.writeAllWordlistsToDir("inputFileOrDirectory", "outputDir", -1);

PdfMerge.mergeFiles(new File("inputFile1.pdf"), new File("inputFile2.pdf"), new File("outputFile.pdf"));

PdfManipulator.splitInHalf(new File("inputFile.pdf"), new File("outputFolder"), pageToSplitAt);

PrintPdfPages print = new PrintPdfPages("C:/pdfs/mypdf.pdf");

if (print.openPDFFile()) {
    print.printAllPages("Printer Name");
}

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ExtractClippedImages.writeAllClippedImagesToDir("inputFileOrDirectory", "outputDir", "outputImageFormat", new String[] {"imageHeightAsFloat", "subDirectoryForHeight"});

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ArrayList resultsForPages = FindTextInRectangle.findTextOnAllPages("/path/to/file.pdf", "textToFind");

java -jar jpedal.jar --inspect "inputFile.pdf"

PdfSigner.signPdf(
        "inputFile.pdf",
        "outputFile.pdf",
        "keystorePassword",
        "keystoreFile.p12",
        "signerName",
        "signerLocation",
        "signingReason",
        ACCESS_PERMISSION.P1
);