How to sign PDF files in Java (Tutorial)

PDF files are not natively supported in Java, so to digitally sign them, you will need some special software. This tutorial demonstrates how to digitally sign PDF files using the JPedal PDF library. JPedal is the best Java PDF library for developers.

Download JPedal and add the Jar to your project
Create a PKCS#12 keystore file which contains your private key and certificate
Run the following code:

PdfSigner.signPdf(

"inputFile.pdf",

"outputFile.pdf",

"keystorePassword",

"keystoreFile.p12",

"signerName",

"signerLocation",

"signingReason",

ACCESS_PERMISSION.P1

);

You can use different access permission levels to specify how the document can be modified. P1 means no changes are permitted. You can find the other levels on our support site.

Learn more

The JPedal PDF library allows you to solve these problems in Java

//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
);

What is JPedal?

JPedal is a commercial Java PDF Library that makes it easy for Java developers to work with PDF Documents in Java.

Why use JPedal?

JPedal makes it much easier to work with PDF files from Java. Because we have been actively developing our Java PDF Toolkit for over 20 years, it works with all those problem PDF files out there.

What licenses are available?

We have 2 licenses available:
'Server' for on premises and cloud servers and 'OEM' for use in a named end user applications. Both are one time fees with options support renewal after 12 months.

How to use JPedal?

Want to learn more about JPedal and how to use it, we have plenty of tutorials and guides to help you.