PHP 8.3+ · PDF 1.7 · ISO 32000-1
The PDF format.
Object by object.
Understand structures, compose objects and control the bytes. Explore the format and build your own PDF files.
DocumentCatalogPageTreeNodePageObjectStreamObject · ResourceDictionaryLearn with objects
Build a document and explore its pages
Each tutorial connects the explanations to PHP objects and the PDF being created or read. Explore its pages, script and execution result.
First document
Font, content, page and catalog.
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Pages and text
Shared resources, inheritance and explicit lines.
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Drawing and transformations
Paths, colours, curves and matrices.
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Bookmarks and destinations
A hierarchical outline and named destinations.
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Clickable links
Internal annotations and URI actions.
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Images
An RGB pattern as an XObject and an inline image.
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Gradient and function
A type 2 function drives axial shading.
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Compressed objects
Filters, object streams and cross-references.
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TrueType font and Unicode
Embedded program, CID, metrics and Unicode mapping.
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JPEG and PNG images
Image files, colours, samples and transparency.
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Incremental revisions
Preserved bytes, explicit replacements and chained cross-references.
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Reading pages from an external PDF
Validated tree, inherited attributes and explicitly decoded streams.
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Adobe extensions and Bates numbering
Extension declarations, artifacts and document numbering.
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AcroForm fields and appearances
Field trees, widgets, values and appearances.
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Logical structure and tagged content
Reading order, MCID, ParentTree and annotation links.
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Linearization
Physical object order, dependencies and binary hints.
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Colours, patterns and gradients
Colour spaces, repeated cells and seven shading types.
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CMaps and Unicode
Composite encoding, CID, UseCMap and Unicode extraction.
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Filters and predictors
LZW and TIFF/PNG row prediction before compression.
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PDF signatures
Reserved Contents, ByteRange and an explicit CMS signature.
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Images, transparency and layers
Bit depths, masks, groups, ExtGState and optional content.
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Native fonts and vertical writing
Type3, simple fonts, PDF programs and vertical metrics.
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Navigation, articles and presentation
Labels, viewports, article rings and sequences.
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Embedded files and collections
Bytes, metadata, EF/RF/CI and collection presentation.
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Deletion and generations
Free list, reuse and historical identities.
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Signature field policy
Seed values, lock, appearance and evidence of the actual signed result.
Read and view the PDF →A PDF core, optional modules
The core represents the objects and mechanisms in the Adobe specification. Reading external PDFs and converting image or font files are optional dependencies: each module depends on the core.
Choose packages and understand their scope →
roukmoute/pdf
3 240 components
pdftoolkit/pdf-reader
41 components
pdftoolkit/pdf-images
9 components
pdftoolkit/pdf-fonts
13 components
Three ways to explore the project
Understand responsibilities
Values, graphs, resources, functions and writing: how the component families fit together.
Browse the reference
Signatures and inheritance for every component, with source code and specification tables.
Assemble a practical example
An explicit table: cells, colours, grid and text positioning.