Customer Reviews

PDF Reference (2nd Edition)

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This is definitely a reference that you will want to keep on hand when you are delivering work for a client. Very in depth technical information about formatting, output options. Forms are included along with in depth use of graphics, fonts, objects. There may be too much information for someone who is just trying to get the basics done. For those of us who like to know the ins and outs of a program without actually coding it, it is a good resource.

If you just want enough information to cover the basics, this is not a book you will want to have. But if you want to get an in-depth knowledge of Fonts,Forms, Formatting, Graphics, Objects, and Output - - this is one of the most detailed references you will find about the Portable Document Format (PDF). Clear, Concise, and Encyclopedic in Scope. As with all published works there are some errata, and Adobe wisely allows you to download the corrections or a complete edition from their web site. If you regularly work with PDF files, this book will prove most useful to have on your shelf.

Go to Adobe site to download the errata. You can also download the book if want.

It has been reorganized to make it self-contained and more readable. However, lots of bugs (some are documented in the errata) occurred durring the transition. I tend to believe that the PDF 1.3 spec of March 11 1999 has less bug, albeit preserving the old chapter layout.

Also note that since Acrobat 5.0 is out, there would be a PDF 1.4 spec with JBIG2 support. Maybe the Acrobat 5.0/PDF 1.4 would mature after a while.

Overall, it's a better book after the restructuring.