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USING IRONPDF FOR JAVA

Java PDF Editor Library (How to & Code Example)

Updated September 1, 2024
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IronPDF is a powerful Java PDF library for editing and creating PDF documents in Java. It simplifies a wide range of PDF editing functions, such as adding signatures, HTML footers, watermarks, and annotations.

With IronPDF, you can easily create PDF files programmatically, debug your code with ease, and deploy your projects to any supported platform or environment.

The main goal for most Java PDF libraries is to generate PDF files dynamically. You can accomplish this task with IronPDF.

This article will explore some of the most important features of IronPDF and provide you with code examples and explanations. By the end of this article, you will have a solid understanding of how to use IronPDF to edit PDFs in Java. It is a perfect tool for your PDF editing needs.

How to Use Java PDF Editor Library

  1. Install Java library to edit PDF
  2. Add, copy, and delete PDF with prependPdf, copyPages, and removePages methods
  3. Merge PDF with merge method and split PDF using copyPages method
  4. Create new PDF with customized paper size
  5. Convert PDFs into images and edit PDF metadata

Edit Document Structure

Manipulating PDF Documents

IronPDF makes managing PDFs effortless with its capability to add PDFs at specific indexes, copy pages either as a range or individually, and delete pages with ease. All these tasks are handled seamlessly in the background.

Add Pages

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;

PdfDocument PDF = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/sample.pdf"));
PdfDocument coverPagePdf = PdfDocument.renderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Cover Page</h1><hr>");
PDF.prependPdf(coverPagePdf);
PDF.saveAs(Paths.get("report_with_cover.pdf"));
JAVA

Copy Pages

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;

PdfDocument PDF = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/sample.pdf"));
PDF.copyPages(0,1).saveAs("report_highlight.pdf");
JAVA

Delete Pages

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;

PdfDocument PDF = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/sample.pdf"));
PDF.removePages(PageSelection.lastPage()).saveAs(Paths.get("assets/lastPageRemove.pdf"));
JAVA

Attach a cover Page

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.headerfooter.HeaderFooterOptions;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.headerfooter.TextHeaderFooter;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

// Create a Sample Cover Page using RenderHtmlAsPdf
PdfDocument coverPage = PdfDocument.renderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>This is a Cover Page</h1>");
PdfDocument webpage = PdfDocument.renderUrlAsPdf("https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf/");

// Set the page number of the PDF document to be created to 2.
HeaderFooterOptions headerFooterOptions = new HeaderFooterOptions();
headerFooterOptions.setFirstPageNumber(1);
TextHeaderFooter footer = new TextHeaderFooter();
footer.setLeftText("");
footer.setCenterText("Page {page}");
footer.setRightText("");
webpage.addTextFooter(footer, headerFooterOptions);

// Convert a web page's content to a PDF document.
// Merge the cover page with the web page and save the new PDF to the filesystem.
try {
    PdfDocument.merge(coverPage, webpage).saveAs(Paths.get("assets/cover_page_pdf.pdf"));
} catch (IOException e) {
    throw new RuntimeException(e);
}
JAVA

Know more about attaching Cover page in PDF documents.

Merge and Split PDFs

IronPDF Java simplifies the process of merging multiple PDFs into one or splitting an existing PDF using its user-friendly API.

Join Multiple Existing PDF documents into a Single PDF document

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;  
import java.io.IOException;  
import java.nio.file.Paths;

String htmlA = "<p> [PDF_A] </p>"
        + "<p> [PDF_A] 1st Page </p>"
        + "<div style = 'page-break-after: always;' ></div>"
        + "<p> [PDF_A] 2nd Page</p>";
String htmlB = "<p> [PDF_B] </p>"
        + "<p> [PDF_B] 1st Page </p>"
        + "<div style = 'page-break-after: always;' ></div>"
        + "<p> [PDF_B] 2nd Page</p>";

PdfDocument pdfA = PdfDocument.renderHtmlAsPdf(htmlA);
PdfDocument pdfB = PdfDocument.renderHtmlAsPdf(htmlB);
PdfDocument merged = PdfDocument.merge(pdfA, pdfB);

merged.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/merged.pdf"));
JAVA

Splitting a PDF and Extracting Pages

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;  
import java.io.IOException;  
import java.nio.file.Paths;

PdfDocument PDF = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/sample.pdf"));
PdfDocument copied = PDF.copyPage(0);
copied.saveAs("assets/Split.pdf");
JAVA

Set the Custom Size of PDF documents

IronPDF enables developers to create PDF documents with non-standard dimensions, beyond the conventional A4 size (8½ by 11 inches or 21.59 by 27.94 cm).

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.*;  
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.render.*;  
import java.io.IOException;  
import java.nio.file.Paths;

String html = "<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.</p>";

ChromePdfRenderOptions renderOptions = new ChromePdfRenderOptions();
renderOptions.setPaperSize(PaperSize.Custom);

/*
* Setting page sizes using different measuring units:
* 1. setCustomPaperWidth( width ) / setCustomPaperHeight( height ): for inches
* 2. setCustomPaperSizeInCentimeters( width, height ): for centimeters.
* 3. setCustomPaperSizeInMillimeters( width, height ): for millimeters
* 4. setCustomPaperSizeInPixelsOrPoints( width, height ): for pixels/points
* */
renderOptions.setCustomPaperSizeInCentimeters(13.97, 13.97);

PdfDocument.renderHtmlAsPdf(html, renderOptions).saveAs(Paths.get("assets/CustomPaperSize.pdf"));
JAVA

Here's more tricks regarding the custom size of the PDFs.

Set PDF Orientation

IronPDF for Java allows modification of page orientation in both new and existing PDFs. By default, new PDFs created with IronPDF are set to portrait orientation, but developers can change it by using a ChromePdfRenderOptions instance when converting content (such as HTML, RTFs, and URLs) into PDFs.

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;  
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.edit.PageSelection;  
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.page.PageRotation;  
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.render.*;  
import java.io.IOException;  
import java.nio.file.Paths;

// Get the orientation of the first page of the existing PDF document.  
PageRotation firstPageRotation = existingPdf.getPagesInfo().get(0).getPageRotation();  
System.out.println(firstPageRotation);  

// Rotate the first page of the document only 90 degrees clockwise.  
existingPdf.rotatePage(PageRotation.CLOCKWISE_90, PageSelection.firstPage());  

// Rotate all pages of the document clockwise.  
existingPdf.rotateAllPages(PageRotation.CLOCKWISE_270);  

existingPdf.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/ExistingPdfRotated.pdf"));
JAVA

If you want to get more information, you can visit IronPDF's website - set PDF orientation.

Set Custom Margins of PDF

IronPDF creates new PDFs with a default margin of 25mm on all sides (top, bottom, left, right). However, developers can customize each margin with specific measurements to meet design requirements using IronPDF.

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;  
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.render.ChromePdfRenderOptions;  
import java.io.IOException;  
import java.nio.file.Paths;

// Set Margins (in millimeters)  
ChromePdfRenderOptions renderOptions = new ChromePdfRenderOptions();  
renderOptions.setMarginTop(40);  
renderOptions.setMarginLeft(20);  
renderOptions.setMarginRight(20);  
renderOptions.setMarginBottom(40);  

PdfDocument.renderHtmlFileAsPdf("assets/wikipedia.html", renderOptions).saveAs(Paths.get("assets/MyContent.pdf"));
JAVA

Visit the IronPDF website to learn more about setting custom margins for PDF documents.

Convert PDF Documents to Images

IronPDF can export pages of a loaded PDF file, converted source content, or a modified PDF with headers, footers, margins, etc. into images that can be saved to a file system, stored in a database, or transmitted over networks.

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.edit.PageSelection;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.image.ToImageOptions;

import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
import java.util.List;

PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/composite.pdf"));

// Extract all the pages from the PDF file.
List<BufferedImage> extractedImages = pdf.toBufferedImages();

// With the ToImageOptions object, specify maximum image dimensions for each
// extracted image, as well as their DPI
ToImageOptions rasterOptions = new ToImageOptions();
rasterOptions.setImageMaxHeight(100);
rasterOptions.setImageMaxWidth(100);

// Call the toBufferedImage method along with a PageSelection object to choose the pages from which to
// extract the images
//
// Available PageSelection methods include: allPages, lastPage, firstPage, singlePage(int pageIndex),
// and pageRange(int startingPage, int endingPage)
List<BufferedImage> sizedExtractedImages = pdf.toBufferedImages(rasterOptions, PageSelection.allPages());

// Save all the extracted images to a file location
int i = 1;
for (BufferedImage extractedImage : sizedExtractedImages) {
    String fileName = "assets/images/" + i++ + ".png";
    ImageIO.write(extractedImage, "PNG", new File(fileName));
}
JAVA

Add Background and Foreground

IronPDF provides addBackgroundPdf and addForegroundPdf methods for adding a specific background or foreground elements to PDFs. These methods enable developers to incorporate content from one PDF as the background or foreground of another PDF, making it efficient for generating collections of PDFs based on a common design template.

Add PDF as background

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.*;  
import java.io.IOException;  
import java.nio.file.Paths;

// Load background PDFs from the filesystem (or create them programmatically)  
PdfDocument backgroundPdf = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/MyBackground.pdf"));  

// Render content (HTML, URL, etc) as a PDF Document  
PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.renderUrlAsPdf("https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf");  

// Add the background PDFs to the newly-rendered document.  
pdf.addBackgroundPdf(backgroundPdf);  

pdf.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/BackgroundPdf.pdf"));
JAVA

Add PDF as Foreground

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.*;  
import java.io.IOException;  
import java.nio.file.Paths;

PdfDocument foregroundPdf = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/MyForeground.pdf"));  
PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.renderUrlAsPdf("https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf");  
pdf.addForegroundPdf(foregroundPdf);  

pdf.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/BackgroundForegroundPdf.pdf"));
JAVA

Edit Document Properties

Add and Use PDF Metadata

IronPDF offers the ability to modify PDF metadata and security features, including making PDFs read-only, unprintable, password-protected, and encrypted. In IronPDF for Java, the MetadataManager can be used to access and edit a PDF's metadata. The MetadataManager class provides direct access to metadata content and allows developers to easily read and edit common metadata properties through getters and setters with the same names.

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.metadata.MetadataManager;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.security.PdfPrintSecurity;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.security.SecurityOptions;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.security.SecurityManager;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
import java.util.Date;

// Open an encrypted file (or create a new one from HTML)
PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/encrypted.pdf"), "password");

// Edit file metadata
MetadataManager metadata = pdf.getMetadata();
metadata.setAuthor("Satoshi Nakamoto");
metadata.setKeywords("SEO, Friendly");
metadata.setModifiedDate(new Date().toString());

// Edit file security settings
// The code below makes the PDF read only and disallows users to copy, paste, and print
SecurityOptions securityOptions = new SecurityOptions();
securityOptions.setAllowUserCopyPasteContent(false);
securityOptions.setAllowUserAnnotations(false);
securityOptions.setAllowUserPrinting(PdfPrintSecurity.FULL_PRINT_RIGHTS);
securityOptions.setAllowUserFormData(false);
securityOptions.setOwnerPassword("top-secret");
securityOptions.setUserPassword("sharable");

// Change or set the document encryption password
SecurityManager securityManager = pdf.getSecurity();
securityManager.removePasswordsAndEncryption();
securityManager.makePdfDocumentReadOnly("secret-key");

securityManager.setSecurityOptions(securityOptions);
pdf.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/secured.pdf"));
JAVA

Digital signatures

IronPDF for Java allows for the secure signing of new or existing PDF files using either X509Certificate2 digital certificates in .pfx or .p12 format. By digitally signing a PDF, the file's authenticity is guaranteed and it cannot be altered without proper validation of the certificate. This enhances the reliability of the document.

If you're looking for a free way to generate a signing certificate, Adobe Reader has you covered. Simply follow the instructions outlined in the Adobe Digital ID tutorial.

import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.signature.Signature;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.signature.SignatureManager;

PdfDocument PDF = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/sample.pdf"));

File path = new File("assets/Ironpdf.pfx");
byte [] certificate = new byte [(int)path.length()];

Signature signature = new Signature(certificate,"1234");

SignatureManager manager = PDF.getSignature();

manager.SignPdfWithSignature(signature);
JAVA

Compress PDFs

IronPDF reduces PDF file size with its compressImages method in the PdfDocument class, making it easy to compress PDFs that include large images. This optimization leads to significant savings in storage space and cost while transmitting PDFs across email and other communication channels.

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.*;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/document.pdf"));  

// Valid image compression values range from 1 to 100, where 100 represents 100% of the  
// original image quality.  
pdf.compressImages(60);  
pdf.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/document_compressed.pdf"));  

// The second, optional parameter can scale down the image resolution according to its visible  
// size in the PDF document. Note that this may cause distortion with some image configurations  
pdf.compressImages(90, true);  
pdf.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/document_scaled_compressed.pdf"));
JAVA

Editing PDF Content

Add headers and footers

IronPDF provides the ability to add custom HTML headers and footers to PDFs using the ChromePdfRenderOptions and HtmlHeaderFooter classes. IronPDF enables custom text headers and footers to be added to PDFs through the TextHeaderFooter class, which allows specifying text for the left, right, or center regions of the header/footer. This includes the use of built-in templating tags like {date}, {time}, and {page}, or any other custom text desired.

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.headerfooter.HtmlHeaderFooter;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;

PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.renderUrlAsPdf("https://ironpdf.com");
// Build a footer using HTML
// Merge Fields are: {page} {total-pages} {url} {date} {time} {html-title} & {pdf-title}
HtmlHeaderFooter footer = new HtmlHeaderFooter();
footer.setMaxHeight(15); // millimeters
footer.setHtmlFragment("<center><i>{page} of {total-pages}</i></center>");
footer.setDrawDividerLine(true);
pdf.addHtmlFooter(footer);
List<PdfDocument> pdfs = new ArrayList<>();

// Build a header using an image asset
// Note the use of BaseUrl to set a relative path to the assets
HtmlHeaderFooter header = new HtmlHeaderFooter();
header.setMaxHeight(20); // millimeters
header.setHtmlFragment("<img src=\"logo.png\" />");
header.setBaseUrl("./assets/");
pdf.addHtmlHeader(header);
try {
    pdf.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/html_headers_footers.pdf"));
} catch (IOException e) {
    throw new RuntimeException(e);
}
JAVA

Text Header and Footer

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.font.FontTypes;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.headerfooter.TextHeaderFooter;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.headerfooter.HeaderFooterOptions;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

// Initialize HeaderFooterOptions object.
HeaderFooterOptions options = new HeaderFooterOptions();
PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.renderUrlAsPdf("http://www.google.com");

// Add a header to every page easily
// Mergeable fields are:
// {page} {total-pages} {url} {date} {time} {html-title} & {pdf-title}
options.setFirstPageNumber(1); // use 2 if a coverpage  will be appended
TextHeaderFooter textHeader = new TextHeaderFooter();
textHeader.setDrawDividerLine(true);
textHeader.setCenterText("{url}");
textHeader.setFont(FontTypes.getHelvetica());
textHeader.setFontSize(12);
pdf.addTextHeader(textHeader, options);

// Add a footer too
TextHeaderFooter textFooter = new TextHeaderFooter();
textFooter.setDrawDividerLine(true);
textFooter.setFont(FontTypes.getArial());
textFooter.setFontSize(10);
textFooter.setLeftText("{date} {time}");
textFooter.setRightText("{page} of {total-pages}");
pdf.addTextFooter(textFooter, options);

try {
    pdf.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/text_headers_footers.pdf"));
} catch (IOException e) {
    System.out.println("Failed to save PDF");
    throw new RuntimeException(e);
}
JAVA

Bookmarks

With the BookmarkManager, developers can create a hierarchical structure of bookmarks within a PDF, allowing users to easily navigate to different sections within the document. To add a new bookmark, developers can use the add method, specifying the title and page number of the bookmark. Bookmarks can also be nested within other bookmarks to create a more organized structure.

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.bookmark.Bookmark;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.bookmark.BookmarkManager;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
import java.util.List;

// Load an existing PDF from the file system (or create a new one from HTML)
PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/book.pdf"));

// Add top-level bookmarks to pages of the PDF using their page indices
BookmarkManager bookmarks = pdf.getBookmark();
bookmarks.addBookMarkAtEnd("Author's Note", 2);
bookmarks.addBookMarkAtEnd("Table of Contents", 3);
bookmarks.addBookMarkAtEnd("Summary", 10);
bookmarks.addBookMarkAtEnd("References", 12);

// Retrieve a reference to the Summary bookmark so that we can add a sublist of bookmarks to it.
List<Bookmark> bookmarkList = bookmarks.getBookmarks();
Bookmark bookmark = bookmarkList.get(2);
bookmark.AddChildBookmark("Conclusion", 11);

// Save the PDF to the filesystem
pdf.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/bookmarked.pdf"));
JAVA

Add and Edit Annotations

IronPDF can add "sticky note" style annotations to specific pages of a PDF using the AnnotationManager and AnnotationOptions classes. Developers can create text-based annotations by providing text and (x,y) coordinates as arguments to the AnnotationOptions constructor, then use the addTextAnnotation method of the AnnotationManager to add the annotation to the desired page.

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.annotation.AnnotationIcon;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.annotation.AnnotationManager;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.annotation.AnnotationOptions;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

// Create a new PDF or load an existing one from the filesystem
PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/example.pdf"));

// Create an annotation to be placed at a specific location on a page.
AnnotationOptions annotation = new AnnotationOptions(
        "This is a major title",                            // Title of the annotation
        "This is the long 'sticky note' comment content...",    // Content of the annotation
        150,                                                    // x-axis coordinate location
        250                                                     // y-axis coordinate location
);
annotation.setIcon(AnnotationIcon.HELP);
annotation.setOpacity(0.9);
annotation.setPrintable(false);
annotation.setHidden(false);
annotation.setOpen(true);
annotation.setReadonly(true);
annotation.setRotateable(true);

// Add the annotation to a specific page of the PDF
AnnotationManager annotationManager = pdf.getAnnotation();
annotationManager.addTextAnnotation(annotation, 0);

// Save the PDF with the modifications
pdf.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/annotated.pdf"));
JAVA

Stamping and Watermarking

IronPDF for Java has a powerful API that provides extensive capabilities for stamping and watermarking PDFs. With its easy-to-use interface, developers can quickly add images and HTML stamps to their PDFs with ease. Whether you need to add a company logo, a confidentiality notice, or a unique identifier, IronPDF has you covered. The API makes it simple to add eye-catching stamps to your PDFs, giving them a professional and personalized touch.

Stamp Text onto a PDF

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.stamp.TextStamper;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.stamp.VerticalAlignment;

PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/sample.pdf"));
TextStamper stamper1 = new TextStamper();
stamper1.setText("Hello World! Stamp One Here!");
stamper1.setFontFamily("Bungee Spice");
stamper1.setUseGoogleFont(true);

stamper1.setFontSize(100);
stamper1.setBold(true);
stamper1.setItalic(false);
stamper1.setVerticalAlignment(VerticalAlignment.TOP);

pdf.applyStamp(stamper1);
JAVA

Stamp an Image onto a PDF

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.edit.PageSelection;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.stamp.ImageStamper;

PdfDocument PDF = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/sample.pdf"));
ImageStamper imageStamper = new ImageStamper(Paths.get("assets/logo.png"));
// Apply to every page, one page, or some pages
PDF.applyStamp(imageStamper);
PDF.applyStamp(imageStamper, PageSelection.singlePage(2));
PDF.applyStamp(imageStamper, PageSelection.pageRange(0, 2));
JAVA

Stamp a Barcode onto a PDF

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.stamp.BarcodeEncoding;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.stamp.BarcodeStamper;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.stamp.HorizontalAlignment;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.stamp.VerticalAlignment;

PdfDocument PDF = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/sample.pdf"));
BarcodeStamper barcodeStamp = new BarcodeStamper("IronPDF", BarcodeEncoding.Code39);

barcodeStamp.setHorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment.LEFT);
barcodeStamp.setVerticalAlignment(VerticalAlignment.BOTTOM);

PDF.applyStamp(barcodeStamp);
JAVA

Stamp a QR Code onto a PDF

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.stamp.BarcodeEncoding;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.stamp.BarcodeStamper;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.stamp.HorizontalAlignment;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.stamp.VerticalAlignment;

PdfDocument PDF = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/sample.pdf"));
BarcodeStamper QRStamp = new BarcodeStamper("IronPDF", BarcodeEncoding.QRCode);
QRStamp.setHeight(50);
QRStamp.setWidth(50);
QRStamp.setHorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment.LEFT);
QRStamp.setVerticalAlignment(VerticalAlignment.BOTTOM);
PDF.applyStamp(QRStamp);
JAVA

Add a Watermark to a PDF

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;

PdfDocument PDF = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/sample.pdf"));
String html = "<h1> Example Title <h1/>";
int watermarkOpacity = 30;
PDF.applyWatermark(html, watermarkOpacity);
JAVA

Using Forms in PDFs

IronPDF Java provides developers with a straightforward and efficient way to set and retrieve values from form text fields in a PDF document. Using the FormManager class, developers can simply call the setFieldValue method and provide the name of the desired text field and the value to be filled.

To retrieve a form field's value, the developer can access the field directly through FormManager's collection of FormField objects, using the relevant name or index. This level of control over form fields makes it easy for developers to work with dynamic and interactive PDF forms.

Create and Edit Forms

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.render.ChromePdfRenderOptions;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.*;

// #1 Use Case: Create a PDF Form from HTML Form Markup
Path outputLocation = Paths.get("assets/BasicForm.pdf");
String formHTML = "<html>"
        + "<body>"
        + "<h2>Editable PDF  Form</h2>"
        + "<form>"
        + "First name: <br> <input type='text' name='firstname' value=''> <br>"
        + "Last name: <br> <input type='text' name='lastname' value=''>"
        + "</form>"
        + "</body>"
        + "</html>";

ChromePdfRenderOptions renderOptions = new ChromePdfRenderOptions();
renderOptions.setCreatePdfFormsFromHtml(true);
PdfDocument.renderHtmlAsPdf(formHTML, renderOptions).saveAs(outputLocation);

// #2 Use Case: Writing Values to the PDF Form
PdfDocument form = PdfDocument.fromFile(outputLocation);

// Set the value of the firstname input field.
form.getForm().setFieldValue("firstname", "Minnie");

// Set the value of the lastname input field.
form.getForm().setFieldValue("lastname", "Mouse");

// Save the changes to the PDF Form.
form.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/BasicForm_Filled.pdf"));
JAVA

Fill Existing Forms

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.*;

PdfDocument form = PdfDocument.fromFile("assets/pdfform.pdf");

// Set the value of the firstname input field.
form.getForm().setFieldValue("firstname", "Minnie");

// Set the value of the lastname input field.
form.getForm().setFieldValue("lastname", "Mouse");

// Save the changes to the PDF Form.
form.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/BasicForm_Filled.pdf"));
JAVA

Send PDF for Printing

IronPDF's print method allows developers to easily integrate PDF printing into their applications. By simply calling the [print](/java/object-reference/api/com/ironsoftware/ironpdf/PdfDocument.html#print()) method, the operating system's print dialog will open, providing users with the option to adjust printing settings such as the printer, paper size, and the number of copies.

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;

import java.awt.print.PrinterException;

PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.renderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Created with IronPDF!</h1>");
try {
    pdf.print();
} catch (PrinterException exception) {
    System.out.println("Failed to print PDF");
    exception.printStackTrace();
}
JAVA

Conclusion

IronPDF is a comprehensive PDF library for Java that offers a wide range of features for creating, editing, and manipulating PDF documents. It has robust extraction methods for text and images, allowing developers to access and process the content within PDFs. IronPDF also offers flexibility in customizing PDF metadata and security settings, such as making a PDF read-only or password-protected. In addition, it provides a method for compressing PDFs, reducing file size, and increasing efficiency in transmitting them.

The library includes the capability to add custom headers and footers, as well as annotations, to a PDF document. The bookmarking feature enables developers to add bookmarks for easy navigation within a PDF.

IronPDF offers a free trial key to allow users to test its features and capabilities before making a purchase. The IronPDF Java license starts at $749, providing a cost-effective solution for businesses and individuals looking to secure and manage their PDF files.

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Java PDF Generator (Code Example Tutorial)

Install with Maven

Version: 2024.9.1

<dependency>
  <groupId>com.ironsoftware</groupId>
  <artifactId>ironpdf</artifactId>
  <version>2024.9.1</version>
</dependency>

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