Edit PDF in Java (Full Tutorial)
This tutorial gives a high-level overview of how Java developers can content and structure of existing PDF documents using IronPDF. This includes PDF documents rendered from HTML using IronPDFs HTML conversion features, as well as PDFs produced using other third-party apps and software libraries.
A tutorial for editing PDF documents in C#.NET and VB.NET is also available.
This tutorial assumes that the reader already knows how to use IronPDF to convert HTML content into PDFs. Consider reading the HTML to PDF tutorial first before continuiing with this tutorial if you are not familiar with the feature (or need to be a refresher on the basic workflow).
How to Edit PDF File in Java
Table of Contents
- Edit Document Structure
- Manipulating pdf documents
- Add, Copy, and Delete Pages
- Merge and Split PDFs
- Set the Custom size of PDF documents
- Set PDF Orientation
- Set Custom Margins of PDF
- Convert PDF documents to Images
- Add Background and Foreground
- Add PDF as Background
- Add PDF as Foreground
- Images and Text extraction
- Extract Content
- Extract Images
- Edit Document Properties
- Add and Use PDF Metadata
- Digital Signatures
- Compress PDFs
- Edit PDF Content
- Add Headers and Footers
- Outlines and Bookmarks
- Add and Edit Annotations
- Stamping and Watermarking
- Stamper Overview
- Stamper Examples
- Stamp Text onto a PDF
- Stamp an Image onto a PDF
- Stamp a Barcode onto a PDF
- Stamp a QR Code onto a PDF
- Add a Watermark to a PDF
- Using Forms in PDFs
- Create and Edit Forms
- Fill Existing Forms
- Send PDF for Printing
Getting Started
Install with Maven
There are two ways to incorporate the IronPDF Library in a Java Project:
- Add IronPDF as a dependency in a Maven-configured Java Project
- Download the IronPDF JAR File and add it to the project classpath manually.
To install IronPDF in a Java project using Maven, include the artifacts given below in the dependency section of the Java project's pom.xml file.
<dependency>
<groupId>com.ironsoftware</groupId>
<artifactId>com.ironsoftware</artifactId>
<version>2024.3.1</version>
</dependency>Developers who prefer to manage the JAR file manually can download the IronPDF library JAR file and add it to their project's class path.
Download the IronPDF JAR file directly from here (or from the Maven Repository).
Tutorial Content
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"));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");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"));Attach a Cover Page
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.headerfooter.HeaderFooterOptions;
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);
}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"));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");
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"));Know more tricks about 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;
// Use the setPaperOrientation method to set rendered PDFs in portrait or landscape orientation.
// Note: This will only work for newly-created PDFs!
ChromePdfRenderOptions renderOptions = new ChromePdfRenderOptions();
renderOptions.setPaperOrientation(PaperOrientation.LANDSCAPE);
PdfDocument newPdf = PdfDocument.renderUrlAsPdf("https://ironpdf.com", renderOptions);
newPdf.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/LandscapePdf.pdf"));
// Use the rotatePage/rotateAllPages methods to adjust the page orientation for existing PDFs
PdfDocument existingPdf = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/example.pdf"));
// 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"));If you want to get more information, you can visit IronPDF's website section of 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"));Visit the IronPDF website to know 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));
}Add Background and Foreground
IronPDF provides addBackground and addForeground 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"));Add PDF as Foreground
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.*;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
// Load foreground PDFs from the filesystem (or create them programmatically)
PdfDocument foregroundPdf = PdfDocument.fromFile(Paths.get("assets/MyForeground.pdf"));
// Render content (HTML, URL, etc) as a PDF Document
PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.renderUrlAsPdf("https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf");
// Add the foreground PDFs to the newly-rendered document.
pdf.addForegroundPdf(foregroundPdf);
pdf.saveAs(Paths.get("assets/BackgroundForegroundPdf.pdf"));Images and Text extraction
IronPDF's comprehensive PDF creation and editing functions include the ability to extract content granularly with its content extraction methods.
The extractAllText method is available on all PdfDocument objects and returns a string containing all the text in the PDF document. Additionally, extractAllImages returns a collection of all embedded images in the PDF, each in the form of a BufferedImage object. To retrieve the images as raw bytes, use the extractAllRawImages method.
Extract Content
PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.renderUrlAsPdf("https://unsplash.com/");
String text = pdf.extractAllText();
System.out.println("Text extracted from the website: " + text);Extract Images
PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.renderUrlAsPdf("https://unsplash.com/");
try {
List<BufferedImage> images = pdf.extractAllImages();
System.out.println("Number of images extracted from the website: " + images.size());
int i = 0;
for (BufferedImage image : images) {
ImageIO.write(image, "PNG", Files.newOutputStream(Path.of("assets/extracted_" + ++i + ".png")));
}
} catch(Exception exception) {
System.out.println("Failed to extract images from the website");
exception.printStackTrace();
}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.security.PdfPrintSecurity;
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.setAllowUserCopyPastContent(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"));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.
In addition to the traditional digital signing process, IronPDF for Java also offers the option to sign PDFs using a handwritten signature image or company stamp image. This makes it easier for businesses to personalize their documents and add an extra layer of security.
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);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"));Editing PDF Content
Add headers and footers
IronPDF provides the ability to add custom HTML headers and footers to PDFs using the ChromeRenderOptions 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.
HTML Header and Footer
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.headerfooter.HtmlHeaderFooter;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
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);
}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;
// 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);
}Outlines and 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"));Add and Edit Annotations
IronPDF allows adding "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"));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);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));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);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);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);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"));Fill Existing Forms
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.PdfDocument;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.render.ChromePdfRenderOptions;
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"));Send PDF for Printing
IronPDF's print method allows developers to easily integrate PDF printing into their applications. By simply calling the 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();
}
