This section provides instructions for preparing your PDF documents as templates for personalization online.
You can download the PDFlib plugin here.
Table of Contents
PDFlib Blocks Menu
Detect Underlying Font and Color
Creating Blocks with the PDFlib Blocks Tool
PDFlib Dialog Box
Creating Single-Line Text Blocks
Creating Multi-Line Text Blocks
Creating Image Blocks
Editing Font Names
Editing Fill Colors
Creating CMYK Builds
Choosing a Spot Color From a Color Book
Editing Blocks: Move, Resize, Copy, Paste, and Import
Deleting Original Content in PDF
Block Name |
By default, the Block Name is set to "Block_0" for the first block. The number after the underscore will ascend upon drawing further blocks (next block will be "Block_1"). Users will not see the Block Name when personalizing their template. This number does however determine layer order of blocks. Block_0 will always be placed behind Block_1, Block_2, etc. You can change the number of the block, but the format must remain Block_#, Block_##, or Block_#.#. Refrain from using special characters (like /) here. |
Type | Textline: This will create a single-line text block. Textflow: This will create a multi-line text block. This option should also be used for single-line text blocks that will have a Style assigned to them in the Designer Admin. Image: This will create an image block where user can either upload their own image or choose an image from a gallery created by admin. Graphics: This option is not supported. PDF: This option is not supported. |
Description | This should be a clear description of what should be contained in the block. Users will see this during personalization as long as the block does not have a Style assigned. If block has a Style assigned, users will see the labels contained within the Style instead. |
Rect | The four numbers contained here are the X and Y coordinates of the upper left and lower right corners of the block drawn. You can edit these coordinates to reflect the desired location of the block. |
fontname | Name of the font to be used in the block. To edit, you can type the font name or choose from your system fonts by clicking on the ellipsis and choosing a font from the list. If you enabled Detect Underlying Font and Color, it should place the font name here. The font name used in this option must be exactly the same as the name you give the font in the Designer Admin. This field should not contain special characters such as periods. Hyphens are fine to use here. |
fontsize | Size of the font to be used in the block. If you enabled Detect Underlying Font and Color, it should pick up the font size and place it here. |
fontstyle | This field should always be set to normal. If you need bold text, you need to use the bold face font. |
fillcolor | Color to be used for the font in the block. If you enabled Detect Underlying Font and Color, it should pick up the color and place it here. You can edit the color by clicking the ellipsis and choosing a different color from a color book or by inserting a CMYK build. You should use DeviceCMYK (for process color builds) or Separation (for spot colors), not DeviceRGB, DeviceGray, or LAB. |
fitmethod | When set to Auto, this will proportionately shrink any text that is too long for the block. It will not let text that doesn't fit run out of the block, cut off text that doesn't fit in the block, or disproportionately modify the text. |
position | Controls the horizontal and vertical alignment of single-line text blocks. To edit, click the ellipsis and select the desired horizontal and vertical alignment for your text. |
Rect | The four numbers contained here are the X and Y coordinates of the upper left and lower right corners of the block drawn. You can edit these coordinates to reflect the desired location of the block. |
fontname | Name of the font to be used in the block. To edit, you can type the font name or choose from your system fonts by clicking on the ellipsis and choosing a font from the list. If you enabled Detect Underlying Font and Color, it should place the font name here. The font name used in this option must be exactly the same as the name you give the font in the Designer Admin. This field should not contain special characters such as periods. Hyphens are fine to use here. |
fontsize | Size of the font to be used in the block. If you enabled Detect Underlying Font and Color, it should pick up the font size and place it here. |
fontstyle | This field should always be set to normal. If you need bold text, you need to use the bold face font. |
fillcolor | Color to be used for the font in the block. If you enabled Detect Underlying Font and Color, it should pick up the color and place it here. You can edit the color by clicking the ellipsis and choosing a different color from a color book or by inserting a CMYK build. |
alignment | Controls the horizontal alignment of multi-line text blocks. Choose your selection from the dropdown. |
leading | Controls the leading of multi-line text blocks. The number input here should be represented as a percentage, not in points. 110% is acceptable, 11pt is not. |
fitmethod | When set to Auto, this will proportionately shrink any text that is too long for the block. It will not let text that doesn't fit run out of the block, cut off text that doesn't fit in the block, or disproportionately modify the text. |
verticalalign | Controls the vertical alignment of multi-line text blocks. Choose your selection from the dropdown. |
Rect | The four numbers contained here are the X and Y coordinates of the upper left and lower right corners of the block drawn. You can edit these coordinates to reflect the desired location of the block. |
fitmethod | When set to Auto, this will proportionately fit any image in the block by default. |
position | Controls the horizontal and vertical alignment of image placed in the block. To edit, click the ellipsis and select the desired horizontal and vertical alignment. |