Question 1

What PDF processing capabilities does your API provide?

Accepted Answer

Our API handles comprehensive PDF workflows through simple REST calls. Convert HTML, Markdown, and text to PDF with full CSS support, extract text from both digital and scanned PDFs with high accuracy, transform PDFs to images or Markdown, and perform operations like merging, splitting, and password removal. Most developers get their first PDF working within 5 minutes.

Question 2

How does this PDF API compare to other solutions?

Accepted Answer

Traditional PDF libraries require wrestling with broken layouts, font issues, and memory management. We handle all that complexity behind the scenes through a clean API. Unlike other hosted solutions, we include both free and premium OCR options, support modern CSS features reliably, and charge only for what you use. You can test everything during our free trial to see the difference for yourself.

Question 3

What are the typical response times for PDF generation?

Accepted Answer

Response times depend on the operation. Text-to-PDF conversions complete in under 500ms, HTML-to-PDF typically takes 1-3 seconds, digital PDF text extraction completes in under 2 seconds for a 10-page document, and OCR processing takes 1-3 seconds per page depending on complexity.

Question 4

Do I need PDF development experience to use this?

Accepted Answer

No. Our API is built for developers who want to focus on their core application logic rather than PDF complexities. We provide comprehensive documentation and code examples in multiple languages to get you started quickly, regardless of your PDF experience.

Question 5

How can I convert HTML to PDF without layout breaking?

Accepted Answer

Layout issues plague most PDF solutions, but we handle modern HTML and CSS more reliably than alternatives. We support flexbox, CSS grid, media queries, and responsive layouts through our WeasyPrint implementation of CSS Paged Media standards. The best approach is testing your specific use case during our free trial before committing to production.

Question 6

Can I use modern CSS features like flexbox and grid in PDF generation?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We support flexbox, grid, responsive layouts, media queries, custom fonts, and web fonts. Some cutting-edge CSS features may have limitations, which is why we recommend testing your specific designs during the free trial to ensure they render as expected.

Question 7

Do you support external resources like images and stylesheets?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we automatically fetch external images, CSS files, and web fonts. This means your PDFs will render with all the styling and assets exactly as you've specified them in your HTML.

Question 8

How accurate is text extraction from PDF files?

Accepted Answer

For digital PDFs (electronically created), we extract text directly with 99%+ accuracy. For scanned documents, accuracy ranges from 85-98% with standard OCR, and 95-99% with our premium AI-assisted OCR option. Testing with your actual documents during the free trial gives you the best sense of results.

Question 9

Can you extract text and preserve formatting from PDFs?

Accepted Answer

We offer multiple extraction modes: simple text, layout-preserved text, HTML output, structured JSON with coordinates, and Markdown output. When using premium AI OCR on scanned documents, we can output Markdown that preserves headings, tables, lists, and document structure.

Question 10

Can I extract text from scanned PDFs and images?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We support OCR for scanned documents and image files with multiple modes: Standard OCR (free, fast, good for clean scans), Premium OCR (AI-powered, excellent accuracy and structure preservation), and Auto mode (intelligently selects the best engine).

Question 11

Can I merge multiple PDFs into a single file?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we can combine multiple PDF files into a single document with perfect format preservation. You can optionally select specific page ranges from each file to include in the merge.

Question 12

How do I split a PDF into separate pages or sections?

Accepted Answer

We can split PDFs into individual pages, extract specific page ranges (e.g., "1-5,10,15-20"), or divide into fixed-size chunks. Results are provided as a ZIP archive for easy download and distribution.

Question 13

Can you remove passwords from protected PDFs?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if you have the user password, we can remove password protection from PDFs while preserving all content and formatting. For security and legal reasons, we don't support password cracking or unauthorized access to encrypted PDFs.

Question 14

How do I convert PDF pages to PNG or JPEG images?

Accepted Answer

We convert PDF pages to PNG, JPEG, or WebP at 72, 150, or 300 DPI. Convert all pages or specific page ranges, and receive images as individual files or in a ZIP archive for batch processing.

Question 15

What OCR options are available for scanned documents?

Accepted Answer

We offer Standard OCR (fast, free, solid accuracy on clean documents), Premium OCR (advanced AI models for higher accuracy and structure recognition on complex or degraded scans), and Auto mode (intelligently selects the best engine based on document type).

Question 16

What languages does your OCR support?

Accepted Answer

Our Standard OCR supports over 100 languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, and Korean. Premium OCR automatically detects and processes text in multiple languages without manual language selection.

Question 17

Can OCR output preserve document structure like tables and headings?

Accepted Answer

Premium OCR can output in structured formats like Markdown that preserve document hierarchy including headings, lists, tables, and text formatting. This is perfect for converting scanned documents into editable, well-organized content.

Question 18

How quickly can I integrate the PDF API into my application?

Accepted Answer

Most developers generate their first PDF within 5 minutes using our REST API with standard HTTP requests. We provide comprehensive documentation with code examples in multiple languages.

Question 19

Which programming languages and frameworks are supported?

Accepted Answer

Our REST API works with any language that can make HTTP requests: Python, JavaScript, Java, PHP, Ruby, Go, C#, and more. Our documentation includes code examples for the most common frameworks.

Question 20

What data formats do you accept for PDF generation?

Accepted Answer

We accept JSON for API requests and support HTML, Markdown, and plain text for PDF generation. PDF files are uploaded via multipart/form-data.

Question 21

How do you handle and protect my data?

Accepted Answer

We use industry-standard security practices including data encryption in transit and at rest. We don't store your generated PDFs longer than necessary for processing, typically less than 24 hours. Your business documents remain confidential.

Question 22

Can I use this API for business and legal documents?

Accepted Answer

Yes, our API is designed for business use including invoices, reports, contracts, and other professional documents. Our security practices meet the needs of business applications.

Question 23

How should I secure and manage my API keys?

Accepted Answer

API keys are encrypted and should be kept secure. Best practices include storing keys in environment variables, rotating them periodically, and never committing them to version control or exposing them in client-side code.

Question 24

How does your PDF API pricing model work?

Accepted Answer

We use a credit-based pricing model. Different operations cost different amounts of credits, with simple operations costing less. You choose a plan based on your expected volume and can add credit packs if needed.

Question 25

Is there a free trial available?

Accepted Answer

Yes! All new users receive 30 days of completely free access with 500 credits included, no credit card required. This gives you plenty of time to thoroughly test our API.

Question 26

What happens when I exceed my usage limits?

Accepted Answer

We send an email alert when you reach 80% of your plan limit. If you exceed limits, API calls return a 429 status code. You can purchase add-on credit packs to continue immediately or upgrade your plan.

Question 27

Do unused credits roll over?

Accepted Answer

Plan credits reset each billing cycle. Add-on credits never expire. If you frequently have unused plan credits, consider a smaller plan with add-ons for peak months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about our PDF API

PDF Generation

Text Extraction

PDF Manipulation

General API Questions

HTML to PDF Conversion

PDF Text Extraction

PDF Manipulation

OCR (Optical Character Recognition)

Technical Integration

Security & Privacy

Pricing & Billing

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