PDF Files

These are some examples of PDF files. PDF stands for "Portable Document Format", and was developed by Adobe Systems. While PDF is normally used for text or text plus illustration, we are here primarily interested in its use as a storage format for 2D images.

PDF File Characteristics:

• binary
• Color
• 2D (page images)
• Compression is possible
• multiple images (pages)

Reference:

1. Adobe Systems Incorporated,
   Portable Document Format Reference Manual,
   Addison-Wesley, 1993.

Programs to create a PDF file include:

• the mathematica command DISPLAY;

Programs to view a PDF file:

• Adobe Acrobat Reader can display a PDF file.
• GhostScript can display a PDF file.
• ImageMagick can display a PDF file.

Programs to convert a PDF file to another format:

• The ImageMagick, program convert can convert a PDF file to BMP, CGM, EPS, FIG, FITS, GIF, JPG, PBM, PGM, PNG, PNM, PPM, PS, RGB, TIF, XBM or XPM format.
• The GhostScript command pdf2ps can convert a PDF file to PS.

Programs to convert a file to PDF format:

• Adobe Acrobat Distiller can convert a PS file to PDF.
• Adobe Acrobat Professional can read a BMP, EPS, GIF, JPG, PNG, PS or TIFF file and convert it to PDF format.
• fig2dev can convert a FIG file to a PDF file by a command like

              fig2dev -L pdf input.fig > output.pdf
            

• The ImageMagick, program convert can convert a BMP, CGM, EPS, FIG, FITS, GIF, JPG, PBM, PGM, PNG, PNM, PPM, PS, RGB, TIF, XBM or XPM file to PDF format.
• The GhostScript shell script ps2pdf can convert an EPS or PS file to PDF.

Programs to convert a file to PDF format:

• MATHEMATICA includes an Export[filename,object] command that can save a graphics object as a PDF file.

Sample PDF Files:

• bell_206.pdf, an image of a Bell Helicopter model 206.
• cells.pdf, a single page black/white graphic;
• football_seal.pdf, a dummy logo.
• sample.pdf, a sample PDF file to be converted to PostScript by pdf2ps.
• scs_logo.pdf, the logo for the School of Computational Science.
• ug_sec4.pdf, a few pages of text from a manual;
• vt_logo.pdf, a circular logo for Virginia Tech.
• vt2_logo.pdf, a rectangular logo for Virginia Tech.

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