Delphi PDF library for creation, editing, signing, rendering, preflight and PDF/UA workflows

losLab PDF Library at a glance

Product	losLab PDF Library (PDFlibPas) — full PDF SDK for create, edit, render, print, sign, and validate workflows
Best for	End-to-end PDF automation in one engine, including teams beyond Delphi via DLL and ActiveX
Languages	Delphi and C++Builder XE5-13 with full source; C#, VB.NET, VB6, VBA, ASP/ASP.NET, PHP, Visual C++, and more via DLL/ActiveX; macOS Dylib option
Rendering	Switchable GDI+, PDFium, and Cairo engines
Standards	PDF 1.2-1.7, PDF/A, PDF/UA-1, PAdES signatures, preflight reports
Large files	Opens PDFs beyond 2 GB with on-demand loading and direct rewrites
Source code	Full Object Pascal source with Delphi and C++Builder licenses
Licensing	Royalty-free, one-time $899-$3599 by team size; renewal at 40% of list price
Current version	3.75.6 (2026-06-23)
Evaluation	Free demo package download

Source-available PDF engine for developer-owned workflows

losLab PDF Library is a Delphi and C++Builder PDF SDK for applications that need to create, modify, render, print, sign, secure, inspect, and preflight PDF documents inside their own software.

The library is written in Delphi/Object Pascal and is available with full source for Delphi and C++Builder projects. It also ships DLL, ActiveX, and Dylib options for teams that need to integrate PDF automation from C#, VB.NET, VB6, VBA, ASP/ASP.NET, PHP, PowerBuilder, PowerBASIC, RealBasic, Visual C++, and other environments that can call a DLL or ActiveX component.

Use it when the PDF workflow is part of your product or back-office process: generated invoices, signed contracts, archive submissions, accessibility review, print output, form processing, document assembly, or CI checks that should fail before a bad PDF reaches customers.

Download PDF Library DEMO package

2026-06-23 Version 3.75.6: release notes | API reference. Version 3.75.6 adds SetPDFAMode mode 7 for PDF/A-3u output with PDF/A-3 associated files, and the ZUGFeRD 2.0 BASIC e-invoice profile now defaults to PDF/A-3u. Recent releases harden untrusted embedded fonts, images, stream filters, and document rebuild paths, and fix SHA-256/384/512 detached-signature digest generation.

Main PDF capabilities

• Create and edit PDF pages: draw text, vector graphics, images, QR codes, PDF417, DataMatrix, barcodes, annotations, links, outlines, named destinations, metadata, and document properties.
• Page assembly and document repair: split, merge, append, copy, clone, normalize, move, delete, hide, rotate, and rebuild pages from controlled source documents.
• Render and print: switch between GDI+, PDFium, and Cairo rendering engines for screen preview, bitmap export, device-context rendering, and printer workflows.
• Forms and interactive documents: create, fill, edit, flatten, inspect, and manage AcroForm fields, appearances, field flags, JavaScript actions, attachments, and related document data.
• Text, images, and fonts: work with BMP, TIFF, JPEG, JPEG 2000, GIF, PNG, EMF, HTML text boxes, Unicode text, TrueType, OpenType, Type 1, font embedding, font subsetting, and extraction workflows.
• Security and signatures: encrypt and decrypt PDFs with hardware AES-NI acceleration on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows, protect or unprotect multi-gigabyte files through direct file-to-file AES-256 paths that never build the full object graph, set permissions, use public-key recipient encryption, sign with selectable SHA-256/384/512 digests, add PAdES attributes, timestamp signatures, and attach DSS/VRI validation data.
• Huge documents: open PDFs beyond 2 GB with on-demand object loading and 64-bit offsets, merge file lists in a single pass with bookmarks, form fields, and Tagged PDF structure trees preserved, append incremental updates to the source file in place, and copy or rewrite million-object documents in seconds through the Direct Access API.
• Preflight reports and diagnostics: run PDF/A and PDF/UA-1 checks, generate text, JSON, HTML, or CSV reports, compare stable text reports against baselines, batch-process folders with summary CSV output, and audit signature health and document policies at scale with the SigningWorkbench and ComplianceWorkbench demos.
• Low-level PDF control: access object numbers, page dictionaries, catalog entries, output intents, save-version locks, extension-level gates, tiling patterns, optional content, measurement dictionaries, and direct image insertion when your workflow requires precise PDF structure.

Standards and compliance-oriented output

PDF compliance depends on the source content, fonts, ICC profiles, metadata, tagging, alternate text, signatures, timestamps, and the validator used by your organization. losLab PDF Library provides the controls and diagnostics needed to build standards-oriented PDFs, while leaving final policy validation in your application or QA pipeline.

Workflow	Library support	Application responsibility
PDF 1.2-1.7	Creation, editing, strict save-version control, extension-level checks, rendering, printing, forms, annotations, attachments, links, and document structure APIs.	Choose the target PDF version and remove or upgrade features that do not belong in that output profile.
PDF/A	Output-intent controls, XMP metadata helpers, embedded-font workflows, version guards, and built-in PDF/A file checks for archival pipelines.	Provide correct metadata, fonts, color profiles, and business rules for the selected archive policy.
PDF/UA-1	Tagged PDF construction, structure-tree APIs, role-map handling, alternate text, ActualText, reader-side checks, and writer-side GetPDFUADiagnostics feedback.	Author meaningful reading order, language, headings, lists, table semantics, alternate text, and form descriptions.
PAdES	ETSI.CAdES.detached signatures, signing-certificate-v2 data, signature policy and commitment attributes, RFC 3161 timestamp augmentation, SHA-256/384/512 digest choices, and DSS/VRI assembly.	Supply certificates, TSA responses, revocation data, signature policy choices, and verifier-specific acceptance testing.
Preflight automation	CreatePreflightReportEx, SavePreflightReportEx, and the Delphi PreflightReport demo generate text, JSON, HTML, and CSV output for PDF/A and PDF/UA-1 checks.	Decide which report formats, baselines, exit codes, and issue counts should block CI, archive ingestion, or customer delivery.
Security	AES-128, AES-256, permission handling, password protection, public-key recipient encryption, and encrypted-document inspection for controlled distribution.	Keep passwords, certificates, private keys, and recipient policies under your own security controls.

API surfaces and deployment choices

• Delphi XE5 through Delphi 13 and C++Builder XE5 through C++Builder 13.
• Native Object Pascal source code for direct Delphi and C++Builder integration, with API reference pages generated for public TPDFlib functions.
• DLL and ActiveX access for C#, VB.NET, VB6, VBA, ASP/ASP.NET, PHP, Visual C++, PowerBuilder, PowerBASIC, RealBasic, and compatible tools.
• 32-bit and 64-bit build options where the target IDE and runtime support them.
• macOS Dylib option for teams that need cross-platform PDF automation around the same library family.
• Standalone demo projects for PDF creation, page operations, image and font handling, forms, encryption, signing, rendering, printing, and preflight report automation.

Quick Delphi example

uses
  PDFlibrary;

procedure CreateHelloPdf;
begin
  with TPDFlib.Create do
    try
      SetOrigin(1);
      AddStandardFont(4);
      SetTextSize(24);
      DrawText(92, 96, 'Hello world from Delphi');
      SetTextSize(11);
      DrawText(94, 126, 'Created with losLab PDF Library.');
      SaveToFile('HelloWorld.pdf');
    finally
      Free;
    end;
end;

The same call pattern extends to page assembly, form filling, encryption, signing, rendering, and preflight reporting; the demo package ships complete projects for each workflow.

Included demos and validation coverage

The package includes Delphi and C++Builder demos for common integration tasks, plus command-line examples where automation matters more than a visual UI.

• Creation and layout: HelloWorld, AddTextImage, CreateTable, DrawWrappedText, TextPaging, AddFormattedTitle, HTML text, barcode, QR code, and image-to-PDF workflows.
• Document operations: CopyPageRanges, PageOperations, ExtractText, ExtractImage, ExtractEmbeddedFonts, ExtractAnnotAttach, DirectAccess, and merge/split style processing.
• Rendering and printing: PdfToImage, MultiFunction renderer selection, PrintPDF, GDI+, PDFium, and Cairo output paths.
• Security and signatures: PdfEncrypt, PdfDecrypt, PdfPermission, PdfSigning, PAdES attribute workflows, DSS/VRI helpers, and timestamp-oriented signing paths.
• Preflight automation: The Delphi PreflightReport demo validates single files or folders, writes text/JSON/HTML/CSV reports, emits preflight-summary.csv, and returns automation-friendly exit codes.

Recent automated coverage includes Delphi DUnitX and C++Builder GoogleTest suites for document creation, compression, images, fonts, forms, security, signing, printing, PDF version compliance, PDF/UA diagnostics, and preflight report generation and comparison.

When to choose losLab PDF Library

• Choose it when your application must create, modify, sign, validate, and deliver PDFs, not only display them.
• Choose it when your Delphi or C++Builder team needs source-level control, internal diagnostics, and long-term maintainability.
• Choose it when your workflow combines rendering, printing, forms, signatures, encryption, PDF/A, PDF/UA, PAdES, and preflight reports in one toolkit.
• Choose it when CI, archive handoff, accessibility review, or regulated delivery needs stable report files instead of a manual viewer-only check.
• Choose PDFium Component when you only need a focused PDF viewer or renderer, and choose HotPDF when your project needs a lighter PDF creation component.

Licensing and pricing

Pay with credit/debit cards, PayPal, AliPay, or wire transfer through FastSpring. Every new license includes the full Object Pascal source code for Delphi and C++Builder, one year of updates, and one year of email support.

License	Developers	Price (one-time)	Order
Single	1 developer	$899	Buy PDFlibPas Single
Team/SME	Up to 5 developers	$1799	Buy PDFlibPas Team/SME
Enterprise	Unlimited developers	$3599	Buy PDFlibPas Enterprise

License choice: Choose Team/SME when no more than 5 developers will use this library. Choose Enterprise if the team may grow beyond 5 developers or needs the Enterprise-only source package.

Enterprise-only source extras: PDFlibPas Enterprise includes full source code for the complete test suites normally used only for internal validation. The Enterprise package also includes full source code for the dedicated tool-grade example PDF Compliance & Signing Workbench Pro.

Purchase yearly renewal (40% of the first-time purchase).

Comparing the whole family? See the PDF developer libraries overview for a side-by-side of PDFium Component, losLab PDF Library, and HotPDF Component.

Frequently asked questions

How is losLab PDF Library different from HotPDF Component?

losLab PDF Library is the full PDF SDK: it combines creation, editing, rendering with GDI+, PDFium, or Cairo, printing, forms, signing, encryption, and preflight reports, and it ships DLL, ActiveX, and Dylib options for non-Delphi environments. HotPDF Component is a lighter native VCL component focused on PDF creation and editing inside Delphi and C++Builder applications.

Can I use losLab PDF Library from C#, VB.NET, or other non-Delphi environments?

Yes. Besides native Object Pascal source for Delphi and C++Builder, the library ships DLL and ActiveX builds usable from C#, VB.NET, VB6, VBA, ASP/ASP.NET, PHP, PowerBuilder, PowerBASIC, RealBasic, Visual C++, and other environments that can call a DLL or ActiveX component, plus a macOS Dylib option.

Which Delphi and C++Builder versions are supported?

Delphi XE5 through Delphi 13 and C++Builder XE5 through C++Builder 13, with 32-bit and 64-bit build options where the target IDE and runtime support them.

Which rendering engines does the library provide?

You can switch between GDI+, PDFium, and Cairo rendering engines for screen preview, bitmap export, device-context rendering, and printer workflows.

Does losLab PDF Library support digital signatures and PAdES?

Yes. It creates ETSI.CAdES.detached signatures with signing-certificate-v2 data, signature policy and commitment attributes, RFC 3161 timestamp augmentation, selectable SHA-256, SHA-384, or SHA-512 digests, and DSS/VRI validation data for long-term validation.

How does the library handle very large PDF files?

It opens PDFs beyond 2 GB with on-demand object loading and 64-bit offsets, merges file lists in a single pass while preserving bookmarks, form fields, and Tagged PDF structure, appends incremental updates in place, and copies or rewrites million-object documents in seconds through the Direct Access API.

Can it check PDF/A and PDF/UA compliance automatically?

Yes. Built-in PDF/A and PDF/UA-1 checks generate text, JSON, HTML, or CSV reports, compare stable text reports against baselines, batch-process folders with summary CSV output, and expose writer-side diagnostics through GetPDFUADiagnostics.

What does a license include, and how does renewal work?

A new license ($899 Single, $1799 Team/SME for up to 5 developers, $3599 Enterprise for unlimited developers) includes full source code for Delphi and C++Builder, one year of updates, and one year of email support. Existing customers renew update access at 40% of the first-time price.