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

losLab PDF Library at a glance

Product	losLab PDF Library (PDF Library for Delphi) — 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; Free Pascal 3.2 / Lazarus (Win32, Win64); native headless builds on Linux x64 / ARM64, macOS x64 / ARM64, and Windows 11 on ARM (Free Pascal ARM64, Delphi ARM64EC); 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 and PDF/UA-2 checks, PAdES signatures, e-invoice XML validation, 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 $850-$10200 by tier; renewal at 50% of list price
Current version	3.555.0 (2026-10-10)
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

2026-10-10 Version 3.555.0: release notes | API reference. The latest release adds Windows 11 on ARM support through native Free Pascal ARM64 and Delphi ARM64EC source builds, with system AES CBC/GCM and JPEG providers, an architecture-matched OpenJPEG library, and a Windows ARM DLL exposing named C exports. Releases since 3.552.0 complete the cross-platform headless core: the Delphi macOS ARM64 dynamic library exposes the same 880 C entry points as the Free Pascal build and drives native fonts, Cairo rendering, OpenSSL encryption and signing, and ImageIO JPEG codecs; native XMP metadata editing and PFX signing with RFC 3161 timestamps run on macOS ARM64; and headless support extends to Linux ARM64 and macOS x64, with the native verification tools running on Linux and macOS across x64 and ARM64. Version 3.552.0 itself brought native Free Pascal headless generation, loading, text workflows, and Cairo bitmap rendering to Linux x86_64 and macOS arm64 with OpenSSL encryption, digests, PKCS#12 signing, CMS verification, libcurl HTTP range access, and RFC 3161 time-stamping. Earlier releases in this range add exact Unicode content replacement that keeps surrounding characters and TJ spacing; structured extraction that follows tagged reading order, detects columns and page furniture, and exports tables to JSON, CSV, Markdown, and DOCX; optional Tesseract OCR adapters with hOCR and TSV results; SVG export that preserves paint order, nested Form content, and clipping paths with diagnostics; versioned invoice XML schema and Schematron validation through xmllint or SaxonJ; PDF/UA-2 reader checks; rendered-page visual comparison with difference masks and overlays; and Arlington validation coverage reports.

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.
• Structured extraction and exact replacement: extract text in tagged reading order with semantic roles, columns, page furniture, and table cells exported to JSON, CSV, Markdown, or DOCX, replace Unicode content exactly while preserving surrounding characters and spacing, and add OCR text layers through optional Tesseract adapters.
• Visual comparison and invoice validation: compare rendered pages or whole documents with channel tolerance, ignored regions, difference masks, and overlays, and validate embedded e-invoice XML against versioned schemas and Schematron rules through xmllint or SaxonJ.
• Preflight reports and diagnostics: run PDF/A, PDF/UA-1, and PDF/UA-2 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.

Performance evidence: The public PDF Library changelog records dated large-file changes, sample sizes, object counts, and before/after timings. Treat those measurements as reproducible engineering references rather than guarantees for different files or hardware.

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 PreflightReport scenario in ComplianceLab 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. The library also builds with Free Pascal 3.2 and Lazarus on Windows (Win32 and Win64), and natively under Free Pascal on Linux x86_64 and macOS arm64 for headless generation, loading, text workflows, Cairo rendering, OpenSSL signing, and time-stamping.
• 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

Delphi, C++Builder, and Lazarus each ship the same example portfolio: a flagship nine-page Showcase, a minimal HelloWorld, and nine self-contained domain labs. Each lab runs its scenarios from one executable; started without arguments it plays a guided quick tour and opens an offline HTML report, while --list and --scenario NAME expose the individual specialist operations.

• GraphicsLab and ImageLab: shapes, patterns, layers, watermarks, and canvas text, plus image import, masks, EMF import, and CCITT, JBIG2, and image-compression matrices.
• ContentLab: font embedding and subsetting, text measurement, wrapped and paged text, HTML text flow, tables, dataset export, barcodes, and report framework adapters.
• DocumentLab and InteractiveLab: page operations, merging, linearization, text and image extraction, attachments, XMP metadata, and DocumentInspectionWorkbench, alongside form fields, XFA fields, outlines, named destinations, links, and document actions.
• ComplianceLab and SecurityLab: PDF/A guard matrices, Tagged PDF, output intents, e-invoices, PreflightReport, and ComplianceWorkbench, plus encryption, permissions, signing, PAdES DSS, signature validation, redaction, and sanitizing.
• DeliveryLab and PerformanceLab: rendering to images and metafiles, printing, output streams, parallel rendering, and mail delivery, plus huge-file, merge, and image-decode benchmarks.
• DLL workflow examples: C# and VB.NET WorkflowWorkbench projects and native C++ examples cover report generation, text extraction, page splitting and merging, binary memory transfers, and explicit native resource ownership; Delphi additionally keeps an interactive Reader.

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 Delphi Component when the work centres on reading, reviewing and proving compliance rather than authoring, and choose HotPDF when you would rather redistribute no rendering engine at all — it carries its own renderer, image codecs and font engine and compiles into your executable.

Licensing and pricing

Pay with credit/debit cards, PayPal, AliPay, or wire transfer through 2Checkout / FastSpring -- every tier lists both checkouts, choose either. 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	$850	Buy PDF Library for Delphi Single
Small Business	Up to 10 developers	$1700	Buy PDF Library for Delphi Small Business
Medium Business	Up to 30 developers	$2550	Buy PDF Library for Delphi Medium Business
Enterprise	All developers in one company and its subsidiaries within a single country	$5100	Buy PDF Library for Delphi Enterprise
Corporate	All developers in one company and its subsidiaries worldwide	$10200	Buy PDF Library for Delphi Corporate

License choice: Choose the tier that covers your developer headcount: Single (1 developer), Small Business (up to 10), or Medium Business (up to 30). Enterprise covers every developer in one company and its subsidiaries within a single country; Corporate extends that same coverage worldwide.

Enterprise and Corporate source extras: PDF Library for Delphi Enterprise and Corporate both include full source code for the dedicated tool-grade example PDF Compliance & Signing Workbench Pro. Source code for the internal testing projects is available on request.

Purchase yearly renewal (50% of the current list price).

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

Frequently asked questions

How is losLab PDF Library different from HotPDF Delphi 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 Delphi Component carries its own rendering engine, image codecs and font engine, so it compiles into your executable with no PDF runtime to redistribute; it focuses 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. The source also builds with Free Pascal 3.2 and Lazarus on Windows (Win32 and Win64), and runs natively under Free Pascal on Linux x86_64 and macOS arm64 for headless PDF workflows.

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, PDF/UA-1, and PDF/UA-2 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 ($850 Single, $1700 Small Business (up to 10 developers), $2550 Medium Business (up to 30 developers), $5100 Enterprise (one company, one country), $10200 Corporate (one company, worldwide)) 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 50% of the current list price.