Service for creating a Searchable PDF

[kirann5851347]

Hi,

I am looking to create an service for our organization that is able to take in a image PDF or other such file and convert it in to a searchable PDF on a server and return this file back to the caller.

I am of the opinion that Acrobat Pro XI DC or LiveCycle PDF Generator are the right set of tools for this purpose, but I am unable to find any reference on the internet on how this can be achieved. when I try to search for this information, I generally end up with links to "ABBYY FineReader  XX".

I want to understand what is the best way to implement this solution using Adobe software i.e.

1. What are the Adobe software that I need to install on the server.

2. How can I give this software a file such that it returns a converted searchable PDF.

3. What are the limitation of this approach.

Any reference to a blog/code sample that shows how this can be achieved will also be very helpful

Regards

Kiran

[Daryl_Dean · Accepted solution]

Kiran, LiveCycle has been renamed "AEM Forms" so you might try searching for that instead.

AEM Forms is server-based software just as LiveCycle was before it, and it is fully capable of converting numerous document formats to PDF and performing OCR on any images being converted at the same time, leaving you with a searchable PDF file no matter the source.

There's a big page here that will tell you everything you might need to know about PDF Generator and how to use it, including how to switch on the OCR functionality.  It's just an option you enable on image conversions, so it's simple enough to use.

As you will see, you can call PDF Generator using a variety of methods, including Java API's, Web Services, Watched Folders, and more.  AEM is very flexible in how you might call it, and it can also do much more than convert things to PDF.

I hope this helps.