@imgly/plugin-print-ready-pdfs-web

Transform CE.SDK PDFs into Print-Ready CMYK Files

Convert CE.SDK's standard PDF exports into fully PDF/X-3 compliant, CMYK-based print-ready files with embedded ICC output intents. This plugin hooks directly into CE.SDK's export process, ensuring your designs are automatically prepared for professional commercial printing workflows.

The Problem

Your users design beautiful materials in CE.SDK. But professional printing requires specific PDF standards:

• CMYK color space instead of RGB
• PDF/X-3 or PDF/X-4 compliance
• Embedded ICC color profiles for accurate color reproduction

The Solution

This plugin automatically converts CE.SDK's RGB PDFs into print-ready files that meet professional printing requirements:

• ✅ CMYK Color Space: Converts RGB to CMYK using professional ICC profiles
• ✅ PDF/X Standards: Generates PDF/X-3 compliant files for commercial printing
• ✅ Color Profile Support: Embeds industry-standard or custom ICC profiles
• ✅ 100% Client-Side: Everything runs in the browser—zero backend infrastructure
• ✅ Drop-in Integration: One function call transforms any PDF

Key Features

• Drop-in Replacement: Works seamlessly with CE.SDK's existing export functionality
• 100% Client-Side: All processing happens in the browser—no server infrastructure required
• Industry Profiles Included: Ships with FOGRA39 (Europe), GRACoL 2013 (US), and sRGB profiles
• Custom Profile Support: Bring your own ICC profile to match sophisticated print pipelines
• PDF/X-3 Compliant: Generates files that meet commercial printing standards

Installation

npm install @imgly/plugin-print-ready-pdfs-web

Quick Start

Just one function call transforms any PDF into a print-ready file:

import { convertToPDFX3 } from '@imgly/plugin-print-ready-pdfs-web';

// Convert CE.SDK's RGB PDF to print-ready CMYK
const printReadyPDF = await convertToPDFX3(pdfBlob, {
  outputProfile: 'fogra39', // European printing standard
  title: 'My Print Document',
});

// That's it! The PDF is now ready for professional printing

Drop-in CE.SDK Integration

Add print-ready export to your existing CE.SDK implementation with minimal code changes:

import CreativeEditorSDK from '@cesdk/cesdk-js';
import { convertToPDFX3 } from '@imgly/plugin-print-ready-pdfs-web';

const config = {
  license: 'your-cesdk-license',
};

const cesdk = await CreativeEditorSDK.create('#editor', config);
await cesdk.createDesignScene();

// Add custom export button to the navigation bar
cesdk.ui.insertNavigationBarOrderComponent('last', {
  id: 'ly.img.actions.navigationBar',
  children: [
    {
      key: 'export-print-ready-pdf',
      id: 'ly.img.action.navigationBar',
      label: 'Export Print-Ready PDF',
      iconName: '@imgly/Download',
      onClick: async () => {
        const sceneId = cesdk.engine.scene.get();
        const pdfBlob = await cesdk.engine.block.export(
          sceneId,
          'application/pdf'
        );
        const printReadyBlob = await convertToPDFX3(pdfBlob, {
          outputProfile: 'fogra39',
          title: 'Print-Ready Export',
        });

        // Download
        const url = URL.createObjectURL(printReadyBlob);
        const link = document.createElement('a');
        link.href = url;
        link.download = 'design-print-ready.pdf';
        link.click();
        URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
      },
    },
  ],
});

API Reference

convertToPDFX3(pdf, options) / convertToPDFX3(pdfs, options)

Converts RGB PDF(s) to print-ready format. This function supports both single PDF conversion and batch processing through function overloading.

Single PDF Conversion:

convertToPDFX3(pdf: Blob, options: PDFX3Options): Promise<Blob>

Parameters:

• pdf (Blob): Input PDF file as a Blob object
• options (PDFX3Options): Conversion configuration

Returns: Promise - The print-ready PDF file

Batch Processing:

convertToPDFX3(pdfs: Blob[], options: PDFX3Options): Promise<Blob[]>

Parameters:

• pdfs (Blob[]): Array of input PDF files as Blob objects
• options (PDFX3Options): Conversion configuration (applied to all PDFs)

Returns: Promise<Blob[]> - Array of print-ready PDF files

Options Interface:

interface PDFX3Options {
  // Required
  outputProfile: 'gracol' | 'fogra39' | 'srgb' | 'custom';

  // Optional
  customProfile?: Blob;                   // Required only if outputProfile is 'custom'
  title?: string;                         // Document title
  outputConditionIdentifier?: string;     // ICC profile identifier for OutputIntent
  outputCondition?: string;               // Human-readable output condition description
  flattenTransparency?: boolean;          // Flatten transparency (default: true for PDF/X-3)
}

Note: Batch processing handles each PDF sequentially to avoid overwhelming the WASM module.

OutputIntent Metadata:

The outputConditionIdentifier and outputCondition fields control the PDF/X-3 OutputIntent metadata:

• Built-in profiles (fogra39, gracol, srgb): Use preset values automatically (e.g., "FOGRA39", "ISO Coated v2 (ECI)")
• Custom profiles: Specify your own identifiers and descriptions
• Both fields are optional and have sensible defaults

Included Color Profiles

The plugin ships with industry-standard ICC profiles for immediate use:

Real-World Usage

High-Level CE.SDK Export API

The simplest way to integrate with CE.SDK's high-level export function:

import CreativeEditorSDK from '@cesdk/cesdk-js';
import { convertToPDFX3 } from '@imgly/plugin-print-ready-pdfs-web';

const cesdk = await CreativeEditorSDK.create('#editor', config);

// Export and convert to print-ready in one flow
const { blobs } = await cesdk.export({
  mimeType: 'application/pdf'
});

// Function overloading automatically handles array input
const printReadyBlobs = await convertToPDFX3(blobs, {
  outputProfile: 'fogra39',
  title: 'Print-Ready Export',
});

// Download the first print-ready PDF
const url = URL.createObjectURL(printReadyBlobs[0]);
const link = document.createElement('a');
link.href = url;
link.download = 'design-print-ready.pdf';
link.click();
URL.revokeObjectURL(url);

Professional Printing Requirements

import { convertToPDFX3 } from '@imgly/plugin-print-ready-pdfs-web';

// Your user designed materials in CE.SDK
const designPDF = await cesdk.engine.block.export(sceneId, 'application/pdf');

// Convert to print-ready format with CMYK and PDF/X-3 compliance
const printReadyPDF = await convertToPDFX3(designPDF, {
  outputProfile: 'fogra39', // Industry-standard CMYK profile
  title: 'Marketing Materials - Q4 2024',
});

// PDF now meets professional printing requirements

Regional Color Standards

// US Commercial Printing Standard
const usPrintReady = await convertToPDFX3(pdfBlob, {
  outputProfile: 'gracol', // GRACoL 2013 CMYK profile
  title: 'US Print Production',
});

// European Printing Standard
const euPrintReady = await convertToPDFX3(pdfBlob, {
  outputProfile: 'fogra39', // FOGRA39 CMYK profile
  title: 'EU Print Production',
});

Custom Color Profiles

Bring your own ICC profile for specialized printing requirements:

// Load a specific ICC profile for exact color requirements
const customProfile = await fetch('/profiles/custom-cmyk-profile.icc').then(
  (r) => r.blob()
);

const printReadyPDF = await convertToPDFX3(pdfBlob, {
  outputProfile: 'custom',
  customProfile: customProfile,
  title: 'Specialized Print Output',
  outputConditionIdentifier: 'Custom_Newsprint_CMYK',
  outputCondition: 'Custom newsprint profile for high-speed web press'
});

// PDF now uses your exact CMYK color profile with custom metadata

Override Built-in Profile Metadata:

You can also override the metadata for built-in profiles:

const printReadyPDF = await convertToPDFX3(pdfBlob, {
  outputProfile: 'fogra39',
  title: 'Custom FOGRA39 Variant',
  outputConditionIdentifier: 'FOGRA39_Modified',
  outputCondition: 'Modified ISO Coated v2 for specific press'
});

Batch Processing

Process multiple PDFs using the overloaded function:

import { convertToPDFX3 } from '@imgly/plugin-print-ready-pdfs-web';

// Array input automatically triggers batch processing (sequential)
const printReadyPDFs = await convertToPDFX3(pdfBlobs, {
  outputProfile: 'gracol',
  title: 'Batch Export',
});

// Or process in parallel for maximum speed (use with caution for large files)
const printReadyPDFs = await Promise.all(
  pdfBlobs.map((pdf) =>
    convertToPDFX3(pdf, {
      outputProfile: 'gracol',
      title: 'Batch Export',
    })
  )
);

Note: When passing an array, PDFs are processed sequentially to avoid overwhelming the WASM module. For parallel processing, use Promise.all with individual calls. Sequential processing is recommended for reliability.

Testing

Test the integration with a complete CE.SDK example:

# Start the test server
npm run test:cesdk

# Open http://localhost:3001 in your browser
# Create designs and export with different print profiles

The test interface includes:

• Live CE.SDK editor
• Navigation bar with print-ready export options
• Real-time conversion and download

PDF/X-3 Compliance Details

The plugin ensures full PDF/X-3:2003 compliance by:

OutputIntent

Every converted PDF includes a properly configured OutputIntent entry with:

• DestOutputProfile: The embedded ICC profile data
• OutputConditionIdentifier: Standard identifier (e.g., "FOGRA39", "GRACoL 2013")
• OutputCondition: Human-readable description of the printing condition
• S: Set to /GTS_PDFX for PDF/X-3 standard

Trapped Entry

The /Trapped field is automatically set to /False in the PDF document info dictionary, indicating that trapping operations have not been performed. This is the correct value since the plugin performs color conversion but does not apply trapping.

Per the PDF/X-3 specification, this field must be set to either /True or /False (not /Unknown).

Text and Vector Preservation

Text and vector graphics are preserved in their original vector format during conversion. Only the color space is converted from RGB to CMYK—no rasterization occurs for non-transparent content.

Transparency Handling

Important: PDF/X-3:2003 does not support transparency. By default, the plugin flattens all transparency to ensure compliance:

// Default behavior - flattens transparency (PDF/X-3 compliant)
const printReadyPDF = await convertToPDFX3(pdfBlob, {
  outputProfile: 'fogra39',
  title: 'Print Ready',
  // flattenTransparency: true (default)
});

Transparency Flattening Behavior:

• Pages with transparency → Rasterized to bitmap at high resolution
• Pages without transparency → Preserved as vectors (text, shapes remain editable)
• Mixed content → Only transparent elements are rasterized

For Maximum Quality:

If your CE.SDK exports contain no transparency, you can disable flattening to preserve all vectors:

// Disable flattening for transparent-free PDFs (best quality)
const printReadyPDF = await convertToPDFX3(pdfBlob, {
  outputProfile: 'fogra39',
  title: 'Vector Preserved',
  flattenTransparency: false, // Preserves vectors, but may not be PDF/X-3 compliant if transparency exists
});

⚠️ Important: Only disable flattenTransparency if you're certain your PDFs contain no transparency. PDFs with transparency and flattenTransparency: false will fail PDF/X-3 validation.

Avoiding Transparency in CE.SDK:

• Use 100% opacity for all elements
• Avoid alpha channel PNG images
• Use solid fills instead of gradient opacity
• Export without blend modes

Known Limitations

• Transparency: PDF/X-3:2003 does not support transparency. Pages containing transparency (alpha channels, soft masks, opacity < 1.0) will be rasterized to bitmaps during conversion to ensure compliance. To preserve vectors, avoid transparency in your CE.SDK designs.
• Spot Colors: Currently, spot colors (Pantone, custom inks) are converted to CMYK during the PDF/X-3 conversion process. This is a limitation of the current Ghostscript WASM implementation. If preserving spot colors is critical for your workflow, consider server-side PDF processing solutions.
• PDF/X Versions: Only supports PDF/X-3:2003 (not X-1a or X-4 yet)

License Considerations

This plugin uses Ghostscript WebAssembly (AGPL-3.0 licensed) with client-side browser execution:

How It Works

• Ghostscript WASM loads dynamically in the user's browser
• All PDF processing happens client-side on the user's device
• No AGPL code runs on your servers
• Similar to users installing a browser extension

Usage Guidelines

✅ Generally Safe For:

• Open source projects
• Internal/private applications
• Commercial websites (processing happens in user's browser)
• SaaS applications (no server-side AGPL code execution)

⚠️ Considerations:

• If you bundle/modify the WASM module directly
• If you prevent users from accessing the source
• If you process PDFs server-side

Why Browser Execution Matters

Since the AGPL-licensed Ghostscript runs entirely in the end user's browser rather than as a network service:

1. Your servers never execute AGPL code
2. You're not providing a "network service" under AGPL terms
3. The architecture is similar to CDN-delivered JavaScript libraries

For specific legal guidance, consult with legal counsel. For technical questions, contact IMG.LY support.

Support

For questions about CE.SDK integration or print workflows:

• CE.SDK Documentation
• GitHub Issues
• IMG.LY Support