10.08.2012

Perfectly Personalized PDFs


In the latest CopiaFacts build, 8.1.0.113, we have added the ability to personalize PDF e-mail attachments with overlaid text, just as you can do with a graphical cover sheet for fax.  You can use the CopiaFacts fax viewer to load directly a monochrome image of a PDF file, and then position annotations with both variable text and images such as handwritten signatures.

We have a new file type, GPT, which is similar to the GCT file except that the 'watermark' file is a PDF, not a TIF.  When a GPT file is used as an e-mail attachment, CopiaFacts will create a personalized PDF applying fixed text, variables from your broadcast list, or any other information you want to add for the e-mail recipient. Annotations can have colored fonts, borders and backgrounds, but otherwise are similar to the familiar customizations that you probably use already for faxes.  Overlaid text supports text at an angle, transparent and boxed text, and a simple set of HTML tags.  Fonts can either be the standard PDF fonts, or you can use most Windows fonts (including Unicode fonts) that can be 'subsetted' and embedded in the PDF.

In the same way that you use a GCT/GTT to flow ASCII text files onto fax cover sheets, you can also flow text files onto PDF templates, providing a better-looking result than simply attaching a plain text file to an e-mail.

This new feature provides a simple and quick alternative to setting up a mail-merge to produce customized documents in an e-mail broadcast.  For full details, follow this link to the CopiaFacts reference manual.