Converting PS to PDF with code

If you have access to the full version of Adobe Acrobat, you can use the Distiller automation interface. This is documented in the Acrobat SDK. The current version of the SDK is unfortunately no longer available for free: You have to be a ASN member to get access to it. The Acrobat 5 SDK is however still available on Adobe's web server, and it does have all the documentation you need to convert a PostScript file to a PDF file. You will of course not find any information about new Acrobat 6 features, but the general process has not changed.

You can find the Acrobat 5 SDK here (scroll to the end of the page): http://partners.adobe.com/asn/acrobat/download.jsp#fullinstall

If you don't have access to the full version of Acrobat, you need to use software like Ghostscript (http://www.ghostscript.com). Just make sure that you understand the two licenses that Ghostscript is released under.

If you need a nice example on how to write PDF files, check out the Amyuni PDF converter. It's open license and you can get the source, too.
See http://www.amyuni.com/en/products/pdf_converter/

I need a free version but that amyuni.com website doesn't work.  anyone know where i can get that

"Open license" does _NOT_ mean "open source". Yes, they offer an "open license", but this means that you pay a certain amount upfront, get the source code and distribute the software without paying any further royalties.

This is _NOT_ free software.

.. and yes, their web site seems to be down.

The web site is back up again.

GNU ghostscript is free for redistribution for profit, subject to certain minor caveats, its a different license to the latest version. Its callable from VB. Its about a year older than the latest version but still works OK

The example is about 150 lines of VB - do you want it ?

xassets,
your statement is not necessarily true. You can distribute (and use) GNU Ghostscript as long as
- your application is licensed under the GPL, in this case you don't have any limitations about what you can do with it
- you only run the Ghostscript executable and don't link to it, or even base your own code on it. The GPL does not allow you to take the GNU Ghostcript code and e.g. create an ActiveX control out of it and use that in your application, or link it's DLLs into your application.

That's what I ment by " make sure that you understand the two licenses that Ghostscript is released under".

I'm interested in this. Text from the gnu license:

These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Program, and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works in themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those sections when you distribute them as separate works.

and

GNU Ghostscript may not be incorporated into commercial products which forbid copying or for which customers cannot obtain source code for no more than the cost of reproduction, although it may be distributed ("aggregated") with commercial products;


If you're just using ghostscript to convert or print reports in pdf, in say an accounting system, then I think "aggregated" would apply. I didn't see anything that requires the commercial product to be under GPL.

------------------------------------
Also I mailed artifex as follows:

> Hi There
> We are interested in redistributing gswin32.dll with a low cost report
> writer program we are developing:
>
>     * We do not require support
>     * We do not want upgrades
>     * We are happy to include the gswin32.dll source, although I doubt
>       if any of our customers would be interested in it
>     * We do not know how many people will buy the product, but we are
>       not keen on licensing gswin32.dll "per customer" because it
>       would be unmanageable
>     * Developers would want to use this product in place of xyzxyz
>       reports, and would need to be able to sell their product without
>       worrying about ghostscript licensing.
>     * This is a venture being taken on by developers without funding
>
> Our product would be under a commercial license, not gpl, and would
> not include our own source code.
> What would be a typical pricing arrangement for this kind of scenario ?

And the Artifex response:

It sounds to me like, based on your comments below, you don't really
need the Artifex commercial version of Ghostscript. If you don't:

require support
don't want upgrades
doubt that your customers would be interested
don't know how many people would buy?
...
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theres much more to say on this, but dont want to clog up EE - would like to hear your views though

Split between joghurt and khkremer