Embedding Fonts with Forms Service RenderPDFForm

Question

We have several custom fonts being used in PDFs we're rendering using the Forms Service RenderPDFForm API. Rather than require consumers of these PDFs to have those fonts installed, we'd like to embed them in the PDFs being generated. Is it possible to embed fonts using RenderPDFForm?
Tom

Answer 1

In the adobe/LiveCycle8.2/deploy folder there is a file called:
adobe-forms-ivs-jboss.ear
Deploy that file on your app server (note that the name may change to reflect your app server). Once it is deployed you can access the application (it is a testing program for Forms). The URL is:
http://machinename:port/FormsIVS
Once it is loaded click on the preferences in the top right corner. Scroll to the bottom and add the administrator/password for your installation. In the first field (called Options) changed the parameter PADebug=0 to PADebug=1. Don't forget to hit the save button at the bottom of the screen. This will return you to the Test Form Design screen. Choose a form from the right List (I chose PurchaseOrder_Dynamic Interactive.xdp). In the Output format dropdown, choose PDFForm. Now click on the Use EJB button. A call to form server will be generated and returned to the screen. Because we have PADebug set to true the whole process is being traced. I am running a JBoss server so the files are written to:
C:\Adobe\LiveCycle8.2\jboss\server\all\svcdata\FormServer\Debug
It will be a different location depending on the appserver type you are running. In that folder is a file called:
debug_xci_pdf.xml
Make a copy of this file and rename it to MyTest.xci. This is the control file we will pass into the call and also modify to embed fonts. Open this file with an XML editor. In the xci file look for the pdf node under the present tag. In that node there is a child node called fontInfo. There is an embed tag in there that is set to 0. Change it to a 1 and save the file. Now in the call to Forms you can pass in a URI to this file in the XCI URI parameter. You can change this in the FormsIVS application in the options string and try it for yourself before changing our app. So now each time you want to embed the fonts pass the XCI URI into the call otherwise use the default one that is embedded in the jar file.
Let me know that it worked for you.