Humble Beginnings

Datalogics was born before PDFs even existed.

Founded in 1967 as a software consulting firm in the age of reel tapes and punch cards, we are the Gen X of PDF software. Our first product, DL Pager, focused on the exciting world of typesetting – the precursor to graphic design systems.

Instruction manuals for DL Pager...probably made with DL Pager!

Raised with minimal adult supervision and MTV, think of Datalogics as the latchkey kids of the PDF software industry. We saw technology change at a geometric rate – and went right along with it!

Before

After

Independent, flexible and self-reliant describes our software. Expert DIYers, we are resourceful and know how to get things done.

Many of us faced this nightmare in the 80s.

Acquisition Roller Coaster

Along the way, Datalogics was acquired by Frame Technology Corporation, the maker of FrameMaker, with the goal of integrating their two products. But then Frame Technology was acquired by Adobe for integrating into their product suite, which worked quite well. But Adobe’s feelings towards the third-wheel Datalogics side of the business? Not what they were looking for.

However, Datalogics was working with clients such as Boeing, Ford Motor Company, the IRS and the U.S. Army. Not only were these huge accounts, but these organizations bought Adobe products too. Datalogics continued to serve these customers, and it had nothing to do with one of those clients having access to missiles.

A few years later, Adobe spun off Datalogics as an independent company under the Adobe ventures umbrella. The new Datalogics created DL Formatter, which offered a user interface to the typesetting logic of the original DL Composer product. It supported Variable Data Printing designed for customizing documents for high-speed digital presses. It won the Hot Picks Award at the Seybold Expo in 1998.

And Then...It Happened.

Adobe had developed a set of C language tools to support their development work on their desktop products called Adobe PDF Library. It is the super-secret source code upon which the Adobe PDF Products are based.

The Adobe PDF Library was gaining interest within the Acrobat SDK developer community, and then two customers asked for customizations - IBM and JD Edwards.

Adobe contacted Datalogics for the project (probably by fax). Datalogics created an OS/390 port for IBM mainframes while JD Edwards needed an AS/400 version as well for its ERP system. Datalogics rose to the challenge - and there was no looking back.

Adobe PDF Library Today

Datalogics now supports .NET, .NET Framework and Java in addition to the original C language, and we’ve incorporated command-line tools, other SDKs and InDesign Server in our product suite. Our secret sauce is our knack for combining cutting-edge technologies with more expertise than we would like to admit we have.

Datalogics continues to be a proud channel partner for Adobe, helping our global OEM and SaaS customers manage their PDF workflows. We've added more SDKs, PDF Library-based command-line tools and the Adobe InDesign Server offering into our product suite. Our technology ensures that PDFs perform the way they are supposed to, regardless of the programming language or market you're jumping into.

Look, we know that PDF software is often overlooked and forgotten by developers – it’s not the sexiest technology out there.

But our team knows PDF technology inside and out because we helped define it.

Ready to experience the power of Datalogics firsthand? Sign up for a free trial of our Adobe PDF Library SDK today and unleash your PDF superpowers. Don't wait, because life's too short for mediocre PDF technology.

And you probably have to mow your lawn.

Outrageously Unsexy Software