by , 10:00 AM EDT, May 3rd, 2001
Lantana has announced that their two Acrobat plug-ins, Stratify PDF and Variform PDF, are now shipping. Stratify PDF allows Acrobat users to work in layers, much like Adobe Photoshop or Macromedia Fireworks. Variform PDF allows users to incorporate external data sources into their PDF files. According to Lantana;
Today, Lantana announced that it has begun shipments of two new products, Stratify PDF and Variform PDF. Both products were announced at the Seybold 2001 trade show in Boston in early-April.
Stratify PDF adds another dimension to PDF pages, i.e., layers. Stratify PDF supports creation, naming, hiding, locking, and merging of layers, as well as z-ordering and layer reassignment of objects. It can even transform multiple pages into layers of a single page. Stratify PDF is great for publishers and designers to create and maintain different versions of their work. Some typical applications might be creating a display ad with the products on a common layer and the prices for each locale on different layers, or creating a brochure with the artwork on one layer and English, French, German, and Spanish commentary on different layers. Other examples might include using layers for ad insertion instructions for different newspapers and magazines, or for catalogue pages for carrying alternate product offerings for different demographic criteria.
Variform PDF significantly extends the usability of Acrobat forms by allowing merging with variable data delimited text files from local data sources, such as spreadsheets, PC databases, custom database queries, etc. No more out-of reach, underfunded, and organizationally-difficult forms projects! Variform PDF allows you to print the merged files or save them to file (PostScript or PDF via Acrobat Distiller). Additionally, it supports hot folders and, when merging field data, the selection of any system font, including bar code fonts. Variform PDF is great for PDF-based mail merge, form filling, and other variable data applications.
Stratify PDF is available for US$249, while Variform PDF is available for US$199. You can find more information at the Lantana Web site.