java - Create a "print-only" PDF with itext

Question

This question is related to another one I've posted recently: Check printing with Java/JSP

We're looking for alternatives to how we currently print checks in a Java web application via an applet. It seems the consensus is to use PDF for printing and that itext offers the ability to do so with Java.

However, it's important in our particular case that the checks are "print-only" - the user should not have any ability in the application to save the check (I know a savvy user could do a PrintScreen but we want to cover our rears and make no native functionality in the app to save checks).

I haven't been successful in browsing the web to find out if it's possible to create a PDF with itext in this manner. I have seen posts on restricting permissions in a PDF but what I'm really looking for is a way to disable the ability to save a PDF locally using itext.

Does this functionality exist? If so, could you point me to documentation/code samples on it?

Answer 1

I'm presuming that you're serving this PDF and wishing to print it from within a web application / web site where no out of the ordinary client side plug-ins are installed.

If printing the PDF using conventional means (e.g. Adobe Reader), the PDF MUST be downloaded to the browser's cache to be opened and printed. There is no way around that.

Now you can probably prevent the average Joe from saving the PDF locally via the following technique, but any savvy user will be able to inspect your HTML's source and download the PDF directly.

1. Output your PDF in iText such that when the PDF is opened, a print action automatically occurs
2. Put an invisible IFRAME on your HTML page which loads this PDF, but is not visible in the browser to your user

When the user loads your HTML page, the PDF will be loaded in the IFRAME and sent to the users printer (presuming that Adobe Reader is installed in the browser). Yes, the PDF will end up in the browser cache, but the user would have to be savvy enough to both recognize this and then hunt it down in their browser's cache.

If this is not acceptable, you're going to have to look at converting the PDF to another file type (e.g. pages are rendered to images displayed in the browser or perhaps a Flash / Java object that sends each page in the document to the printer directly)