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I don't know what the level of complexity of your XML source is, but in similar situations I have produced HTML from the XML using XSLTs, and for print I load the XML into Structured Framemaker and use that to produce the PDF. Framemaker produces very nice PDFs. I generally need to modify the XML somewhat for that, and also to develop a structured application in Framemaker, but these are one-time efforts and once you've done it it's very easy to regenerate your documents whenever there's an update. You could also use Framemaker, instead of an XSLT, to generate the HTML if you like.
I have also used Acrobat professional and Word to produce PDFs from HTML, as Dick Margulis mentioned, but as he said, these are middle of the road solutions that produce a PDF document that looks like a "there was no other alternative" solution. By contrast, the XML -> XSLT -> HTML solution and the XML -> Framemaker -> PDF solution produce professional looking documents.
Good luck!
Paul
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+paul -dot- inbar=intel -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+paul -dot- inbar=intel -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Renee Bornstein
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 12:43 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Converting HTML docs to PDFs
Hi all,
Just joined; hope I'm not repeating earlier discussions.
I've got an assignment to document an XML API. There are a few good
tools for converting the XML to HTML, where the schema shows up in nice
frames and tables, complete with helpful diagrams. But the boss says we
must produce PDFs as well. I've been researching HTML-->PDF conversion
tools and it seems there are two categories: free/cheap that don't do a
very good job, and $3K+ that do wa-ay more than I need. The first
category of tools produce PDFs that are either too small to read, or
only capture part of the page (I could just print the original HTML if I
wanted that), and don't have a clue about page breaks, etc. This
category includes tools like HTML2PDF Pilot and PDFonlin. The second
category of tools produce beautiful PDFs, including nested tables, table
header continuations, and even the capability to put a Print To PDF
button on my webpages. The best I saw was Corda HighWire. However, I
don't have a budget for $3,000. I don't really have a budget at all, but
might could talk my way into a program that's under $500. Anyone been
through this and found a good HTML-->PDF converter?
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WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content
delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Easily create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to any popular Help file format or printed documentation. Learn more at http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
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