IText
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder | Bruno Lowagie |
| Headquarters | Belgium |
| Products | PDF library for Java and .NET |
Number of employees | under 100 |
| Website | itextpdf |
iText is a software library designed for generating and modifying PDF documents using Java and .NET platforms. Originally developed in 2000 by Bruno Lowagie, it was first released as open source under the Mozilla Public License and the GNU Library General Public License. Starting with versions 5.0.0 (December 2009) and 4.2.0 (July 2015), iText has been distributed under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3. A derivative of the LGPL/MPL edition continues as the OpenPDF project on GitHub. Additionally, iText Software NV offers it under commercial licensing terms.
The library provides support for sophisticated PDF functionalities such as PKI digital signatures, encryption with 40-bit and 128-bit keys, colour correction, Tagged PDF, AcroForms, PDF/X compliance, colour management through ICC profiles, and barcode generation. It is integrated into various software including Eclipse BIRT, Jasper Reports, JBoss Seam, Windward Reports, and Pdftk.
History
Initially called rugPDF, iText was created in 1998 at Ghent University to facilitate PDF generation for student administration systems. Early releases demanded an in-depth understanding of PDF internals. Leonard Rosenthol from Adobe has acknowledged iText as a pivotal development in making PDFs more accessible.
In 1999, Bruno Lowagie redeveloped the codebase under the name iText with the goal of enabling Java developers to create PDFs without needing expertise in PDF syntax. The software was launched as Free and Open Source Software on February 14, 2000. Paulo Soares joined the project in 2000 and became a principal contributor.
By late 2008, iText introduced proprietary licensing options, leading to the formation of iText Software Corp. in early 2009 to oversee global license management.
The library was ported to the .NET Framework environment as iTextSharp in C#, with updates synchronized closely with the primary Java version.
ISO standards support
iText adheres to several critical PDF standards, including:
- ISO 32000-1 (PDF version 1.7)
- ISO 32000-2 (PDF-2.0)
- ISO 19005-1 through -4 (PDF/A standards versions 1 to 4)
- ISO 14289-1 and -2 (PDF/UA accessibility standards versions 1 and 2)
Extensions on ISO 32000-2
- ISO 32001
- ISO 32002
- ISO 32003
- ISO 32004
Licensing
Initially distributed under MPL/LGPL licenses, iText transitioned to the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 starting with version 5 in 2009. To circumvent the AGPL’s obligation to share source code, organizations may obtain commercial licenses or utilize earlier MPL/LGPL editions. Prior to releasing iText 5, iText Group NV resolved intellectual property concerns identified during due diligence processes.
Forks
- The OpenPDF project represents an actively maintained open-source fork licensed under LGPL and MPL terms.
Commendations and Awards
iText has received multiple accolades within the industry:
- In 2007, SOA World Magazine included it among "Ten open-source solutions enterprises should use," with endorsement from James Gosling for his Huckster project.
- Featured at Devoxx, a prominent Java developer conference, in 2011.
- Achieved the 10th position in Deloitte’s Benelux Technology Fast 50 ranking in 2013 and was third within Belgium.
- Awarded the BelCham Entrepreneurship Award for "Most Promising Company" in 2014; Deloitte also recognized it as Belgium’s fastest growing technology firm.
- Secured #28 place in Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 EMEA list in 2014.
- Presented at major industry gatherings such as PDF Days (Cologne, Washington DC, New York), Java One (San Francisco), and Devoxx (Antwerp).
- Honored with the International Business Awards’ "Most Innovative Tech Company of the Year - under 100 employees" award in 2017.
- Received "The ELITE Award for Growth Strategy of the Year" during 2017/18.
- Earned a Silver Stevie Award for "Most Innovative Tech Company of the Year - under 100 employees" as well as National Winner status for "Growth Strategy of the Year" at the European Business Awards in 2019.
See also
Further reading
- Stephen Kitt’s review of the first edition on JavaLobby
- Michael Niedermai’s evaluation of the second edition in Freies Magazin
- Jeff Friesen’s article "Tools of the Trade, Part 1: Creating PDF documents with iText" on Adobe Press