60-second quickstart

Install the package, draw on a page, save the bytes.

dotnet add package JetsonPDF.Writer

using JetsonPDF;

var doc = new PdfDocument { Title = "Hello" };
var page = doc.AddPage(PageSize.Letter);

page.DrawText("Hello, PDF!",
    new PdfFont(FontFamily.Helvetica, 24),
    x: 72, y: 700);

doc.Save("hello.pdf");

That's a complete, valid PDF 2.0 file — no native dependencies, no layout engine to wire up, just C# you can drop into any .NET 8 project.

Why JetsonPDF

Built from spec

Implemented directly against ISO 32000-2:2020 — COS objects, xref streams, content-stream operators, the lot. No third-party PDF engine sits in between you and the bytes.

No magic dependencies

Targets .NET 8. Two NuGet dependencies total: code-pages (WinAnsi) and the BCL's PKCS#7 stack. Everything else — fonts, filters, images, encryption — is in-tree.

Reader + Writer + WPF

Read any PDF into a typed object model, write a fresh one from your own model, or round-trip through XAML using the JetsonPDF.Wpf adapter. Symmetric APIs, shared types.

Production conformance

Declare PDF/A-1b, 2, 3 or PDF/UA-1, 2 and have the validator check it. Add invisible PKCS#7 signatures, DocTimeStamps, and a DSS/VRI catalog for PAdES B-LTA.

Capabilities at a glance

Writer

Standard 14 + embedded TrueType + Type 3 fonts
Vector paths, images, Form XObjects, transparency
Axial / radial / function / mesh shadings
Tiling patterns (coloured + uncoloured)
Object & xref streams, linearization, incremental updates

Annotations & forms

Every §12.5.6 subtype: link, markup, FreeText, geometric, file attachment, redact, sound, popup, caret, stamp
AcroForm widgets: text, check, radio, combo, list, button, signature, barcode
/AA field actions and /CO calculation order

Reader

PdfReader.Load → full ReadPdfDocument tree
Outlines, page labels, named dests, viewer prefs, OCGs, structure tree
Filters: Flate, DCT, LZW, ASCII85/Hex, CCITT G3 1D + 2D, JBIG2 (arithmetic + Huffman), JPX

Security

AES-128 + AES-256, full permission bits
PKCS#7 detached signatures (visible & invisible)
DocTimeStamp, FieldMDP, DocMDP
DSS / VRI catalog for PAdES B-LTA

Conformance

PDF 2.0 header, object streams, xref streams
Tagged PDF: nested structure, role + class maps, /Lang, /Alt, /ActualText
PDF/A-1b/2/3 + PDF/UA-1/2 declaration and validator

WPF integration

PdfToXamlConverter — render any PDF as a XAML tree
XamlToPdfConverter — live WPF layout, then emit PDF
<jetsonpdf:Document> + multi-page authoring with {jetsonpdf:PageNumber}
jetsonpdf:Form.* attached props for AcroForm widgets

Full feature list → Examples →

Where it shines

Document compliance. If you ship invoices, contracts, or regulated reports, JetsonPDF is built to make PDF/A and PDF/UA declarations verifiable. doc.Validate() returns a list of PdfConformanceIssue entries; flip ThrowOnConformanceError to fail your build pipeline before a non-conformant file ever ships.

Long-term archival signatures. Sign a document, add a timestamp from any RFC 3161 TSA, then write a DSS/VRI catalog with the certs, CRLs, and OCSP responses inline — PAdES B-LTA in roughly thirty lines of C#.

WPF-native authoring. Compose your document with the WPF layout engine you already know. Grid, StackPanel, DockPanel, Border, data-bound TextBlocks and a PaginatedTable that overflows across pages all "just work."