Why Build a Custom PDF Editor Versus Off-The-Shelf Solutions?

Summary: choosing between off-the-shelf and custom features for your application is an important decision. Choosing a PDF SDK is a great way to quickly build custom PDF editing capability for maximum benefits.

Adding document handling functionality to your application is essential for providing a complete experience. Without it, users will need to use a third-party document viewing and editing tools alongside your solution, and may struggle to find the full value of your solution as they juggle a complex workflow. With a PDF editor built in, users can quickly manage the documents that power their processes without leaving your platform.

For example, Salesforce is a popular and powerful Saas product for managing customer service, sales, and ecommerce efforts. All these pursuits are powered by documents; from proposals and contracts to marketing assets and invoices. That’s why Apryse developed the WebViewer Integration for Salesforce, providing additional functionality allowing users to edit files with annotations, redactions, signatures and more without taking them out of Salesforce. 

Like the WebViewer Integration for Salesforce, building a custom PDF editor for your application enables your users to create a customized workflow tailored to your business needs.

By building a custom PDF editor, you retain control over the look, feel and capabilities of the editor. A custom editor also helps maintain security and privacy compliance by keeping your data where you control it.

PDF editors have applications in a variety of industries:

Business

Education

Healthcare

Architecture, Engineering and Construction

A robust PDF SDK can simplify custom PDF editor development by providing proven, tested functionality in an easy-to-integrate package. By combining document editing with your application’s other functions, users can avoid ad-hoc processes such as sharing documents via email, which can lead to version control issues, lost documents, and other costly errors.

When developers are tasked with adding PDF editing functionality to an application, they need a solution that maximizes features while minimizing time to market. By choosing the right PDF SDK, developers can achieve the following benefits:

Flexibility: Tailor features to business needs.

Scalability: Adapt for enterprise or high-user-volume scenarios.

Cost-Effectiveness: Save development time and effort with pre-built SDK functionalities.

Compliance and Security: Ensure adherence to standards like PDF/A or e-signature regulations.

Of course, there are off-the-shelf solutions for PDF editing. Because these systems can be plug-and-play with very fast implementation, there are a few things to consider when deciding between custom and off-the-shelf solutions.

While off-the-shelf software is cost-effective, it can have limited scalability and customization. For example, Apryse PDF SDKs allow developers to customize the tools, icons, and permissions available to users, to ensure efficient workflows and compliance. A custom editor is designed for the needs of the software, such as annotation tools for a revision process or DOCX editing capabilities if those are needed. In comparison, an off-the-shelf solution is as-is. To get changes, you need to petition the vendor to release an update, or change to a different solution. On the other hand, a custom PDF editor can adapt to your application’s specific needs.

In addition to functionality, many Saas-based options require payment for license seats, which means increasing costs as you scale, or paying for and managing unused seats.

While implementation and integration costs may be higher than off-the-shelf solutions, these investments pay dividends when your custom PDF editing capabilities fit the needs of users, resulting in a better quality product that can improve productivity and reduce errors for the end user.

To choose the right PDF editing capability for your application, consider a mix of scalability, feature control, and investment. While an off-the-shelf solution may get up and running quickly, limited tailoring ability and flexibility may lead to knock-on effects down the road. On the other hand, a PDF SDK for building a custom PDF editor in your application can provide a competitive advantage by giving you all the tools you need to create exactly the solution that’s needed.

If you’re ready to learn more, check out our free trial or contact sales.

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