CambridgeDocs Announces PDF XML Converter for Transforming PDF into XML; End User Tool Allows for Low-Cost Conversion of PDF Files to XML, to XHTML, XSL:FO and RTF.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 9, 2003

CambridgeDocs today announced the release of its PDF XML Converter, a stand-alone utility for those who want to extract and leverage content that is stored in Adobe PDF files.

This utility, part of the CambridgeDocs XML Content Backbone, showcases the power of XML as both an intermediate and destination format for documents. The PDF XML Converter is capable of performing diverse transformations from a source PDF file.

"More and more organizations see PDF as a strategic standard for the distribution and consumption of electronic documents. Many companies will only distribute printed information - reports, memos, documentation and invoices," said Rizwan Virk, CTO of CambridgeDocs. "However, it is difficult to get information from PDF files. The PDF XML Converter allows a low-cost way for individual users to extract content out of PDF files and to transform them into another format."

The XML conversion extracts richly formatted XML from a PDF document. The XHTML conversion creates an HTML version of a PDF document, including images, vector graphics and more. The XSL:FO conversion creates an XSL:FO (XSL: Formatting Objects) document from a PDF document.

"XML, XHTML, and XSL:FO are emerging open standards for the representation of text-oriented, or unstructured content. PDF is currently the most popular format used when distributing unstructured content," said Kedron Wolcott, co-founder and VP Engineering of CambridgeDocs. "This utility makes it possible to reuse the content in a PDF document by converting it into XML."

The PDF XML Converter can be used with CambridgeDocs' other XML-related product offerings for a complete desktop-to-enterprise document/content integration strategy. The PDF XML Converter is also able to transform a PDF file into RTF for editing in Microsoft Word.

Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) has become a de-facto standard for sharing printed materials electronically. One of its strengths is to position items at specific points on the page. Because of this, content published as PDF files have been difficult to edit and modify.

The PDF XML Converter is available for immediate download from the CambridgeDocs website (http://www.cambridgedocs.com). It retails for $495, but is being offered for a special introductory price of $199.

About CambridgeDocs

CambridgeDocs is a leader in the emerging market for XML-based content integration and publishing. This market deals with the integration of legacy content with new XML-based systems (e.g. Content Management, Enterprise Information Portals, EAI, and Web Services) and standards (e.g. DocBook, HRXML, RIXML, IRXML, FPML, DAS-XML, NewsML, any custom XML schema/DTD's).

Towards this end, CambridgeDocs provides a technology platform & services for taking existing unstructured and semi-structured internal and external content (e.g. MS Word, HTML, PDF, Quark), and transforming them into "meaningful XML". Once transformed, the content can be made available for delivery through XML-based Web Services, classified and indexed within Enterprise Information Portals, and aggregated, assembled and published in different formats including support for wireless and mobile devices.

The xDoc Converter is the first step in CambridgeDocs' strategy for providing Content Interoperability via a middleware platform, the CambridgeDocs XML Content Backbone. The CambridgeDocs XML Content Backbone allows for sharing, indexing, migrating, repurposing, republishing and delivery of content between numerous legacy formats and a variety of enterprise content systems.