A single reprint job — plates, paper, ink, press time — easily runs into thousands. PDFJOB Pro Server costs US$ 1,200 per year. The math is simple.
Why it works
Every comparison generates a timestamped PDF audit record. If the print shop blames your file, you have documented proof that it left your hands validated and correct.
One plate reprint can cost more than a full year of PDFJOB Pro. Prevention is always cheaper than correction — and PDFJOB runs automatically, even while your team sleeps.
A single self-contained binary. No Poppler, no Python, no Node, no Docker. Drop it on any Linux, Mac, or Windows server and it runs. Integration into an existing pipeline takes minutes, not days.
Humans get tired. Hotfolders don't. PDFJOB monitors your intake folder 24/7 and makes a binary decision on every incoming file — release to CTP or quarantine — with no operator involved.
No cloud uploads. No telemetry. No SaaS account required. PDFJOB runs entirely on your infrastructure, satisfying even the strictest confidentiality clauses of publishing contracts.
Differences invisible to the human eye — a 1-pixel font shift, a mismatched colour profile, a wrong bleed margin — are caught before the plate is burned, not after.
Your sign-off workflow generates files like
Cover_Final_V3_USE_THIS.pdf.
PDFJOB compares any two versions in seconds and tells you exactly what changed —
before the file reaches the print shop's server.
"If the print shop flags a problem, the publisher has documented proof they delivered a correct file. The fault was in the shop's RIP — not in the sign-off."
What you gain
Legal protection on every delivery
The PDF report is your paper trail. Date, time, pages compared, diff percentage — all documented.
60-second sign-off instead of manual review
Run a comparison, get the report, attach it to the email. Done in the time it takes to open Acrobat.
Avoid reprint penalties
Contracts routinely hold publishers liable for reprints caused by incorrect files. One prevented incident covers years of PDFJOB.
Start free today
Download Community Edition →What you gain
A firewall before the plate-setter
Every incoming PDF is checked before it can reach CTP. Corrupt files, missing pages, wrong versions — all caught automatically.
24/7 unattended operation
PDFJOB monitors the hotfolder continuously. Exit code 0 → approved. Exit code 1 → quarantined and operator notified. No human in the loop.
Native RIP integration via exit codes
Works with Esko, Kodak Prinergy, and any RIP that reads shell exit codes. PDFJOB slots into your existing pipeline in minutes.
One server license covers all your hotfolders
Request Pro Server license →A corrupt file, a missing page, an outdated version — all only discovered after the plate is burned. PDFJOB intercepts every incoming PDF before it reaches production, with zero operator involvement in the normal flow.
pdfjob -original "$APPROVED" -modified "$INCOMING" \
-dpi 300 -license /etc/pdfjob/pdfjob.lic
[ $? -ne 0 ] && mv "$INCOMING" /quarantine/ || mv "$INCOMING" /approved/
The numbers
1
prevented reprint per year
covers the entire license cost
24/7
unattended hotfolder monitoring
with no operator involvement
< 60s
from file arrival to
approved or quarantined decision
Community Edition is free with no limits on features — just on pages and DPI. Pro Server unlocks everything for US$ 1,200/year.