Publishing DITA Content to PDF

Publishing DITA content to PDF requires a DITA-optimized publishing tool or DITA-aware PDF generation software. Here’s a general overview of the process:

Author and Structure DITA Content:

Create and structure your content using DITA XML.

Choose a DITA-Optimized Publishing Tool:

Select a DITA publishing tool that supports PDF output. Some popular options include Oxygen XML Author, Adobe FrameMaker, and DITA-OT (Open Toolkit).

Install and Configure the Publishing Tool:

Install the chosen DITA publishing tool and configure it according to your specific requirements. This may involve setting up transformation scenarios and customizing the PDF output settings.

Generate PDF Output:

Use the publishing tool to transform your DITA content into PDF. This typically involves running a transformation process that converts your DITA XML files into a formatted PDF document.

Review and Customize Styling:

After generating the initial PDF, review the output to ensure it meets your styling and formatting expectations. You may need to customize the stylesheets or templates used for PDF generation to match your branding and layout preferences.

Handle Special Elements and Features:

DITA content may contain elements like tables, images, links, and special formatting. Ensure that these elements are properly handled in the PDF output. Customize styles and templates if necessary.

Add Front Matter and Back Matter (if required):

Depending on your documentation requirements, you may need to add elements like a title page, table of contents, index, glossary, and copyright information to the PDF.

Generate Final PDF:

Once you are satisfied with the styling and content, generate the final PDF document.

Review and Quality Assurance:

Carefully review the PDF to ensure that all content is accurate, correctly formatted, and meets your publication standards. Check for any issues such as orphaned text, page breaks, or missing elements.

PDF Output Distribution:

After generating the final PDF, you can distribute it to your audience.