ILX PDF is the assembly bench for your calculation package. Combine and order source documents, build bookmarks and a table of contents automatically, number every page, stamp and watermark the set, place your seal, and export an archival PDF — so the submittal looks as rigorous as the engineering behind it.
A finished design is only as good as the package that documents it. Yet assembling a submittal — merging calc sheets, reference excerpts, sketches, and analysis output into one coherent, navigable, consistently numbered document — is slow, error-prone manual work. ILX PDF turns that last mile into a repeatable operation built specifically for engineering deliverables.
Calculation output from ILX Structures, ILX Connection, and ILX Concrete flows straight into a package, but ILX PDF works just as well with any source document. Define the order once, and bookmarks, the table of contents, page numbering, and project stamps regenerate automatically every time the package is rebuilt — so a late revision to one calc does not mean re-numbering the whole set by hand.
Merge multiple PDFs and page ranges into one package, then drag to reorder, insert, split, or remove pages.
Auto-generate a nested bookmark tree and a printed table of contents from your section structure.
Continuous page numbering and sequential Bates-style stamps applied across the whole set in one pass.
Project, client, date, and revision stamps placed consistently on every page from a reusable template.
Draft, preliminary, or confidential watermarks applied or removed across the package at any time.
Text notes, callouts, highlights, shapes, and measurements for review and back-check cycles.
Position a professional engineer seal and signature block; lock the final set against further change.
Export to the PDF/A archival standard for durable records and clean submittals.
Save package templates and apply numbering, stamps, and structure to many sets at once.
| Area | Basis | What it provides |
|---|---|---|
| Document format | Portable Document Format (ISO 32000) | Page model, bookmarks, annotations, and metadata handled to the published specification |
| Archiving | PDF/A (ISO 19005) | Self-contained, long-term-stable output for records and submittals |
| Sealing practice | Jurisdictional professional engineering seal requirements | Placement of seal, signature, and date consistent with the engineer of record's obligations |
| Suite integration | ILX Structures · Connections · Concrete | Direct import of calculation output into an assembled package |
Format and archival standards are referenced by their issuing organizations for interoperability. Seal and signature requirements vary by jurisdiction and remain the responsibility of the licensed engineer; ILX PDF provides placement and document-integrity tools, not legal or licensing advice.
1. Gather. Pull in calc output from the ILX Suite and any other source PDFs.
2. Organize. Order pages into sections; bookmarks and the table of contents build themselves.
3. Brand. Apply numbering, stamps, headers, and watermarks from a reusable template.
4. Review. Mark up, redline, and back-check; revise source calcs and rebuild without re-numbering by hand.
5. Seal & archive. Place the seal, lock the set, and export an archival PDF/A submittal.
It assembles engineering calculation packages — combining and ordering documents, building bookmarks and a table of contents, numbering and stamping pages, placing seals, and exporting an archival submittal.
Yes. It imports calculation output directly from ILX Structures, Connections, and Concrete, and also assembles any other source PDFs you bring in.
That is the point. Bookmarks, the table of contents, and page numbering are generated from the package structure, so they regenerate automatically when you swap in a revised calc — no manual renumbering.
You can position a professional seal and signature block and lock the completed package to protect submittal integrity. Seal and licensing requirements vary by jurisdiction and remain the engineer's responsibility.
Standard PDF for working sets and archival PDF/A (ISO 19005) for records and submittals.
ILX PDF is a professional Windows PDF application for viewing, editing, organizing, signing, certifying, and archiving PDF documents. Designed for engineering firms, legal offices, and technical professionals — with a clean UI and no subscription fees.
ILX PDF’s signing engine (powered by pyHanko, MIT license) supports more scenarios than most commercial competitors: approval and certifying signatures, all four PAdES baseline profiles (B-B, B-T, B-LT, B-LTA), RFC 3161 timestamps, LTV (Long-Term Validation) with embedded OCSP/CRL data, and PKCS#11 HSM / USB token / smartcard signing.
ILX PDF main window with a structural calculation report open, showing the PDF viewer, sidebar with page thumbnails, and the Signatures panel with a validated certifying signature.
img/pdf_main_interface.png — screenshot coming soon
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 (64-bit) | Windows 11 |
| CPU | 2-core | 4-core |
| RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage | 500 MB free | 2 GB |
| Display | 1920 × 1080 | 2560 × 1440 |
OCR requires an additional 200 MB for Tesseract language data files (downloaded on first OCR use).
ILX-PDF-Setup.exe from the ILX Studio website..pdf file association is optional (prompted during installation).Your seat is managed through the unified license.ilxstudio.com portal. Sign in on one machine at a time. Sign out via File → Account → Sign Out to release your seat. Updates are Ed25519-signed and verified before applying.
Ctrl+O or drag a PDF file onto the application window. Multiple PDFs can be open simultaneously as document tabs. Password-protected PDFs: you are prompted for the password (not stored). Recent files appear on the Start page.
| Action | Control |
|---|---|
| Next / previous page | Page Down / Page Up |
| Go to page | Ctrl+G → type page number |
| Zoom in / out | Ctrl++ / Ctrl+- or scroll |
| Fit to width | Ctrl+W |
| Full screen | F11 |
| Find text | Ctrl+F |
| Panel | Contents |
|---|---|
| Pages (Ctrl+1) | Page thumbnails — drag to reorder, right-click to delete or extract |
| Bookmarks (Ctrl+2) | Document outline / table of contents (clickable) |
| Signatures (Ctrl+3) | List of all signatures with validation status |
ILX PDF supports non-destructive editing — changes are added as an incremental update layer, preserving the original content.
| Tool | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sticky note | N | Pop-up comment anchored to a point |
| Highlight | H | Yellow (or custom color) text highlight |
| Underline | U | Underline text |
| Strikethrough | S | Strike through text |
| Freehand draw | D | Free-form ink annotation |
| Rectangle | R | Rectangle annotation (filled or outline) |
| Arrow | A | Arrow with optional label |
| Text box | T | Free-floating text box |
| Stamp | — | Apply APPROVED, VOID, FOR REVIEW, etc. |
The annotation toolbar active over a structural calculation report, with a yellow highlight over a key equation, a sticky note open with a reviewer comment, and a red rectangle flagging a section for revision.
img/pdf_annotation_tools.png — screenshot coming soon
File → New PDF — set page size (Letter, Legal, A4, A3, or custom), orientation, color profile (RGB or CMYK), and initial page count.
File → New PDF from Images — select one or more image files (PNG, JPEG, TIFF, BMP). Each image becomes one page. A dialog lets you set the page size per image.
Install the ILX PDF Printer (included in the installer) as a system printer. Print from any application → select “ILX PDF Printer” → choose a save location. The resulting PDF is fully text-searchable.
| Type | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Approval signature | You approve the document as-is | One of many reviewers signing off |
| Certifying signature | Author certifies; sets permission level | First signature; PE certification |
Configure an RFC 3161 TSA (timestamp authority) in Settings → Signing → Timestamp Server to prove the document was signed at a specific time. Sign → Add LTV embeds OCSP responses and CRL data for all certificates in the chain — signatures remain verifiable even after certificates expire.
The Signatures panel showing a certified signature with “Valid – ETSI EN 319 102-1 B-LTA” status, the signer’s name, timestamp, and a green validation chain icon.
img/pdf_signature_panel.png — screenshot coming soon
Best results require 300 DPI or higher scan resolution and high-contrast (dark text on white). ILX PDF automatically deskews pages before OCR processing. Switch to the full LSTM model in Settings → OCR → Engine → LSTM for unusual text.
File → Merge PDFs — add files, reorder by dragging, choose which pages from each file to include, then click Merge. A new combined PDF opens (save with Ctrl+S).
File → Split PDF — by page range, by bookmarks (each top-level bookmark becomes a separate file), or every N pages.
Drag page thumbnails in the Pages sidebar to reorder. Right-click one or more thumbnails → Extract Selected Pages to save a new PDF with only those pages.
The Merge PDFs dialog with four structural calculation PDFs listed (with page counts), a drag-handle interface for reordering, and a page-range selector open on one of the files.
img/pdf_merge_dialog.png — screenshot coming soon
Redaction permanently removes content from a PDF — it cannot be undone after saving. Always work on a copy.
Tools → Redact → Redact by Search — enter a search term (e.g. a name or account number) and ILX PDF marks all occurrences automatically. Review marks before applying.
ILX PDF can fill, create, and export PDF forms (AcroForms — the standard PDF form type). Click any field to fill it: text fields, checkboxes/radio buttons, dropdown lists, and signature fields. Tab moves between fields in tab order.
Tools → Forms → Flatten converts all form field values into static page content — fields can no longer be edited. Tools → Forms → Export Data → CSV exports all field names and values to a CSV file.
File → Export → Pages as Images — format: PNG, JPEG, TIFF; resolution: 72, 150, 300, 600 DPI; color: RGB, Grayscale, or B&W; page range: all or selection.
File → Export → PDF/A — converts to PDF/A-1b or PDF/A-2b (ISO 19005 archival format). All fonts are embedded and color spaces are normalized. Required for some regulatory and court filings.
File → Export → Plain Text — extracts all text content from the PDF. Formatting is not preserved.
| Setting | Location | Options / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Theme | Settings → Display → Theme | Dark (default) / Light / High-Contrast |
| Default page view | Settings → View | Default zoom and layout on first open |
| Default certificate source | Settings → Signing | Windows Store / PKCS#12 / Hardware token |
| Timestamp server (TSA) | Settings → Signing | Public or enterprise TSA URL |
| Signature appearance | Settings → Signing | Handwritten name, logo, date format |
| Temp files | — | %LOCALAPPDATA%\ILX Studio\PDF\Temp\ |
The Settings → Signing panel showing the certificate source dropdown, the TSA URL field, a sample signature appearance preview with a company logo, and the PAdES profile selector.
img/pdf_signing_settings.png — screenshot coming soon
Enable View → High-Quality Rendering → Lazy Mode for large PDFs. If pages show black, go to Settings → Display → Renderer → Software to fall back to CPU rendering.
Import the signer’s root certificate into Windows Settings → Manage Computer Certificates → Trusted Root Certification Authorities.
Re-scan at 300 DPI or higher. Switch to the LSTM model: Settings → OCR → Engine → LSTM.
PDF merging preserves all embedded fonts. If source files embed the same font multiple times, run File → Optimize PDF after merging to deduplicate embedded resources.
| Convention | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bold text | Button, ribbon tab, menu item, panel name, or UI label |
Monospace | Command, file extension, keyboard shortcut, path, or literal value |
| ✓ / ✗ / ⚠ | Pass, fail, and warning status indicators |
Keep working copies separate from final signed/certified PDFs. Use version-controlled project folders. Never work directly from email attachments or temporary download folders.
PDF editing, redaction, certification, and signing can have legal or contractual consequences. Understand your organization’s document control procedures before certifying, redacting, or issuing documents. Always save an unsigned working copy before applying final signatures or irreversible redactions.
Dark, Light, and High-Contrast themes. Increase UI text scale in Settings → Display.
Logs at %LOCALAPPDATA%\ILX Studio\PDF\Logs\. Contact support@ilxstudio.com with product version, Windows version, document file (if permitted), and steps to reproduce.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| PAdES | PDF Advanced Electronic Signatures — ETSI EN 319 102-1 signature profiles (B-B, B-T, B-LT, B-LTA). |
| LTV | Long-Term Validation — embedding OCSP responses and CRL data so signatures remain verifiable after certificate expiry. |
| TSA | Time Stamp Authority — an RFC 3161 trusted third party that time-stamps signatures. |
| PDF/A | ISO 19005 archival PDF format with embedded fonts and normalized color spaces. |
| OCR | Optical Character Recognition — converting raster-image text to searchable text. |
| Version | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2026 | Initial manual draft. |
| 1.1 | 2026 | Expanded professional-use guidance, QA, accessibility, and glossary content. |
Request a demo and we will build a sealed, bookmarked, numbered calc package from start to finish.
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