• arrow What are the size limits and PDF format restrictions on PDF files I can upload?
  • For free access PDFs the limit is 8Mb and 200 pages. For Public subscription services the limit is 32Mb and 200 or 500 pages (depending on the service level chosen). For Corporate and Enterprise subscribers there are much less restrictive or no limits imposed but we recommend files are no larger than 50Mbytes and no longer than 1000 pages. As the files are viewed online it is important to include a Contents list (also known as a bookmark tree or outline) for fast navigation (requires Complete display option). PDF files uploaded should not be set with Adobe-style protection and should not include embedded media such as 3D models or audio or video clips. To provide video and audio support use links to separately hosted mp4 and mp3 files. Special arrangements for media embedding can be provided if essential.
  • arrow What do the options SVG/Text and Image/Text mean on the automated service?
  • The SVG/Text option converts the file to a scalable format with text that can be searched rapidly with fast zooming and either scalable vector graphics (svg) and/or image format elements, depending on the source material. The Image/Text option is similar but converts pages to images and overlays the text, which is scalable and searchable. In general svg scales (zooms) better so is the recommended option for most PDFs.
  • arrow What do the options Version1 and Version2 mean on the automated service?
  • The Version1 converter is our original PDF to HTML5 conversion software and associated template files for accessing the resulting content. Version 2 is a newer conversion proces that is faster and more robust in terms of handling problematic/messy PDF files on a cross-browser basis. Version 2 uses its of set of template files for accessing the resulting document. We recommend using Version 2 unless you have an historic reason for wishing to use Version 1. For our Managed Services we will typically use the latest Version 2 software
  • arrow Can other file formats, for example Word, Excel or PowerPoint, be uploaded and made secure?
  • Yes - to upload Word, Excel or PowerPoint files they are typically first converted to PDF using the Export to PDF facility in the MS Office suite - this produces the best/highest quality results. The converted files can then be uploaded as PDFs and displayed in HTML5. However, on our Managed service website, WEBDOXX.COM, files can be converted by our team on your behalf, and for PowerPoint files conversion direct to HTML5 can be provided, with full support for animations, transitions and audio - for a simple but fully interactive PowerPoint sample using encrypted HTML5 please click here. Contact us for more details.
  • arrow Can PDF files and Powerpoint, be uploaded and made secure with dynamic rather than static conversion?
  • Yes - for PDF files a special arrangement can be provided with dedicated FTP file upload, access control and controlled display of the source PDF within an HTML5-compliant browser. For Powerpoint files (PPT and PPTX) static pre-conversion is required currently. Contact us for more details.
  • arrow Can I embed the converted files on my own website with my own access control and branding?
  • Yes - any of the converted pages can be hosted on your own site using iframe embedding. An example can be seen here. This example is provided using the iframe link with source specified as:

    src="https://www.pdf2html5.com/pdfupload/server/php/uploads/sample_prihmvjvex/world/clean.php"
    For advice on options with such embedding please see the HTML and HTML5 specifications for iframes and/or contact us
  • arrow Can I add my own branding to the online viewer and/or access pages?
  • Branded versions of the access page(s) and/or viewer can be provided by arrangement - please Contact us for more details and a quotation
  • arrow Can I download the converted PDF for use on my own servers or individual PCs or Mac computers?
  • No, for general use, but Yes, if you are a Corporate or Enterprise subscriber with our "Pro" services. On our automated service a download link will be included in your FILES listing. The download is a zip file containing all the elements in the basic conversion from PDF to HTML5, which can then be uploaded together with a bespoke access page to our WEBDOXX.COM managed service with tailoring of the access page and user management service, as required
  • arrow Can linked videos and audio be protected?
  • Yes, media assets such as mp4 audio-visuals, can be hosted in a special folder and linked from the converted PDF - the videos can only be accessed via the link(s) on the converted secured file on the server and not via direct URL links. For an example of this facility please click here and login with username: guest, password: guest. Alternatively publishers can use a protected video streaming service, such as Vimeo, to provide their media assets via a streaming environment and proprietary media viewer
  • arrow What do the options Public and Private mean?
  • The Public option means that the access page is accessible by anyone to whom the link is provided without the need to login to the service. Private means that the user will need to login to the service access page for that document, so need to be registered with a username and password (or use a shared username/password). Emails sent to registered publishers provide link text like COMPLETE for Public access or COMPLETEPLUS for private access. By clicking on the link provided the full URL of the target document can be displayed and copied if required. Access to such documents is typically further controlled by limiting to users who are members of a specific User Group. See the User Management page for more details
  • arrow What watermarking options are provided?
  • PDF files can have a static watermark added to selected pages or all pages before uploading to the service. A "tiled" watermark on every page adds a significant level of additional security to the source file. Dynamic watermarks are displayed on the web page, as an overlay, as standard for all Private pages. The content of the default dynamic watermark includes currently logged in user's registered name, the current date and time, and the IPaddress used to access the page. The size, font, color, opacity, content and orientation of dynamic watermarks can be amended from the standard version for bespoke display templates. For example, dynamic watermarks could include the user's company name, orientated at 45%, a large pale grey font.
  • arrow How long should file uploads and conversions take on the automated service?
  • Uploads: the time taken for a file upload is a function of the PDF filesize and the speed of your internet connection. As an example, a 1Mbyte PDF (which equates to 8Mbits) would take 8 seconds to upload if the internet connection was delivering an upload rate of 1Mbps (one megabit per second). Most internet connections are much slower at uploads than downloads, so a connection that states it provides 5Mbps is actually quoting the download speed, not the upload speed - uploading is often only 10%-20% of download speed. So a 10Mbyte PDF (80Mbits) with a 100kbps upload speed would take around 800 seconds to upload (i.e. over 10 minutes) - modern internet connections speeds are often much faster than this, so can complete such uploads in a few seconds. Conversions: with the current Cloud server configuration conversion rates are around 3-5 pages per second plus an overhead of about 5 seconds, so a 100 page PDF will take less that one minute to convert, depending on it precise contents (e.g. number and type of images/graphics). Special arrangements are available for bulk (batch) conversions of files.
  • arrow Is there a limit on the number of PDF files I can upload? And can I bulk convert files if I have lots?
  • 5 to 100 files for the Public access service (depending on the service level) increasing to unlimited for Enterprise subscription customers. Each subscription service level has an overall restriction on the amount of disk storage used. Details of storage usage are provided via the FILES menu for logged-in users. We can also arrange for your initial service subscription to allow larger number of file uploads in the first month or more so a larger number of files can be uploaded and converted, and then revert to the agreed monthly subscription setting. If you have 100s of files we can bulk convert them for you, in which case we would normally host your service on our managed service website, www.webdoxx.com
  • arrow What filenames are accepted for uploading?
  • Files must be in standard PDF format and should not include Adobe-style protection. Ideally filenames should be as simple and concise as possible, avoiding the use of special characters such as symbols or accented characters or national variants, and using latin alphabet if possible. Filenames with blanks will be amended to include hyphen characters.
  • arrow What security features are provided as standard?
  • There are several elements to the security framework: (i) conversion of the source PDF to HTML5 with page separation, text separation and image or scalable vector graphic (SVG) page element rendering; (ii) encryption of the HTML5 access page using industry-standard javascript-based methods; (iii) provision of session-based secure access to each document using a server-based user management framework with a range of concurrency controls; (iv) overlaid user-specific watermarking; (v) usage tracking by user and document; (vi) https based hosting; (vii) optional iframe-based embedding; (viii) optional pre-watermarking of source PDFs; (ix) controls over direct access to resources; (x) non-retention of uploaded PDF files; (xi) optional IPaddress-based access controls
  • arrow What are the pros and cons of Web-based/Online PDF security?
  • PROs: Very simple automated file conversion and hosting, with no special software or training required; highly scalable (100s or 1000s of users present no extra problems or work); simple and effective user access control; ongoing monitoring of user activity; updating files for end users is very simple and immediate; straightforward branding and tailoring; fully cross-platform, even for less common devices that support an html5 compliant web browser (e.g. linux boxes, consoles, chromebooks etc); easy integration of links to other media types. CONs: Requires online connection; standard printing options not available - see the Printing FAQ item for options available; moderate security - for high security publishers should use our offline solutions; online access is not always as fast or high quality as our offline solutions; integrated markup and annotation not available, but can be provided as an option in conjunction with services like Weava; source files have to be uploaded to an offsite server (however these are immediately deleted after conversion) unless a private "enterprise" solution is provided (using a bespoke private/managed Webdoxx service, hosted on your own server)
  • arrow Can printing be enabled?
  • For security reasons printing is disabled by default, but facilities for printing can be provided for bespoke projects (i.e. not as part of the standard automated service). This can be of the original PDF, or of a separately downloaded secure PDF with DRM control and printing permitted. In addition, a print icon can be provided that creates an request to a nominated email address for a pre-printed copy of the document, or to permit printing of the currently viewed screen as an image (complete with on-screen watermark)
  • arrow How do I manage my users?
  • User management is provided for Corporate and Enterprise subscribers via a User Management dashboard facility. See the User Management page for more details
  • arrow How does the service handle sharing of usernames/passwords?
  • The default setting allows users to login from more than one device at the same time. There are several reasons for this being the default service access setting, including: (i) web-based access by groups of users can be provided without requiring every user to be separately registered - with manual or auto-login facilities; (ii) in general web browser users do not explicitly log out of services, so unless multiple logins are permitted a genuine user could be locked out until the auto-timeout period had expired (session-based and/or inactivity) - A range of timeouts (session-based and inactivity based) and forced logouts can be enabled for managed service projects if these are required; (iii) a user may wish genuinely to log in simultaneously on different devices with the same username (e.g. all students in a class). However, user access can be restricted to a specific number of browsers/devices on a user-by-user basis - the Concurrency field can have a counter value, e.g. 1, 2 or 3 in it. If there is a value in this field it will restrict the user to a total of that specific number of web browsers/devices (i.e. specific browsers on specific devices). Each time a login occurs on a new device/browser combination the Concurrency field count is reduced by 1. This facility is based on the use of cookies. In addition/as an alternative, the number of concurrent logins from any devices/browsers can be controlled - this does not rely on cookies so is more powerful in many ways. This option is currently only available on our WEBDOXX "managed" service. For more details please contact us to discuss your requirements. see also, IPAddress autologin control
  • arrow Can access be implemented with IPaddress-based autologin?
  • Yes, by arrangement, static IPAddress recognition can be provided enabling users accessing a document or set of documents via such an address to be able to autologin and logout in a consistent manner with requiring a separate username/password
  • arrow Can I embed the converted PDF for use on my own servers?
  • Yes, simply use an iframe structure on your own site or an auto-redirect - a simple example can be seen here. iframes may not always retain zoom settings on the hosted service, so for some applications auto-redirect may be preferred.
  • arrow How long are free publications retained for online access on the automated service?
  • Up to 7 days
  • arrow How much does the service cost?
  • There is a free service for trial usage plus a range of subscription service levels for public and private hosting of securely converted PDFs. Please Contact us for more details
  • arrow If I take out a subscription what happens if I want to cancel or suspend my subscription?
  • Subscriptions are paid for annually in advance and can be cancelled at any time. Document access for publications that have been generated and stored on the server will be disabled, so user access will no longer be permitted. Document and user registration details will be retained for a period of 3 months and then may be deleted if the subscription is still inactive
  • arrow Can I change my subscription (upgrade or downgrade the service level)?
  • You can upgrade your subscription at any time - simply take out a new subscription using the same email address as before to replace your current subscription service level, or use a new email address to create an additional (new) subscription and then cancel the previous subscription via PayPal, Worldpay or contact us to cancel your old subscription on your behalf. If a subscription is a downgrade in service level any files that do not qualify under that subscription may be removed from the service.
  • arrow What web browsers are supported?
  • All modern web browsers (including IE9 and later, MS Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Safari browsers amongst others). The HTML5Test website page lists the level of HTML5 support of the main web browsers for desktops, tablets and mobiles and other devices (e.g. games consoles).
  • arrow My customer is using a modern web browser but cannot access the service - what is the problem?
  • All modern web browsers are supported, but they must have Javascript support enabled and access to third party websites permitted. Check that the Settings for the customer's web browser meets both of these requirements - access has been tested on all modern browsers and technology platforms
  • arrow How many usernames can I register for access to my publications?
  • Free and Public access: no end user usernames/passwords are assigned (access is open); Corporate and Enterprise: Unlimited usernames/passwords
  • arrow Can a download facility be added to the secure viewer?
  • Yes, by arrangement. The download can be the source PDF, a sample PDF, or a fully secure (DRM protected) PDF using our offline Digital Rights Management service. Contact us for more details
  • arrow Is text to speech supported (including Read Aloud and Screen readers)?
  • There are various ways of implementing audio versions of books - a number of web browsers support text to speech as standard (e.g. MS Edge, Safari on the Mac etc.) but there are many plugins that aim to provide this kind of functionality for different browsers. Broadly speaking they are of variable quality and in general require the ability to select the text you want to be read, otherwise what they try and read out can be pretty random and broken up into unintelligible chunks. We have experience in ensuring documents are pre-processed to optimize their accessibility, including ensuring the structure, tagging, linearity etc. of the content is as accessible as possible. If text can be selected then it can be copied of course, so we do not normally allow this although it can be permitted if required/needed for screen readers like NVDA. The other two options (for acknowledged visually impaired students) are to provide an audio version of the book (online or downloadable), or to provide a designated copy of the source PDF for use in special devices/software produced for the visually impaired. These options obviously provide a far better experience for such users.