June 1, 2003 -- Bethesda, MD (PDF Conference) -- Lantana, a leading Adobe Acrobat thirdparty developer, has announced its new plug-in for variable data printing and data merging. Variform PDF Pro lets users choose from a variety of different data formats for content to be merged into Acrobat forms. Users who do not have the time, desire, or expertise to write custom Acrobat JavaScript code to manage data merging will find Variform PDF Pro an easy to use alternative. "Responding to requests from users of our popular Variform PDF plug-in, we have added a number of new features to give them expanded flexibility and creativity” stated Gary Armstrong, Lantana’s CEO. “Whether the need is simple form filling, sophisticated personalized PDF generation, or anything in between, Variform PDF Pro provides users with the ability to easily combine their data with Acrobat forms." Variform PDF Pro has been built to maximize flexibility while minimizing investment. By allowing users to choose data from any ODBC data source, Adobe FDF/XFDF files, or delimited text files, users are able to match Variform’s capabilities to their data sources. Data can be merged to any Acrobat form with the option to generate new merged PDFs, or merge directly to a printer. New in Variform Pro is the ability to include variable images in the data source. Images can be in any of Acrobat’s supported image file formats. Variform supports Microsoft’s standard ODBC connectivity and data can be selected from databases using standard SQL “select” queries. By providing “hot folders” functionality through Variform PDF Pro Pilot, users can process repetitive data merges with a minimum of time and effort. Variform has also been engineered with its own inter-application communications (IAC) functionality so that users can programmatically control their data merge activity. Other features include the ability to highlight blank data fields or fields containing specific text; save and reload settings for repetitive jobs; automatically or manually map data file fields to Acrobat form fields; and name merged PDFs based on records in the data source. Pricing and availability Variform PDF Pro requires Adobe Acrobat 5.05, Acrobat 6 Standard, or Acrobat 6 Professional. It will be available by June 13th for use on Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 with Service Pack 6, Windows 2000 Professional with Service Pack 2, or Windows XP Professional or Home Edition. The suggested US retail price for Variform PDF is $349. Upgrades from Variform PDF to Variform PDF Pro will be available for $99. Variform PDF Pro can be purchased from any of Lantana’s resellers or directly from Lantana. Electronic delivery is available from the PDF Store at PlanetPDF.com. See the Lantana web site for more information.