Engage Designer
User Guide — Mapsoft Engage Designer Plugin for Adobe Acrobat
Overview
Engage Designer is an advanced Adobe Acrobat plug-in for variable-data PDF stamping. It extends the capabilities of Impress Pro with support for named fields, images, barcodes, charts, and JavaScript-driven content. It is designed for workflows that require dynamic, data-driven document personalisation at scale.
The plug-in operates both as an interactive Acrobat plug-in and as a COM automation library, making it suitable for integration into automated document production pipelines.
Getting Started
After installation, Engage Designer adds a menu item under Plug-Ins › Mapsoft › Engage Designer in Adobe Acrobat.
- Open a PDF template document in Adobe Acrobat.
- Go to Plug-Ins › Mapsoft › Engage Designer.
- Define fields on the template, specifying their type (text, image, barcode), position, and formatting.
- Populate fields with static values, variables, or data from external sources.
- Apply the fields to the current document or process a batch of files.
Field Types
Engage Designer supports five field types, each suited to different content:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Text | Formatted text with font, size, colour, and alignment controls. Supports multi-line content, text on a curve, and dynamic variable substitution. |
| Image | Embed raster images (JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP) or vector content into the PDF. Images can be scaled proportionally, fit to frame, or sized to exact dimensions. |
| Barcode | Generate barcodes directly in the PDF. Supported symbologies include Code 128, Code 39, EAN, DataMatrix, QR Code, and PDF417. |
| Chart | Insert charts generated from script-driven data sources. |
| Nothing | Placeholder field that reserves a position without rendering content. Useful for template layout planning. |
Field Settings
The Field Settings dialog provides comprehensive control over each field:
Position and Size
Set the X and Y coordinates, width, and height of the field. Units can be points, inches, or centimetres. A rotation angle (0–360°) and a nine-point alignment grid control the field’s anchor position on the page.
Font and Text
For text fields, choose any installed system font with configurable size, leading (line spacing), and colour. Options include proportional scaling, fixed values, justified text, and character/word spacing adjustments. Text on a curve follows a path with configurable line width and distance.
Image Options
Images can be embedded directly into the field definition or referenced from external files. Scaling options include proportional fit, exact dimensions, and fit-to-frame. A preview mode shows the image in the dialog before applying.
Borders and Fills
Add borders and background fills to any field for visual framing or to create label-style layouts.
Variables
Engage Designer supports both global and local variables that can be inserted into text fields. Global variables apply across all fields and documents in a batch; local variables are specific to individual fields.
Built-in variable types include date/time, page numbers, serial numbers, file names, and PDF metadata — the same dynamic fields available in Impress and Impress Pro. Custom variables can be defined using JavaScript expressions for advanced data-driven content.
Impress Stamping
Engage Designer includes the full Impress text stamping engine. The Define and Apply tabs provide the same watermarking capabilities as Impress Pro, including diagonal watermarks, custom positioning, transparency, colour control, named impressions, and batch processing.
Batch Processing
Process multiple PDF files in a single operation. Add individual files, entire directories (with optional subfolder recursion), or import a file list. A progress dialog tracks the current file and allows aborting the operation. PDF optimisation can be applied after processing to reduce file size.
Engage Designer also supports data import from XML and CSV sources, allowing each document in a batch to receive unique variable data.
Document Settings
Beyond field stamping, Engage Designer provides tabs for managing PDF document properties:
- Info — Edit document metadata (title, subject, author, keywords).
- Open — Configure initial page, zoom level, page layout, and window display options.
- Security — Set open and permissions passwords, and control print, edit, copy, and annotation permissions.
System Requirements
- Adobe Acrobat: Acrobat Pro DC (2017 or later, 64-bit). Not compatible with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Operating System: Windows 10 or Windows 11.
Support
If you encounter a problem or have a question not covered here, please get in touch:
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