Pdf

# PDF Skill

## When to use - Read or review PDF content where layout and visuals matter. - Create PDFs programmatically with reliable formatting. - Validate final rendering before delivery.

## Workflow 1. Prefer visual review: render PDF pages to PNGs and inspect them. - Use `pdftoppm` if available. - If unavailable, install Poppler or ask the user to review the output locally. 2. Use `reportlab` to generate PDFs when creating new documents. 3. Use `pdfplumber` (or `pypdf`) for text extraction and quick checks; do not rely on it for layout fidelity. 4. After each meaningful update, re-render pages and verify alignment, spacing, and legibility.

## Temp and output conventions - Use `tmp/pdfs/` for intermediate files; delete when done. - Write final artifacts under `output/pdf/` when working in this repo. - Keep filenames stable and descriptive.

## Dependencies (install if missing) Prefer `uv` for dependency management.

Python packages: ``` uv pip install reportlab pdfplumber pypdf ``` If `uv` is unavailable: ``` python3 -m pip install reportlab pdfplumber pypdf ``` System tools (for rendering): ``` # macOS (Homebrew) brew install poppler

# Ubuntu/Debian sudo apt-get install -y poppler-utils ```

If installation isn't possible in this environment, tell the user which dependency is missing and how to install it locally.

## Environment No required environment variables.

## Rendering command ``` pdftoppm -png $INPUT_PDF $OUTPUT_PREFIX ```

## Quality expectations - Maintain polished visual design: consistent typography, spacing, margins, and section hierarchy. - Avoid rendering issues: clipped text, overlapping elements, broken tables, black squares, or unreadable glyphs. - Charts, tables, and images must be sharp, aligned, and clearly labeled. - Use ASCII hyphens only. Avoid U+2011 (non-breaking hyphen) and other Unicode dashes. - Citations and references must be human-readable; never leave tool tokens or placeholder strings.

## Final checks - Do not deliver until the latest PNG inspection shows zero visual or formatting defects. - Confirm headers/footers, page numbering, and section transitions look polished. - Keep intermediate files organized or remove them after final approval.