ReportLab commercial toolkit enters beta testing

[Andy Robinson]

ReportLab Inc. is introducing a new commercial product range which
builds on our existing Open Source Python PDF generation toolkit.

RML2PDF and PageCatcher are entering beta testing today.  These are
the first elements of a tightly integrated suite of packages for
building world-class reporting solutions for the Web and back office.

Report Markup Language and RML2PDF
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RML2PDF is a powerful tool which allows you to generate reports in PDF
with simplicity, speed and flexibility, and without the level of
programming knowledge you need to use our Open Source ReportLab
toolkit. The primary market is web or application servers, though it
can also be embedded in client applications.

RML2PDF uses the Report Markup Language. RML is an XML dialect which
is simple, flexible and powerful. It allows you to produce PDF
documents that include drawings, photographs, multicolumn page layouts
- all with the ease of writing basic HTML rather than raw PDF. It’s
even easier than Python.

We offer an attractive package to resellers and consultants who
already deliver solutions to their customers and who can use this as
one more piece of their tool suite; and will consider licensing the
technology for use within third party applications.

See http://www.reportlab.com/rml/

PageCatcher
-----------
This tool allows you to import graphical elements or whole pages from
existing PDF files and use them in RMl2PDF or with our Open Source
reporting tools. It can be used to
- overprint PDF files with extra information
- grab specific pages, reorder and assemble documents
- save trees by doing 4-up versions of documents
- use existing documents as 'forms' and draw over them

It gives your graphic designers the freedom to use any tools they wish
to design artwork, which can then be included in reports.  It also
opens up many possibilites for forms processing.

See http://www.reportlab.com/pageCatcher/

What about the existing ReportLab toolkit?
------------------------------------------
The ReportLab toolkit is free, and will always be free. If you want to
use Python to output PDF, then the ReportLab toolkit will always be
available to you. RML2PDF is aimed at a different market: those
organizations who want a "straight out of the box" solution, or those
who aren’t Python-savvy. RML and any other commercial products we
release will _always_ be in addition to the ReportLab toolkit and
never replace it.

If you’re interested, send an email to mailto:info at reportlab.com. Or
have a look at the products section on our web site:
    http://www.reportlab.com/rml/


Andy Robinson
CEO and Chief Architect, ReportLab Inc.