Add Text to PDF in Java

Aspose.PDF for Java supports plain text insertion, advanced layout, styling, gradients, HTML, LaTeX, and custom fonts.

Add a simple text fragment

Use this example when a short text string should be placed at fixed page coordinates.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Create a TextFragment and set its position.
  3. Add it to the page and save the document.
public static void addTextSimpleCase(Path outputFile) {
      try (Document document = new Document()) {
          Page page = document.getPages().add();

          TextFragment textFragment = new TextFragment("Hello, Aspose!");
          textFragment.setPosition(new Position(100, 600));

          page.getParagraphs().add(textFragment);
          document.save(outputFile.toString());
      }
  }

Add a paragraph inside a rectangle

Use this example when a larger block of text should be flowed inside a bounded area.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Load the source text and configure a TextParagraph rectangle and wrapping mode.
  3. Append the fragment through TextBuilder and save the PDF.
public static void addParagraph(Path outputFile) throws Exception {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        String text = Files.exists(loremPath)
                ? Files.readString(loremPath)
                : "Lorem ipsum sample text not found.";

        TextBuilder builder = new TextBuilder(page);
        TextParagraph paragraph = new TextParagraph();
        paragraph.setFirstLineIndent(20);
        paragraph.setRectangle(new Rectangle(80, 800, 400, 200, true));
        paragraph.getFormattingOptions().setWrapMode(TextFormattingOptions.WordWrapMode.DiscretionaryHyphenation);

        TextFragment fragment = new TextFragment(text);
        fragment.getTextState().setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Times New Roman"));
        fragment.getTextState().setFontSize(12);

        paragraph.appendLine(fragment);
        builder.appendParagraph(paragraph);

        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Add paragraphs with different indent settings

Use this example when the first line and subsequent lines should use different indentation rules.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Prepare the shared text fragment and create multiple TextParagraph objects.
  3. Configure indentation for each paragraph, append them, and save the document.
public static void addParagraphsIndents(Path outputFile) throws Exception {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        String text = Files.exists(loremPath)
                ? Files.readString(loremPath)
                : "Lorem ipsum sample text not found.";

        TextFragment fragment = new TextFragment(text);
        fragment.getTextState().setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Times New Roman"));
        fragment.getTextState().setFontSize(12);

        TextBuilder builder = new TextBuilder(page);
        TextParagraph paragraph1 = new TextParagraph();
        paragraph1.setFirstLineIndent(20);
        paragraph1.setRectangle(new Rectangle(80, 800, 300, 50, true));
        paragraph1.getFormattingOptions().setWrapMode(TextFormattingOptions.WordWrapMode.ByWords);
        paragraph1.appendLine(fragment);
        builder.appendParagraph(paragraph1);

        TextParagraph paragraph2 = new TextParagraph();
        paragraph2.setSubsequentLinesIndent(20);
        paragraph2.setRectangle(new Rectangle(320, 800, 500, 50, true));
        paragraph2.getFormattingOptions().setWrapMode(TextFormattingOptions.WordWrapMode.ByWords);
        paragraph2.appendLine(fragment);
        builder.appendParagraph(paragraph2);

        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Insert text with a manual line break

Use this example when one text fragment should contain an explicit new line.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Create a TextFragment containing a line break and configure its style.
  3. Append it through a TextParagraph and save the PDF.
public static void addNewLine(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        TextFragment textFragment = new TextFragment("Applicant Name: " + System.lineSeparator() + " Joe Smoe");
        textFragment.getTextState().setFontSize(12);
        textFragment.getTextState().setFont(FontRepository.findFont("TimesNewRoman"));
        textFragment.getTextState().setBackgroundColor(Color.getLightGray());
        textFragment.getTextState().setForegroundColor(Color.getRed());

        TextParagraph paragraph = new TextParagraph();
        paragraph.appendLine(textFragment);
        paragraph.setPosition(new Position(100, 600));

        TextBuilder textBuilder = new TextBuilder(page);
        textBuilder.appendParagraph(paragraph);

        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Inspect detected line breaks

Use this example when you need to review notification output related to text layout and line wrapping.

  1. Create a new PDF document and enable notification logging.
  2. Add several long text fragments to the page.
  3. Inspect the notifications and save the document.
public static void determineLineBreak(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        document.setEnableNotificationLogging(true);

        Page page = document.getPages().add();
        for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
            TextFragment text = new TextFragment(
                    "Lorem ipsum \r\ndolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, "
                            + "sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. "
                            + "Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris "
                            + "nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in "
                            + "reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla "
                            + "pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in "
                            + "culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.");
            text.getTextState().setFontSize(20);
            page.getParagraphs().add(text);
        }

        System.out.println(document.getPages().get_Item(1).getNotifications());
        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Measure text width dynamically

Use this example when character and string widths should be measured before layout decisions are made.

  1. Resolve the target font and create a TextState.
  2. Measure characters and compare the results from the font and text state APIs.
  3. Output any mismatches for validation.
public static void getTextWidthDynamically(Path outputFile) {
    Font font = FontRepository.findFont("Arial");
    TextState textState = new TextState();
    textState.setFont(font);
    textState.setFontSize(14);

    if (Math.abs(font.measureString("A", 14) - 9.337) > 0.001) {
        System.out.println("Unexpected font string measure!");
    }

    if (Math.abs(textState.measureString("z") - 7.0) > 0.001) {
        System.out.println("Unexpected font string measure!");
    }

    for (char c = 'A'; c <= 'z'; c++) {
        double fontMeasure = font.measureString(String.valueOf(c), 14);
        double textStateMeasure = textState.measureString(String.valueOf(c));
        if (Math.abs(fontMeasure - textStateMeasure) > 0.001) {
            System.out.println("Font and state string measuring doesn't match!");
        }
    }
}

Add text with a hyperlink segment

Use this example when one part of a text fragment should behave as a web link.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Build a TextFragment with several TextSegment objects.
  3. Assign a hyperlink and style to the target segment, then save the document.
public static void addTextWithHyperlink(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        TextFragment fragment = new TextFragment("Sample Text Fragment");
        fragment.getSegments().add(new TextSegment(" ... Text Segment 1..."));

        TextSegment segment = new TextSegment("Link to Aspose");
        fragment.getSegments().add(segment);
        segment.setHyperlink(new WebHyperlink("https://products.aspose.com/pdf"));
        segment.getTextState().setForegroundColor(Color.getBlue());
        segment.getTextState().setFontStyle(FontStyles.Italic);

        fragment.getSegments().add(new TextSegment("TextSegment without hyperlink"));

        page.getParagraphs().add(fragment);
        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Add right-to-left text

Use this example when the document must display right-to-left script content with proper alignment.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Create a TextFragment with the target RTL text and configure its font and alignment.
  3. Add it to the page and save the PDF.
public static void addTextWithRtlText(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        TextFragment textFragment = new TextFragment(
                "يعتبر خوجا نصر الدين شخصية فولكلورية من الشرق الإسلامي وبعض شعوب البحر الأبيض المتوسط ​​والبلقان، وهو بطل القصص والحكايات القصيرة الفكاهية والساخرة، وأحيانًا الحكايات اليومية.");
        textFragment.getTextState().setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Tahoma"));
        textFragment.getTextState().setFontSize(14);
        textFragment.getTextState().setForegroundColor(Color.getBlue());
        textFragment.setHorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment.Right);

        page.getParagraphs().add(textFragment);
        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Add styled text and formula-like segments

Use this example when regular text and subscript-like segments should use different text states in one output.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Build the main styled fragment and compose the formula with helper segments.
  3. Add both fragments to the page and save the document.
public static void addTextWithFontStyling(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        TextFragment formula = new TextFragment();
        TextFragment textFragment = new TextFragment("Hello, Aspose!");
        textFragment.setPosition(new Position(100, 600));
        textFragment.getTextState().setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Arial"));
        textFragment.getTextState().setFontSize(14);
        textFragment.getTextState().setForegroundColor(Color.getBlue());
        textFragment.getTextState().setFontStyle(FontStyles.Bold | FontStyles.Italic);
        textFragment.getTextState().setUnderline(true);
        textFragment.setHorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment.Left);

        TextState textStateLetters = new TextState();
        textStateLetters.setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Arial"));
        textStateLetters.setFontSize(14);
        textStateLetters.setForegroundColor(Color.getBlue());
        textStateLetters.setFontStyle(FontStyles.Bold);

        TextState textStateIndex = new TextState();
        textStateIndex.setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Arial"));
        textStateIndex.setFontSize(14);
        textStateIndex.setForegroundColor(Color.getDarkRed());
        textStateIndex.setSubscript(true);

        Position position = new Position(100, 500);
        addSegment(formula, "S = a", textStateLetters, position);
        addSegment(formula, "2n", textStateIndex, position);
        addSegment(formula, " + a", textStateLetters, position);
        addSegment(formula, "2n+1", textStateIndex, position);
        addSegment(formula, " + a", textStateLetters, position);
        addSegment(formula, "2n+2", textStateIndex, position);
        formula.setHorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment.Left);

        page.getParagraphs().add(textFragment);
        page.getParagraphs().add(formula);
        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

private static void addSegment(TextFragment formula, String text, TextState state, Position position) {
    TextSegment segment = new TextSegment(text);
    segment.setTextState(state);
    segment.setPosition(position);
    formula.getSegments().add(segment);
}

Add underlined text

Use this example when a text fragment should visibly use underline styling.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Create the text fragment, configure its font and underline state, and set its position.
  3. Append it with TextBuilder and save the result.
public static void addUnderlineText(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();
        TextBuilder textBuilder = new TextBuilder(page);

        TextFragment fragment = new TextFragment("Hello, ASPOSE.PDF!");
        fragment.getTextState().setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Arial"));
        fragment.getTextState().setFontSize(10);
        fragment.getTextState().setUnderline(true);
        fragment.setPosition(new Position(10, 800));
        textBuilder.appendText(fragment);

        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Add transparent text over a colored shape

Use this example when text should appear with transparency above a background graphic.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Draw the background shape and create a semi-transparent text fragment.
  3. Add both elements to the page and save the document.
public static void addTextTransparent(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        com.aspose.pdf.drawing.Graph canvas = new com.aspose.pdf.drawing.Graph(100.0, 400.0);
        com.aspose.pdf.drawing.Rectangle rectangle = new com.aspose.pdf.drawing.Rectangle(100, 100, 400, 400);
        rectangle.getGraphInfo().setFillColor(Color.fromArgb(128, 0xC5, 0xB5, 0xFF));
        canvas.getShapes().addItem(rectangle);
        canvas.setChangePosition(false);
        page.getParagraphs().add(canvas);

        TextFragment text = new TextFragment(
                "This is the transparent text. This is the transparent text. This is the transparent text.");
        text.getTextState().setForegroundColor(Color.fromArgb(30, 0, 255, 0));
        page.getParagraphs().add(text);

        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Add invisible text

Use this example when searchable or hidden text should be present without visible rendering.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Add a visible text fragment and a second fragment with the invisible flag enabled.
  3. Save the document.
public static void addTextInvisible(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        TextFragment text1 = new TextFragment(
            "This is the visible text. This is the visible text. This is the visible text.");
        page.getParagraphs().add(text1);

        TextFragment text2 = new TextFragment(
            "This is the invisible text. This is the invisible text. This is the invisible text.");
        text2.getTextState().setInvisible(true);
        page.getParagraphs().add(text2);

        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Add text with a rectangle border

Use this example when text should be drawn together with its bounding rectangle.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Create a styled TextFragment and enable drawing of the text rectangle border.
  3. Append it with TextBuilder and save the PDF.
public static void addTextBorder(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        TextFragment textFragment = new TextFragment("This is sample text with border.");
        textFragment.setPosition(new Position(10, 700));
        textFragment.getTextState().setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Times New Roman"));
        textFragment.getTextState().setFontSize(12);
        textFragment.getTextState().setBackgroundColor(Color.getLightGray());
        textFragment.getTextState().setForegroundColor(Color.getRed());
        textFragment.getTextState().setStrokingColor(Color.getDarkRed());
        textFragment.getTextState().setDrawTextRectangleBorder(true);

        TextBuilder textBuilder = new TextBuilder(page);
        textBuilder.appendText(textFragment);

        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Add strikeout text

Use this example when text should use strikeout formatting.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Create a styled text fragment with strikeout enabled.
  3. Append it to the page and save the document.
public static void addStrikeoutText(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        TextFragment textFragment = new TextFragment("This is sample strikeout text.");
        textFragment.getTextState().setFontSize(12);
        textFragment.getTextState().setFont(FontRepository.findFont("TimesNewRoman"));
        textFragment.getTextState().setBackgroundColor(Color.getLightGray());
        textFragment.getTextState().setForegroundColor(Color.getRed());
        textFragment.getTextState().setStrikeOut(true);
        textFragment.getTextState().setFontStyle(FontStyles.Bold);
        textFragment.setPosition(new Position(100, 600));

        TextBuilder textBuilder = new TextBuilder(page);
        textBuilder.appendText(textFragment);

        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Apply axial gradient shading to text

Use this example when text should use a linear gradient fill instead of a solid color.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Create the text fragment and assign an axial gradient to its foreground color.
  3. Add it to the page and save the PDF.
public static void applyGradientAxialShadingToText(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        TextFragment textFragment = new TextFragment("PDF TITLE");
        textFragment.setPosition(new Position(100, 600));
        textFragment.getTextState().setFontSize(36);
        textFragment.getTextState().setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Arial Bold"));
        textFragment.getTextState().setForegroundColor(new Color());
        textFragment.getTextState().getForegroundColor()
                .setPatternColorSpace(new GradientAxialShading(Color.getRed(), Color.getBlue()));
        textFragment.getTextState().setUnderline(true);

        page.getParagraphs().add(textFragment);
        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Apply radial gradient shading to text

Use this example when text should use a radial gradient fill.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Create the text fragment and assign a radial gradient to its foreground color.
  3. Add it to the page and save the document.
public static void applyGradientRadialShadingToText(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        TextFragment textFragment = new TextFragment("PDF TITLE");
        textFragment.setPosition(new Position(100, 600));
        textFragment.getTextState().setFontSize(36);
        textFragment.getTextState().setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Arial Bold"));
        textFragment.getTextState().setForegroundColor(new Color());
        textFragment.getTextState().getForegroundColor()
                .setPatternColorSpace(new GradientRadialShading(Color.getRed(), Color.getBlue()));
        textFragment.getTextState().setUnderline(true);

        page.getParagraphs().add(textFragment);
        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Add inline HTML-style formatted text

Use this example when superscript and subscript formatting should be inserted through HTML markup.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Create an HtmlFragment with the required inline markup.
  3. Add it to the page and save the PDF.
public static void addTextHtmlFragment(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        HtmlFragment textFragment = new HtmlFragment("<pre>S=a<sub>2n</sub>+a<sup>2</sup><pre>");
        page.getParagraphs().add(textFragment);
        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Add a LaTeX text fragment

Use this example when mathematical or TeX-formatted content should be rendered inside the PDF.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Create a TeXFragment with the required expression.
  3. Add it to the page and save the document.
public static void addTextLatexFragment(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        TeXFragment textFragment = new TeXFragment(
                "\\underbrace{\\overbrace{a+b}^6 \\cdot \\overbrace{c+d}^7}_\\text{example of text} = 42");
        page.getParagraphs().add(textFragment);
        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Add a rich HTML fragment

Use this example when the page should render structured HTML content such as headings, paragraphs, and links.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Prepare the HTML content string and create an HtmlFragment.
  3. Add it to the page and save the PDF.
public static void addHtmlFragment(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();
        String htmlContent = """
                <h1 style='color:blue;'>Hello, Aspose!</h1>
                <p>This is a sample paragraph with <b>bold</b>, <i>italic</i>, and <u>underlined</u> text.</p>
                <p style='color:green;'>This paragraph is green.</p>
                <a href='https://www.aspose.com' style='font-size:16px;'>Visit Aspose</a>
                """;
        HtmlFragment htmlFragment = new HtmlFragment(htmlContent);
        page.getParagraphs().add(htmlFragment);
        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Add an HTML fragment with overridden text state

Use this example when imported HTML content should inherit a controlled font and color setup.

  1. Create a new PDF document and add a page.
  2. Prepare the HTML content and create the HtmlFragment.
  3. Assign a custom TextState, add the fragment, and save the document.
public static void addHtmlFragmentOverrideTextState(Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();
        String htmlContent = """
                <h1 style='color:blue;font-family:Verdana'>Hello, Aspose!</h1>
                <p>This is a sample paragraph with <b>bold</b>, <i>italic</i>, and <u>underlined</u> text.</p>
                <p style='color:green;'>This paragraph is green.</p>
                <a href='https://www.aspose.com' style='font-size:16px;'>Visit Aspose</a>
                """;
        HtmlFragment htmlFragment = new HtmlFragment(htmlContent);
        TextState textState = new TextState();
        textState.setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Arial"));
        textState.setFontSize(14);
        textState.setForegroundColor(Color.getRed());
        htmlFragment.setTextState(textState);

        page.getParagraphs().add(htmlFragment);
        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Use a custom font loaded from a file

Use this example when text should use a font loaded directly from a font file path.

  1. Resolve the custom font file path.
  2. Create a text fragment and load the font through FontRepository.openFont.
  3. Apply the font settings and save the document.
public static void useCustomFontFromFile(Path outputFile) {
    Path fontPath = fontDir.resolve("BriosoPro Italic.otf");
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        TextFragment fragment = new TextFragment("Hello, Aspose!");
        fragment.setPosition(new Position(100, 600));
        fragment.getTextState().setFont(FontRepository.openFont(fontPath.toString()));
        fragment.getTextState().setFontSize(24);
        fragment.getTextState().setForegroundColor(Color.getBlue());
        fragment.getTextState().setFontStyle(FontStyles.Italic);

        page.getParagraphs().add(fragment);
        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

Use a custom font loaded from a stream

Use this example when a custom font should be opened from a stream and embedded in the PDF.

  1. Open the font file as a stream and load it with FontRepository.
  2. Create the text fragment and assign the embedded font.
  3. Add the fragment to the page and save the document.
public static void useCustomFontFromStream(Path outputFile) throws Exception {
    Path fontPath = fontDir.resolve("BriosoPro Italic.otf");
    try (InputStream fontStream = Files.newInputStream(fontPath)) {
        Font font = FontRepository.openFont(fontStream, FontTypes.OTF);
        font.setEmbedded(true);

        try (Document document = new Document()) {
            Page page = document.getPages().add();

            TextFragment fragment = new TextFragment("Hello, Aspose!");
            fragment.setPosition(new Position(100, 600));
            fragment.getTextState().setFont(font);
            fragment.getTextState().setFontSize(14);
            fragment.getTextState().setForegroundColor(Color.getBlue());
            fragment.getTextState().setFontStyle(FontStyles.Italic);

            page.getParagraphs().add(fragment);
            document.save(outputFile.toString());
        }
    }
}
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