CopyFrom and AddPage both cause AddText to be written upside down

[brianliebe]

I am trying to load an existing PDF into my program and write simple text (just the page number) to each page. I have come across a bug where if I use AddPage or CopyFrom to copy a page from the existing PDF into a newly created PDF, the text gets created upside down. If I just create a new blank page and write the text to it, it works fine.

My guess is that the rotation is not preserved or something, because it also writes it to a different corner (top-left) than the non-copied page (bottom-left). The text is also much smaller if I do the copy from the existing document. I cannot find any way to get the text to be displayed the correct orientation after copying a page into the new PDF.

Is there a way I can write directly onto the existing PDF without having to create a new PdfDocumentBuilder?

Using CopyFrom or AddPage:

Just writing text, no copy:

using (var document = PdfDocument.Open(pdfPath))
{
    var b1 = new PdfDocumentBuilder();
    var f1 = b1.AddStandard14Font(Standard14Font.Courier);
    var p1 = b1.AddPage(document, 1);
    p1.AddText("Test1", 12, new PdfPoint(20, 20), f1);

    var b2 = new PdfDocumentBuilder();
    var f2 = b2.AddStandard14Font(Standard14Font.Courier);
    var p2 = b2.AddPage(PageSize.A3);
    p2.AddText("Test2", 12, new PdfPoint(20, 20), f2);

    byte[] data1 = b1.Build();
    byte[] data2 = b2.Build();
    File.WriteAllBytes(@"test1.pdf", data1);
    File.WriteAllBytes(@"test2.pdf", data2);
}

[tsurrdurr]

@brianliebe Hello, I tried replicating the issue with the code you attached, I tried with different docs, and every time I can't replicate the bug. The text ends up where it is supposed to be every time - bottom left. This might be an issue specific to the format of the source document you're using.

[jason-katz]

@tsurrdurr I had this same issue and it was definitely something specific to the PDF itself. Would it help if I emailed you the offending PDF?

[EliotJones]

I suspect the target PDF has a /Rotate value non-zero in its page dictionary contents somewhere, based on the output the value is +/-180 causing the placed text to be rotated by 180 degrees potentially. The internal library text placement logic probably needs to account for the rotation before placing.

Though I'm not certain on this because the text appears mirrored rather than rotated.

[potNPan]

I am getting this issue, also only for certain PDFs. Is there a fix being planned for any workaround for it?

[welcome-me]

This affects me, too. For me, I opened a PDF with AcroForms in GIMP, then exported it so that it no longer had the AcroForms. Now, text added to the form is upside down like the original poster's example.

[landym02]

I am having the same issue. Using the example code "Advance Document Extraction" in the Readme, without changes, the PDF document copies correctly, but the "AddText" and "DrawRectangle" lines appear to be a mirror. The draw rectangle boxes are way too small as if a document size factor is missing. The block number is appearing in the bottom left corner and is backwards.

[929496959]

I am having the same issue

[Shanador]

I think I have the same issue just with adding Images, but so far it only happened with PDF created/printed with Microsoft Print to PDF.
The attached microsoftprinttopdf.pdf was created by printing a Word document with Microsoft Print to PDF.

The output.pdf was created like this:

using (PdfDocument document = PdfDocument.Open(@"microsoftprinttopdf.PDF"))
{
    string outputFile = @"output.PDF";
    PdfDocumentBuilder builder = new PdfDocumentBuilder();
    foreach (Page page in document.GetPages()) 
    {
        var newPage = builder.AddPage(document, page.Number);

        var words = page.GetWords();
        foreach (Word word in words) {
            if (word.Text.Contains("Signature"))
            {
                byte[] test = File.ReadAllBytes(@"pdfpig.png");
                newPage.AddPng(test, word.BoundingBox);
                newPage = builder.AddPage(PageSize.A4);
                newPage.AddPng(test, word.BoundingBox);
            }
        }
    }
    File.WriteAllBytes( outputFile,builder.Build());
}

On the first, "copied", page the image is upside down and at the wrong position, on the second "new" & empty page the orientation and position is correct.

Is there a known fix or workaround for this issue?

bar.PDF
microsoftprinttopdf.pdf

[quokkador]

hi,
i have the same issue as @Shanador

is there a way that it is related to missing XMP Metadata?
I tried it with multiple files and the files that failed had in common, that there was no xmp metadata.

[EliotJones]

Should be addressed by #1094