Evaluating and comparing tools for generating PDF files

Abstract: There exists many software tools for generating PDF files, some of which have advantages over others. To determine what tool is better than others is of interest when one has a choice to make between different tools; one obviously wants to pick the tool that suits the user the best. In this thesis, four different software tools for generating PDFs, LaTeX, Groff, HTMLDOC and ReportLab, are evaluated under a set of requirements and compared against each other to determine which of these tools fulfills the requirements the best. The evaluation was done by researching literature, manuals and user guides, along with practical testing to determine whether a tool fulfilled a requirement or not. The results from the evaluation and comparison are that LaTeX has clear advantages over the other tools. Thus, the conclusion of this thesis is that LaTeX should be chosen as the tool for generating PDF over Groff, HTMLDOC and ReportLab.