search
HomeWeb Front-endCSS TutorialCSS3 vs. XSL-FO for Paginated Documents: Which Technology Reigns Supreme?

CSS3 vs. XSL-FO for Paginated Documents: Which Technology Reigns Supreme?

Paginated Document Generation: Revisiting the Use of CSS2, XSL-FO, and CSS3

In the past, XSL-FO has been the preferred technology for generating paginated PDF documents from XML or XHTML content. However, with the advancements in CSS, there is a growing consensus that CSS can now handle the demands of paginated media and replace XSL-FO.

CSS2, released in 1998, provided basic support for pagination through the paged media module. However, it had limitations in terms of fitting text precisely to the page and handling complex layouts.

In 2011, CSS2.1 expanded on the paged media module, addressing some of its shortcomings. CSS2.1 allows developers to define the exact layout of the page, create multiple columns, and control page margins and headers.

With the release of CSS3, the standardization of paged media took a significant leap forward. CSS3 introduced new properties and modules specifically designed for handling pagination, including:

  • Pagination: For defining page breaks and controlling page size.
  • Columns: For creating multiple columns within a single page.
  • Footers: For adding running footers to each page.
  • Headers: For adding running headers to each page.

Reasons for Choosing CSS3 over XSL-FO

There are several compelling reasons why CSS3 is gaining traction as the preferred solution for generating paginated documents:

  • Widespread Support: CSS is supported by all major browsers and rendering engines, including WebKit, Gecko, and Edge. This ensures compatibility across a wide range of devices and platforms.
  • Ease of Development: CSS is a relatively straightforward and widely-understood language. Developers familiar with CSS for web development will find it easier to adapt to using CSS for print.
  • Industry Adoption: Major publishers and organizations, including O'Reilly Media and the US Federal Government, have adopted CSS3 for their print production. This indicates a shift in the industry towards CSS-based paginated documents.

The Demise of XSL-FO

In 2013, the W3C officially ended development of XSL-FO 2.0, signaling the decline of this technology. The decision was based on the lack of participation in the Working Group and the emergence of CSS3 as a viable alternative.

The Future of Paginated Documents

CSS3, with its comprehensive support for pagination and its adoption by the industry, is poised to become the dominant technology for generating paginated documents. It offers the flexibility, ease of use, and compatibility necessary for meeting the demands of modern publishing.

The above is the detailed content of CSS3 vs. XSL-FO for Paginated Documents: Which Technology Reigns Supreme?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

Statement
The content of this article is voluntarily contributed by netizens, and the copyright belongs to the original author. This site does not assume corresponding legal responsibility. If you find any content suspected of plagiarism or infringement, please contact admin@php.cn
The Lost CSS Tricks of Cohost.orgThe Lost CSS Tricks of Cohost.orgApr 25, 2025 am 09:51 AM

In this post, Blackle Mori shows you a few of the hacks found while trying to push the limits of Cohost’s HTML support. Use these if you dare, lest you too get labelled a CSS criminal.

Next Level CSS Styling for CursorsNext Level CSS Styling for CursorsApr 23, 2025 am 11:04 AM

Custom cursors with CSS are great, but we can take things to the next level with JavaScript. Using JavaScript, we can transition between cursor states, place dynamic text within the cursor, apply complex animations, and apply filters.

Worlds Collide: Keyframe Collision Detection Using Style QueriesWorlds Collide: Keyframe Collision Detection Using Style QueriesApr 23, 2025 am 10:42 AM

Interactive CSS animations with elements ricocheting off each other seem more plausible in 2025. While it’s unnecessary to implement Pong in CSS, the increasing flexibility and power of CSS reinforce Lee's suspicion that one day it will be a

Using CSS backdrop-filter for UI EffectsUsing CSS backdrop-filter for UI EffectsApr 23, 2025 am 10:20 AM

Tips and tricks on utilizing the CSS backdrop-filter property to style user interfaces. You’ll learn how to layer backdrop filters among multiple elements, and integrate them with other CSS graphical effects to create elaborate designs.

SMIL on?SMIL on?Apr 23, 2025 am 09:57 AM

Well, it turns out that SVG's built-in animation features were never deprecated as planned. Sure, CSS and JavaScript are more than capable of carrying the load, but it's good to know that SMIL is not dead in the water as previously

'Pretty' is in the eye of the beholder'Pretty' is in the eye of the beholderApr 23, 2025 am 09:40 AM

Yay, let's jump for text-wrap: pretty landing in Safari Technology Preview! But beware that it's different from how it works in Chromium browsers.

CSS-Tricks Chronicles XLIIICSS-Tricks Chronicles XLIIIApr 23, 2025 am 09:35 AM

This CSS-Tricks update highlights significant progress in the Almanac, recent podcast appearances, a new CSS counters guide, and the addition of several new authors contributing valuable content.

Tailwind's @apply Feature is Better Than it SoundsTailwind's @apply Feature is Better Than it SoundsApr 23, 2025 am 09:23 AM

Most of the time, people showcase Tailwind's @apply feature with one of Tailwind's single-property utilities (which changes a single CSS declaration). When showcased this way, @apply doesn't sound promising at all. So obvio

See all articles

Hot AI Tools

Undresser.AI Undress

Undresser.AI Undress

AI-powered app for creating realistic nude photos

AI Clothes Remover

AI Clothes Remover

Online AI tool for removing clothes from photos.

Undress AI Tool

Undress AI Tool

Undress images for free

Clothoff.io

Clothoff.io

AI clothes remover

Video Face Swap

Video Face Swap

Swap faces in any video effortlessly with our completely free AI face swap tool!

Hot Tools

Safe Exam Browser

Safe Exam Browser

Safe Exam Browser is a secure browser environment for taking online exams securely. This software turns any computer into a secure workstation. It controls access to any utility and prevents students from using unauthorized resources.

Zend Studio 13.0.1

Zend Studio 13.0.1

Powerful PHP integrated development environment

mPDF

mPDF

mPDF is a PHP library that can generate PDF files from UTF-8 encoded HTML. The original author, Ian Back, wrote mPDF to output PDF files "on the fly" from his website and handle different languages. It is slower than original scripts like HTML2FPDF and produces larger files when using Unicode fonts, but supports CSS styles etc. and has a lot of enhancements. Supports almost all languages, including RTL (Arabic and Hebrew) and CJK (Chinese, Japanese and Korean). Supports nested block-level elements (such as P, DIV),

SublimeText3 Chinese version

SublimeText3 Chinese version

Chinese version, very easy to use

Atom editor mac version download

Atom editor mac version download

The most popular open source editor