Getting Started with the LintPDF API

Integrating LintPDF into your application takes three steps: sign up, get your API Key, and submit your first file. This guide walks through each step with working code examples.

Step 1: Create your account

Head to app.lintpdf.com and create an account. The Free plan includes 50 files per month with full Check coverage — no credit card required.

Step 2: Generate an API Key

Navigate to the Dashboard and open the API Keys section. Generate a new API Key. Your key will start with lpdf_ — copy it and store it securely. Never expose it in client-side code or public repositories.

Step 3: Submit your first file

The Submit endpoint accepts a file and a Ruleset. Here is a curl example:

curl -X POST https://api.lintpdf.com/api/v1/submit \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lpdf_your_api_key" \
  -F file=@brochure.pdf \
  -F ruleset=gwg-sheetfed

The response includes a job ID and a status of processing — your file is being processed on the Queue.

{
  "id": "f47ac10b-58cc-4372-a567-0e02b2c3d479",
  "status": "processing",
  "ruleset": "gwg-sheetfed",
  "file_name": "brochure.pdf",
  "created_at": "2026-03-15T10:30:00Z"
}

Step 4: Retrieve the Report

Once processing is complete (status changes to complete), retrieve the Report:

curl https://api.lintpdf.com/api/v1/reports/f47ac10b-... \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lpdf_your_api_key"

The Report includes a verdict (pass or failed), a summary with finding counts by severity, and the full list of findings:

{
  "id": "f47ac10b-...",
  "status": "complete",
  "verdict": "failed",
  "summary": {
    "total_findings": 2,
    "error": 1,
    "warning": 1,
    "info": 0
  },
  "findings": [
    {
      "inspection_id": "font.not_embedded",
      "severity": "error",
      "message": "Font 'Helvetica' is not embedded",
      "page": 1
    },
    {
      "inspection_id": "color.spot_color_usage",
      "severity": "warning",
      "message": "Spot color 'PANTONE 185 C' found on page 2",
      "page": 2
    }
  ]
}

Using Webhooks instead of polling

Instead of polling for the Report, register a Webhook to receive a callback when processing completes:

curl -X POST https://api.lintpdf.com/api/v1/webhooks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lpdf_your_api_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://your-app.com/webhook", "events": ["job.complete"]}'

LintPDF will POST to your endpoint the instant the Report is ready.

Choosing a Ruleset

LintPDF includes four built-in Rulesets:

• GWG Sheetfed — Commercial offset, sheetfed lithography (196 Checks)
• GWG Digital — Digital printing, wide-format, variable data (180 Checks)
• PDF/X-4 — ISO 15930-7 conformance (120 Checks)
• Packaging — Packaging-specific checks including barcode grading (210 Checks)

List all available Rulesets with:

curl https://api.lintpdf.com/api/v1/rulesets

Growth plans and above can create custom Rulesets with specific Checks and thresholds.

Next steps

Explore the full API documentation for detailed endpoint references, report format schemas, and SDK examples in Python, Node.js, and PHP.