Drop Caps

This guide will show you how to create drop caps in PDF paragraphs using the UniPDF StyledParagraph. It demonstrates both traditional drop caps (DropCapsDrop) where only the first N lines flow beside the enlarged character, and inline drop caps (DropCapsInline) where all lines flow beside it.

Before you begin #

Get your API key from your UniCloud account.

If this is your first time using UniPDF SDK, follow this guide to set up a local development environment.

Clone the project repository #

In your terminal, clone the examples repository. It contains the Go code we will be using for this guide.

git clone https://github.com/unidoc/unipdf-examples.git 

Navigate to the text folder in the unipdf-examples directory.

cd unipdf-examples/text

How it works #

Lines 8-17 import the UniPDF packages and other required dependencies.

The init function in lines 19-27 authenticates your request using your UNIDOC_LICENSE_API_KEY.

Lines 29-47 set up the creator, load fonts, and draw the title.

Lines 49-53 define a reusable TextStyle with the regular font at size 12.

Traditional Drop Caps (DropCapsDrop) #

Example 1 — First Character (lines 55-100): Creates a paragraph with a traditional drop cap using DropCapsFirstCharacter scope. The first character “T” is enlarged and the first 3 lines flow beside it, then text continues at full width below.

Example 2 — First Word (lines 102-125): Uses DropCapsFirstWord scope so the entire first word “CHAPTER” becomes the drop cap. This is useful for chapter openings.

Inline Drop Caps (DropCapsInline) #

Example 3 (lines 127-150): Uses DropCapsInline type where ALL lines maintain reduced width and flow beside the drop cap, rather than just the first N lines.

Drop Caps with Mixed Styling #

Example 4 (lines 152-192): Demonstrates that drop caps work seamlessly with multiple text chunks that have different fonts and font sizes within the same paragraph.

Single Word Drop Cap #

Example 5 (lines 194-212): Shows a paragraph containing only a single word rendered as a drop cap using DropCapsFirstWord.

Drop Caps with Custom Colors #

Examples 6–9 (lines 218-303): Use SetDropCapsWithStyle or the Style field in DropCapsOptions to apply custom colors (red, blue, green, purple) and bold fonts to the drop cap character or word.

Side-by-Side Comparison #

Example 10 (lines 305-360): Places a traditional drop cap and an inline drop cap side by side in a two-column table to visually compare the two styles.

Finally, lines 362-368 write the generated PDF to pdf_drop_caps.pdf.

Run the code #

Run this command to generate a PDF with drop caps examples. This will also get all the required dependencies to run the program.

go run pdf_drop_caps.go

Sample output #

The output PDF contains multiple pages showcasing different drop cap styles.