The embodiments of the present invention provide for a direct submit application module adapted to process image-only portable document format (PDF) documents, encrypted PDF documents, and image documents. The DSA, based on an output device's features or capabilities, adaptively performs host-based emulation so as to provide users with an expanded set of features, which may not be supported by an output device. In some embodiments, the DSA may perform an image-bypass PDF processing, perform processing on an image document so as to provide an expanded set of image formats, and/or perform decryption, if appropriate, on encrypted PDF documents.