Reading binary file data into variable

I am following Coggeshall's article on Zend for creating ZIP files. I seem to have run into a problem with PDF's though. In his code you have to read the file into a variable. I have tried file_get_contents, readfile, a combination of fopen, fpassthru, etc.... $filedata = readfile(INVOICEDIR."AOM.1075.542.54243641075B05130.pdf"); The next line in this little jewel runs the data through the ZIP routines, $zipfile->add_file($filedata, "tempzip/AOM.1075.542.54243641075B05130.pdf"); I stayed up too late last night and got up too early this morning, so I am just brain-farting on what I should do here. How do I get (or can I get) the PDF data into the variable so that it comes out smelling like a rose on the other end of the train where the ZIP file get opened and the individual files are exapndable? BTW, I have tested this with text too. I am having some problems there as well, because file_get_contents seems to leave things 'short'. However, if I fopen the text file and read the text into a variable I can do the output side. I appreciate any and all insight into this problem, even Nichel's :)