If you only have PDFLib Lite installed, I would not recommend bothering with this library, as you can really only output text and import an image, and that's about it. Forget about adding complexities such as color, blocks and other elements. Switch to an open source library such as FreePDF (http://www.fpdf.org).
If you need to use 'pdf templates' use Apache FOP (XSL-FO parser). You can call it from php by using the exec function or by using a php-java bridge. I am successfully using the exec function...
ezpdf http://www.ros.co.nz/pdf/ is also an easy alternative to this. It suffices for most pdf tasks and is quick to pick up.
I also created a modified version of ezpdf that supports rotated text: http://www.morelightmorelight.com/projects/walletpdf/