NewFormat AB - Portable Document Format (PDF) and Substandards

PDF is Swedish and international standard

PDF formats are used as digital formats when
the editing phase of the digital document is finished.

PDF preserves documents visual appearance over time,
independent of the tools and systems used for
creating, storing or rendering the files.

ISO Specialist Standards based on the PDF technique
(like PDF/A, PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, PDF/A-3, PDF/E, PDF/UA, PDF/VT, PDF/X)
combines the general features of the PDF format
with the properties required by a specific use case.

PDF - "Portable Document Format":

PDF is an ISO Standard since 2008.

ISO Portable Document Format Standard (ISO 32000-1, 2008),
also known as PDF version 1.7.
Swedish Standard (SS-ISO 32000-2:2020).

ISO Portable Document Format Standard (ISO 32000-2, 2020),
also known as PDF version 2.0 and replaces version 1.7.
Swedish Standard (SS-ISO 32000-2:2020).

File Name Extensions

File name extensions are used to specify the file format for a particular document.

File name extension for PDF document is:

.pdf

PDF/A - "PDF Archive Format":

PDF/A is an ISO Standard since 2005 for long-term archiving with PDF.

Portable Document Format Standard (ISO 19005-1).
Swedish Standard (SS-ISO 19005-1:2005).

PDF/A combines the general features of the PDF format with
the properties required for long-term archiving of documents.

File Name Extensions

File name extensions are used to specify the file format for a particular document.

File name extension for PDF/A document is:

.pdf

PDF/A-1/A-2/A-3 Standards - Rules for Document Attachments:

PDF/A-1 - No attachments allowed.

Conversion of email to PDF/A-1:
Attachments become additional pages.

Conformance levels: a - accessible, b - basic.

PDF/A-2 - Attachments as PDF/A allowed.

Conversion of email to PDF/A-2:
Attachments are converted to PDF/A and embedded in document.

Conformance levels: a - accessible, b - basic, u - unicode.

PDF/A-3 - Attachments in arbitrary formats - PDF/A and others - are allowed.

Conversion of email with attachments to PDF/A-3:
Attachments are (in addition) embedded in original format.

Conformance levels: a - accessible, b - basic, u - unicode.

PDF/A-3 requires additional metadata for each attachment:

File type (MIME type), e.g. MS Word: "application/msword"

Type of relation between attachment and main PDF, predefined values:

Source

Alternative

Supplement

Data

Unspecified
Custom values possible to support private workflows

One or more indicators in the document structure:
Attachments may be specific to the document, a page, a page object,...

PDF/E - "PDF Engineering Document Format":

PDF/E is an ISO Standard since 1993/2008 for representation constructions diagrams
with moving 3D models where required.

Portable Document Format Standard (ISO 24517-1:2008).
Swedish Standard (???).

PDF/E-2 (planned for adoption in 2015):

PDF/E-2 makes it possible to store 3D models in U3D or PRC formats inside PDF.

PDF/E-2 is explicitly positioned as a standard for 3D archiving.

File Name Extensions

File name extensions are used to specify the file format for a particular document.

File name extension for PDF/E document is:

.pdf

PDF/UA - "PDF for Universal Access Format":

PDF/UA is an ISO Standard since 2012 for universally accessible PDF documents.

Portable Document Format Standard (ISO 14289).
Swedish Standard (???).

PDF/UA is of interest to organizations concerned with conformance to regulations requiring
accessible electronic content including Web Content Accessibility Guidelines/WCAG 2.1,
Section 508 in the US, Canada’s Common Look and Feel Standard, Britain’s BS 8878, and others.

PDF/UA is a complementary standard,
meant to be used in conjunction with other standards, including WCAG 2.1:
"WCAG 2.1 is required for all content. For specifically PDF documents, PDF/UA is also required."

PDF Association "The Matterhorn Protocol":

An introduction to the definitive algorithm for PDF/UA conformance (2014)

Matterhorn Protocol v1.1 - PDF/UA Conformance Testing Model (2021)

PDF/UA conformance requires validation of both syntax and semantic.
The Matterhorn Protocol specifies a common set of
31 "Checkpoints" with 136 failure conditions, whereof:

87 failure conditions can be checked by software, and

47 failure conditions usually require human judgment.

2 failure conditions have no specific tests.

Some failure conditions pertain to the document,
some to the page and most to individual objects such as
tags, tables or annotations usually require human judgment.

File Name Extensions

File name extensions are used to specify the file format for a particular document.

File name extension for PDF/UA document is:

.pdf

PDF/VT - "PDF for Variable Data and Transactional Printing Format":

PDF/VT is an ISO Standard since 2010 for variable data printing.

Portable Document Format Standard (ISO 16612).
Swedish Standard (SS-ISO 16612-2:2010).

File Name Extensions

File name extensions are used to specify the file format for a particular document.

File name extension for PDF/VT document is:

.pdf

PDF/X - "Prepress Digital Data Exchange using PDF Format":

PDF/X is an ISO Standard since 2001 for prepress file exchange for the printing industry.

Portable Document Format Standard (ISO 15930).
Swedish Standard (SS-ISO 15930-1, etc).

File Name Extensions

File name extensions are used to specify the file format for a particular document.

File name extension for PDF/X document is:

.pdf