PDF/A

ISO 19005-1:2005 - This standard defines a format (PDF/Archive) for the long-term archiving of electronic documents and is based on the PDF Reference Version 1.4 from Adobe Systems Inc. (implemented in Adobe Acrobat 5).

PDF/A is in fact a subset of PDF, leaving out PDF features not suited to long-term archiving. This is similar to the definition of the PDF/X subset for the printing and graphic arts.

The Standard identifies a “profile” for electronic documents that ensures the documents can be reproduced the exact same way in years to come. A key element to this reproducibility is the requirement for PDF/A documents to be 100 % self-contained. All of the information necessary for displaying the document in the same manner every time is embedded in the file. This includes, but is not limited to, all content (text, raster images and vector graphics), fonts, and color information. A PDF/A document is not permitted to be reliant on information from external sources (e.g. font programs and hyperlinks).

Other key elements to PDF/A compatibility include:

• Audio and video content are forbidden.
• Javascript and executable file launches are prohibited.
• All fonts must be embedded and also must be legally embeddable for unlimited, universal rendering.
• Colorspaces specified in a device-independent manner.
• Encryption is disallowed.
• Use of standards-based metadata is mandated.

See also

• PDF/X.