PDF and industry standards
PDF is the standard:
For archiving
PDF/A was approved by the ISO in May 2005, PDF/A supports the long-term preservation of digital documents. Records managers, archivists, and industry compliance professionals can easily preserve and protect important electronic documents and information as fully searchable, protected PDF/A-compliant documents.
For publishing
PDF/X was developed to facilitate the exchange of final, print-ready pages, PDF/X restricts all content, such as Java applets or embedded multimedia, that does not directly serve high-quality print production output. Print professionals, graphic designers, and other creative professionals can use PDF to deliver predictable, press-ready PDF/X-compliant files.
For design
U3D: The Universal 3D (U3D) file format is an open and extensible format for sharing and viewing interactive 3D designs. Architects, engineers, and manufacturing design professionals can embed U3D files directly into Adobe PDF files, making it easy to distribute, review, or repurpose valuable 3D content.
For engineering
PDF/E: Officially accepted as an ISO work item, PDF/E provides guidelines for the reliable exchange of documentation and drawings. Architects, engineers, construction professionals, and manufacturing product teams can streamline the exchange of project information and review and mark up documents, including complex 3D content, all within a PDF file.
For accessibility
PDF/UA provides guidance for making PDF information universally accessible. Businesses and government agencies can create PDF/UA-compliant documents that can be accessed anytime, on any hardware or software platform, by anyone with disabilities such as vision impairment or limited mobility.
For general-use
As of January, 2007, Adobe is working with an ISO Technical Committee to submit PDF 1.7 to ISO for approval as a formal, open standard, named ISO 32000. ISO 32000 will be maintained and further developed by this technical committee with the objective of protecting the integrity and longevity of PDF. This will provide a formal, open standard for the billion+ PDF files in existence today.
Next steps
