Know Your File Formats: PDF/A, PDF/X, and Beyond
Along with universal internet access and smart search engines, the PDF file format is probably the third best thing to happen to us in the virtual realm. After all, what other file format guarantees that it can be opened on any device without any issues AND with the original content and formatting left intact? That’s right, exactly zero.
However, as the format surged in popularity (especially following 2008 when Adobe made it into an open standard) and more people tried to make it do things it wasn’t originally designed to support, its inevitable drawbacks became increasingly apparent. Enter the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to save the day. Thanks to their hard work and dedication, today we have PDF standards for just about anything — from the printing industry to manufacturing and archival work to the healthcare sector.
So, grab a cup of Joe and join us as we demystify these variations on the established PDF formula and explain why they exist at all (don’t worry, each of them has a solid alibi).
Let’s go!
PDF/A — Deckard Cain’s favorite format
In case you didn’t catch that silky-smooth Diablo reference, this format is all about long-term archival. Published in late 2005 under ISO 19005–1, this standard guarantees businesses and institutions that their dusty PDF files could be opened without any hassle 10, 30, 50, or even 100 years from now all while maintaining their original formatting.
To achieve this, PDF/A is somewhat restricted in features. For instance, it doesn’t support audio and video content, some types of PDF security features (e.g. encryption), and even select fonts to avoid potential incompatibilities for people on more modern systems. This makes this little-known cousin of the “mainstream” PDF variety a godsend for all modern-day Cains of the world, such as archivists and records managers. Stay a while and listen indeed!
It’s also worth mentioning that the latest standard (PDF/A-4) comes in three editions, depending on your use case:
- The standalone version (great for your typical archival work)
- PDF/A-4f (allows embedding of file attachments)
- PDF/A-4e (used for archiving PDFs containing 3D drawings)
PDF/X — where “X” is for eXtremely printer-friendly
Just kidding, of course. The actual name is PDF for Exchange and was developed to ensure that files intended for commercial printing are adhering to specific print industry standards. This is achieved by embedding certain types of information within the document, such as:
- Color spaces
- Fonts
- Image resolutions
- Other required assets
All of this streamlines the work for printers and guarantees that none of the information will be altered in the process of printing, whether you’re producing magazines, brochures, or packaging materials. PDF/X also minimizes errors in the prepress phase and includes a range of extra features missing from the regular PDF format to help users produce high-quality graphic content free from visible degradation or distortion.
PDF/VT: printing variables left and right
Mainly popular with the direct marketing folks, PDF for Variable Data and Transactional Printing is a standard that is tailored to printing documents with variable content. What is this, you ask? Well, variable content could be things like:
- Invoices
- Statements
- Personalized marketing materials, such as subscriptions to digital magazines (National Geographic, anyone?)
Similar to the PDF/X variant, this format also supports color profiles, multiple layers, and transparent graphics to ensure that the final result will be (hopefully) jaw-droppingly good.
PDF/E — the engineering industry sweetheart
As we all know from high school (and movies), engineers, architects, and design professionals often rely on complex 3D models and technical drawings for projects. PDF/E, or PDF for Engineering, caters specifically to their needs by providing support for embedding 3D models, CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data, fluent animations, and other engineering-related content. Due to the sheer ease with which you can share a technical document using this specification, it’s especially popular with people working in manufacturing, construction, and aerospace-related industries where painstaking precision and detail are the name of the game.
PDF/UA — PDFs for people with impairments
As the subtitle suggests, PDF/UA, or PDF for Universal Accessibility, enables people with disabilities to read PDF documents. Accessibility is a legal requirement in many countries, and so PDF/UA ensures that PDF documents are structured to work with screen readers, assistive technologies, and other accessibility tools. The strength of this specification lies in its support for proper tagging of content, alternative text for images, and logical reading order, while also playing a critical role in sectors like education, government, and healthcare, where equal access to information is much desired.
PDF Healthcare — not just for your medical bills
The healthcare industry generates vast amounts of patient records, medical reports, and documentation, all of which must be managed securely and efficiently. PDF Healthcare, also known as PDF/H, is a PDF specification designed for healthcare information management. For instance, it supports digital signatures and stronger encryption options than the other file formats. It’s also fully compliant with medical standards like Health Level 7 (HL7) to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive medical data. Thanks to PDF Healthcare patient record-keeping is streamlined, different healthcare systems communicate better, and private patient information is protected up to an industry standard and as required by law. If you ask us, PDF Healthcare should be proclaimed a national hero, really.
TL;DR (a short summary)
And there you have it — these are the 6 most popular side-projects (erm, specifications) of the popular PDF file format that we all know and love. Here is a quick recap for those of you who decided to scroll to the end (no hard feelings, we get that life can get busy sometimes):
- PDF/A: great for when you want to preserve documents for hundreds and potentially thousands of years; used by archivists and records managers.
- PDF/X: when your document features heavy use of high-quality graphics, this is where you want to be; this specification hard-codes fonts, color spaces, and other information to prevent printing errors and preserve the quality of the graphics.
- PDF/VT: similar to PDF/X, but for direct marketing purposes where lots of variables are involved; typically applied to invoices, statements, and personalized marketing materials.
- PDF/E: great for engineers, architects, and other precision-based professions due to its advanced 3D model and CAD support.
- PDF/UA: this specification essentially makes PDFs accessible to people with visual or hearing impairments.
- PDF Healthcare: designed to streamline patient records and adhere to a whole range of medical and privacy policy standards; features strong encryption settings.
That being said, chances are that you will rarely have to work with any of these if you are not an expert in any of these fields. Still, knowledge is power, and so it never hurts to know a little bit more about one of the most popular file formats in the world.
After all, that’s what this blog is all about. 🙂
Happy PDF-ing and until next time!
