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How to read ISO publications about PDF

April 2024 by Peter Wyatt (PDF Association)

ISO standards are not tailored to their domain; the same set of rules applies to all ISO standards, regardless of industry or subject.

For those unfamiliar with “ISO-ese” nuances are easily overlooked, which can result in malformed files, erroneous implementations, and problems with interoperability.

Many sentences in ISO-standardized PDF specifications are carefully crafted in an attempt to accurately communicate a very specific meaning. These nuances may be difficult to recognize if the reader does not have a good understanding of how ISO standards are written.

It is therefore important that developers engaging with ISO standards – especially those developers for whom English is not a primary language – understand how to interpret “ISO-ese”.

This article provides some basic information about ISO’s language and offers a short list of things to remember when reviewing ISO standards for PDF.

European Accessibility Act and its importance for PDF accessibility

April 2024 by axes4 GmbH
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Accessibility is vital for ensuring that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can fully participate in society. This article delves into the key aspects of this legislation and its impact on … Read more

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March 2024 by PDF Association staff (PDF Association)
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Authoritative answers to common questions about Tagged PDF, WTPDF and PDF/UA.

PDF Association news

March 2024 by Peter Wyatt (PDF Association)
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How meaningful is PDF’s version number? SafeDocs’ research reveals that 20% of extant files contain features that exceed the stated … Read more

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March 2024 by Peter Wyatt (PDF Association)
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Peter Wyatt shares his custom metadata panels – very useful for discovering ISO standards and PDF Declarations metadata! (until vendors … Read more

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March 2024 by PDF Association staff (PDF Association)
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Based on WTPDF, ISO 14289-2 serves to assure institutions that the PDF Association’s requirements for creating and validating accessible PDF … Read more

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March 2024 by PDF Association staff (PDF Association)
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Join pdfa.org for exclusive member benefits tailored to PDF development. Our Member Benefit Manager, Melina, engages in insightful discussions with … Read more

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March 2024 by PDF Association staff (PDF Association)
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The PDF Association has established a new Liaison Working Group (LWG) to serve as a place for forensics experts and … Read more

PDF Association news

February 2024 by PDF Association staff (PDF Association)
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Well-Tagged PDF (WTPDF), a common specification for both reuse and accessibility, is a massive leap forward for PDF technology.

PDF Association news

February 2024 by Duff Johnson (PDF Association)
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It’s time for AI integrators to help authors make semantically rich documents… and step up their game on PDF inputs.

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February 2024 by PDF Association staff (PDF Association)
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All PDF Association Full and Liaison Members who have joined Technical and/or Liaison Working Groups are welcome for two weeks … Read more

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January 2024 by PDF Association staff (PDF Association)
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A major focus of the PDF Association’s work is to increase awareness and adoption of standards and best practices for … Read more

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