EA-PDF v1.0 Specification
Based on PDF/A, EA-PDF specifies a vendor- and platform- neutral format for the long-term preservation of email. This file format is compatible with either PDF/A-3 (ISO 19005-3, PDF 1.7) or PDF/A-4 (ISO/DIS 19005-4 dated revision, PDF 2.0).
This document is directed toward preservationists with an understanding of the needs and use-case for preserving email, but with limited PDF technical knowledge. It includes the reasoning behind design choices or limitations to ensure EA-PDF can meet the goals of end users now, and into the future (with EA-PDF aware software).
EA-PDF was created as part of an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation project to identify the essential characteristics and optimal functional requirements of email messages and necessary related information in a PDF technology-based archive. Major participants included the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (which chaired the effort), the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Library of Congress and others.
Background
The project originally published a technical white paper defining how email messages and their identified essential characteristics and functionality should be converted into PDF containers that can be considered – in the context of captured information – provably authentic and complete email records.
In November 2021 the University of Illinois Library at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign initiated its recently-won IMLS National Leadership Grant to develop EA-PDF. This project includes a collaboration with the PDF Association embodied in the EA-PDF Liaison Working Group with the intention of developing a technical specification to describe EA-PDF as a superset of PDF technology.
Related Publications
- “Email Archiving in PDF (EA-PDF): From Initial Specification to Community of Practice” (original project narrative) by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- “A specification for using PDF to package and represent email” by the EA-PDF Working Group
- “The Future of Email Archives“
- “Archiving email into PDF containers – a Mellon Foundation project
- “The future of past email is PDF
- “Packaging email archives using PDF“
- “Archiving email… as PDF” [YouTube video], PDF Days 2021, Dietrich von Seggern (callas software)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign announcement about EA-PDF
- PDF Association announcement about EA-PDF
