About us

Home of the worldwide PDF technical community, the PDF Association provides a vendor-neutral platform for developing open specifications and standards for PDF technology. Together, we are the standards development organization for PDF, driving the world’s digital document format into the 21st century and beyond.

“The most useful aspect of my membership with the PDF Association is access to the community, and the opportunity to help drive development of resources and content that advance the industry, and that are driven by the industry."

Martin Bailey, CTO, Global Graphics

Today, the PDF Association's membership spans businesses, non-profit organizations, government agencies and individual consultants from across the globe.

As the ISO Committee Manager for ISO TC 171 SC 2, the PDF Association manage the global standards-development process for all PDF's core standards.

As an ISO Category A liaison, the PDF Association provides a pathway to participation in ISO standards development for any stakeholder. The PDF Association is also in formal liaison with several other committees and organizations.

How does the PDF Association community benefit from membership?

• A vendor-neutral technical community
•  Venues for engagement with vertical industries
• Collaborative development of application notes, best-practices and other resources
• Specification and reference development
• Forums for stakeholders' concerns, questions and suggestions
• Shared knowledge and experience

PDF's end users benefit from PDF industry collaboration with greater security, reliability, quality, functionality and interoperability in their experience of electronic documents.

History

The PDF Association, e.V. was founded in Germany in 2006 as the not-for-profit 'ADDS', and was initially known as the PDF/A Competence Center. In 2011 the organization become the PDF Association, and broadened its scope to cover all aspects of PDF technology.

The PDF Association, Inc., a 501(c)(6) non-profit registered in Massachusetts, USA, was created in 2019 to provide additional services to industry.

Mission statement

As updated by the Board of Directors on November 30, 2022, the Mission of the PDF Association is:

Delivering a vendor-neutral platform for developing open specifications and standards for PDF technology.

Charter

Download the PDF Association, e.V. charter (PDF).

Contact

To communicate with the PDF Association send email to info@pdfa.org.