Conforming to Both PDF/A and PDF/UA; a new Best Practice Guide

The PDF Association is pleased to announce the availability of a new Best Practice Guide: Conforming to Both PDF/A and PDF/UA. This document provides essential guidance and recommendations for application developers and others aiming to create PDF files that adhere to multiple ISO-standardized subsets of PDF, specifically PDF/A (ISO 19005) for archiving and PDF/UA (ISO 14289) for accessibility. This guidance applies to both PDF 1.7 and the newer PDF 2.0.

In an era where regulatory requirements for accessible documents are increasing, many developers are tasked with adding PDF/UA support to their existing PDF/A output capabilities, while other stakeholders, especially preservationists and those tasked with ensuring accessibility, have questions. This guide addresses the challenges that arise when integrating these standards, particularly when legacy systems are based on older PDF specifications that may lack support for modern features. This document explains how to navigate the complexities of creating documents that meet both archival and accessibility needs, ensuring long-term preservation and usability for all.

Readers of this guide will gain a comprehensive understanding of the compatibility between various editions of PDF/A and PDF/UA. A compatibility table summarizes the PDF Association's recommendations, outlining which versions of PDF/A and PDF/UA can be used together.

The guide emphasizes the importance of referring to ISO 32000-2:2020 (PDF 2.0) as the reference specification for any PDF development effort. This document, available at no cost from the PDF Association, corrects errors and resolves ambiguities present in earlier PDF versions.

This Best Practice Guide is an essential resource for any application developer working with PDF/A and PDF/UA. It’s available now on the PDF Association website alongside other information, resources, and other publications on Accessible PDF and Archival PDF.

NOTE: PDF/UA-1 and PDF/UA-2 are also available from the PDF Association at no cost.