Development Preview: PDF file checker based on the Arlington PDF Model

On the 30th anniversary of PDF technology, we’re excited to announce the availability of the first development preview of a new veraPDF-powered application. Building on the great work done by the PDF Association supported by the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), veraPDF has developed an open-source PDF checker based on the Arlington PDF Model. This application is separate from the veraPDF PDF/A and PDF/UA validator but comprises a very familiar package of GUI and command-line applications.

About eighteen months ago, the PDF Association released the results of work funded by DARPA in the form of the Arlington PDF Model. This is an open-source, machine-parsable definition of the full PDF document model defined by the PDF 2.0 specification, ISO 32000-2:2020, and its related resolved errata. The model is presented as a set of TSV files that describe PDF’s various objects, properties, constraints and data integrity relationships. You can learn more on GitHub. The README also provides references for further reading.

The Arlington PDF Model is an invaluable resource for anyone developing or testing PDF tools. The veraPDF development team have utilised  Arlington in a way that’s compatible with the veraPDF architecture. The Arlington PDF Model-based checker can now analyse PDF files against the full PDF 2.0 specification, including errata, by downloading the Java-based installer (Win, MacOS, Linux, requires Java 8+ JRE installed) at veraPDF Software Downloads.

Please remember this release is a development preview, not production-ready software. If you do find any issues, please report them to us via the GitHub veraPDF Library repository.