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PDF/A and external references

November 2025 by Peter Wyatt

PDF/A ensures reliable long-term rendering by embedding fonts, images, and color profiles, but URLs can still appear in text, hyperlinks, bookmarks, annotations, metadata, and embedded files.

Link annotations and URI Actions define clickable destinations, but PDF/A restricts certain action types to prevent external dependencies.

Guided by clear policies, comprehensive audits of both visible and hidden references help maintain authenticity, accessibility, and long-term integrity of PDF/A documents and digital collections.

PDF/A ensures reliable long-term rendering by embedding fonts, images, and color profiles, but URLs can still appear in text, hyperlinks, bookmarks, annotations, metadata, and embedded files.

Link annotations and URI Actions define clickable destinations, but PDF/A restricts certain action types to prevent external dependencies.

Guided by clear policies, comprehensive audits of both visible and hidden references help maintain authenticity, accessibility, and long-term integrity of PDF/A documents and digital collections.

EU: may exclude “non-web format content” from Directive

May 2015 by Duff Johnson
News


EU policy-makers reconsider application of WCAG 2.0-based regulations to non-web content.

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May 2015 by Duff Johnson
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The PDF Technical Conference 2015 in San Jose, California this coming October offers a unique collection of developer-oriented resources to … Read more

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May 2015 by Duff Johnson
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The first set of 49 candidate test suite files has been loaded to veraPDF’s public Github repository.

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April 2015 by Duff Johnson
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Following 24 hours of teleconference meetings ISO committee delegates and PDF Association members gather in San Jose.

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April 2015 by Duff Johnson
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In essence, Xplor is about doing clever things with PDF files.

News

April 2015 by Duff Johnson
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Germany Standards bureau bans lossy JBIG2 compression from use in German federal agencies.

News

April 2015 by Duff Johnson
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In October 2014 the PDF Association (in association with its veraPDF consortium partners) won phase 1 of the PREFORMA contract … Read more

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April 2015 by Duff Johnson
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Adobe delivers the 12th major version of the software that introduced PDF.

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April 2015 by Duff Johnson
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PDF Association Executive Director testifies to the US Access Board

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March 2015 by Duff Johnson
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For members only, the PDF/A Adoption Survey collates impressions of the marketplace factors affecting PDF/A adoption.

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March 2015 by Duff Johnson
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Preservation risks associated with PDF/A, a formal analysis.

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