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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.

New Visual Studio Code extension supporting PDF syntax

November 2023 by PDF Association staff
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The new VSCode extension by the PDF Association provides PDF syntax awareness to this popular editor, and is designed to support those learning PDF as a page description language.

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November 2023 by Peter Wyatt
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The PDF Association’s unique Visual Studio Code “pdf-cos-syntax” extension is now available for immediate download.

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November 2023 by PDF Association staff (PDF Association, Inc.)
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The PDF technical community will hold a series of online meetings during February 2024 to continue advancing the PDF file … Read more

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November 2023 by Dietrich von Seggern (callas software GmbH)
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Callas software’s Dietrich von Seggern describes a few of the innovative technologies under consideration for PDF as discussed at the … Read more

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November 2023 by PDF Association staff
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We wanted to know how well ChatGPT processes PDF files. So we signed up for ChatGPT 4.0, the paid version, … Read more

PDF in the Wild

October 2023 by Peter Wyatt
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Although PDF is commonly understood as a single holistic file format, in reality, PDF comprises a number of distinct dialects, … Read more

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October 2023 by PDF Association staff
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5 years ago the PDF Accessibility LWG began a project to develop a set of accessibility techniques for PDF files. … Read more

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October 2023 by National Archives and Records Administration

New federal regulations set digitization standards for permanent records and require agencies to manage their permanent records in digital format.

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October 2023 by PDF Association staff
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PDF Week Fall 2023 in San Francisco covered subjects ranging from HDR to compression, color fonts, animation, accessibility and (much!) … Read more

PDF Association news

October 2023 by PDF Association staff
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The PDF Association is perhaps DARPA’s smallest-ever prime contractor. For DARPA’s SafeDocs program, however, it’s also the biggest success story.

PDF in the Wild

September 2023 by Thomas Zellmann
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To encourage marketing staff to sign up for the PDF Technology Marketing Working Group we decided to record a recent … Read more

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