PDF/A and external references

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.
Adobe’s Standards Support Endowment 2020
The Standards Support Endowment allows the PDF Association to increase support for standards development, including a new PDF subset specification targeting repurposing of PDF content.



























