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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.

The new PDF Association website

January 2019 by Matthias Wagner
News, PDF Association news


Welcome to the brand new PDF Association website. This sweeping relaunch has a modern and user-friendly interface and offers interesting contributions for every visitor.

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January 2019 by Dietrich von Seggern (callas software GmbH)
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Today’s world of Information Technology has opened the doors in many ways in order to integrate people with disabilities into … Read more

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January 2019 by PDF Association staff
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We’ve done PDF Day events and technical conferences across Europe, in the US, in Australia, and elsewhere. This Electronic Document … Read more

PDF Association news

January 2019 by PDF Association staff
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To complement existing Working Groups, the Board of Directors has decided to allow the creation of Liaison Working Groups (LWGs) … Read more

PDF Association news

January 2019 by Matthias Wagner
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Liebe deutschsprachige Besucher unserer Webseite! Gerade im technischen Umfeld kommt heute kaum noch eine Webseite ohne englischsprachige Begriffe und Inhalte … Read more

PDF Association news

December 2018 by PDF Association staff
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2006: The PDF/A Competence Center A new year brings new things, and 2019 is no exception! There are many exciting … Read more

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December 2018 by Thomas Zellmann
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PDF Day France will be the first French-speaking event of the PDF Association. The event takes place in Toulouse, the … Read more

PDF Association news

November 2018 by Duff Johnson
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This event allows those engaged with electronic document technology focusing on developers, product managers, professional document users, creative professionals and … Read more

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November 2018 by PDF Association staff
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Anticipating the new Japanese era name, the Unicode Consortium announced its reservation of U+32FF for this purpose. PDF developers should … Read more

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November 2018 by PDF Association staff
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The PDF and the User survey is back for a fourth year. This survey is designed to capture the perceptions … Read more

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October 2018 by Duff Johnson
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How do we gain insight into how users’ views of documents are shifting? Google Trends is an increasingly interesting source … Read more

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