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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.

5 reasons to attend PDF Days this June

March 2016 by PDF Association staff
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June is the best time of the year to visit Berlin. The air is sweet, the trees are in bloom and the currywurst is hot! On June 14-15, Berlin is … Read more

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March 2016 by Duff Johnson
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The Nordic Council of Ministers adopts PDF/UA for a key publication series.

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March 2016 by PDF Association staff
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This year, the successful PDF Days Europe will be held in Berlin. Across two days, you’ll be able to choose … Read more

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March 2016 by PDF Association staff
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This year, the established and popular PDF Days Europe will be held on June 14 and 15, 2016, in the … Read more

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March 2016 by Duff Johnson
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Release 0.10 includes a substantially improved CLI, an initial set of PDF/A-2 test files, and more.

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March 2016 by Duff Johnson
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The latest Quark Xpress will be able to repurpose PDF page content into its own object and layout model.

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March 2016 by Duff Johnson
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A world-leading chat application adds PDF support before any other.

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February 2016 by PDF Association staff
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The new Chairman of the PDF/E Competence Center discusses the origin of the new organization in support of engineering applications … Read more

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February 2016 by Duff Johnson
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Among many other accessibility-related enhancements to its Office products in 2016, Microsoft plans to improve support for PDF/UA.

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February 2016 by Duff Johnson
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As with every other industry, the architectural, engineering and construction industries have been slowly transitioning from paper to electronic documentation … Read more

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February 2016 by Duff Johnson
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PDF files can be hard to search with confidence. Here’s why it matters, how it happens, and what you can … Read more

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