PDF Cheat Sheets

To help developers whose relationship with PDF’s specification is casual or tangential, the PDF Association provides free PDF “cheat sheets”  to aid in remembering key terms and concepts without constantly referring to ISO 32000.

What these cheat sheets are not

These cheat sheets don’t introduce PDF technology, and don't substitute for an initial learning phase. Nor do they displace the official core PDF specification.

Where the cheat sheets don’t address a subject in sufficient detail, developers should always refer to the latest ISO 32000-2 (now available at no cost), as this is the latest and most up-to-date edition of the core PDF specification.

What these cheat sheets are

These cheat sheets are designed to help developers work more efficiently while ensuring that their knowledge of PDF is technically correct. They are highly condensed summaries, with logical groupings of information to help jog one’s memory about nuances or details that are often forgotten without regular and repeated use. These cheat sheets use simple sentences, illustrations and color coding wherever possible to optimize support for the global community of PDF developers.

Download the cheat sheets now, all together, or individually. If you'd like to provide feedback to help us improve these sheets, or make suggestions for additional such sheets, please email us at info@pdfa.org.

Basics	Graphic operators and operands	Common Objects	Color