The PDF/X format defines a version of PDF that has been an important standard in the printing process for more than ten years.

PDF/X is a subset of the PDF specification that satisfies the needs of the printing-technology industry and fulfills the minimum standards for ensuring that materials can be printed properly. The primary purpose of this standardized suite of graphic technology standards is to minimize any ambiguity that could arise in the process of sending print-ready documents to printing companies and publishers. And by doing a pre-flight check of the file (having software inspect the PDF), you can verify the document's compatibility during the process of preparing the materials for printing.

More security: PDF document encryption can be accomplished relatively easily and you can basically choose between two different types of encryption, namely using password or certificate security.

An appropriate level of protection is recommended when exchanging particularly sensitive or mission-critical documents. The security offered by conventional transfer methods - such as sending by e-mail or storing on a server - is inadequate for effectively safeguarding your files against unauthorized access. This is why file-level encryption, such as that provided by Adobe Acrobat Pro, is vastly more reliable.

ISO 24517, also called PDF/E, is one of the newest standards governing PDF and was verified in 2007.

This subset of the PDF format (the ISO 24517 standard) was designed especially for technical documents created in engineering and architecture workflows, and supports interactive media including 3D depictions. Its broad scope of application also extends to construction and architectural drawings, which, thanks to PDF/E, can be printed on paper or displayed interactively on the computer. PDF/E documents can be viewed using the free Adobe Reader software.