The new PDF standards 2020

ISO standard

In 2017, the PDF 2.0 standard was published. In 2020, it was updated with corrections in a second edition. This is ISO 32000-2:2020 as an update to PDF 2.0. What do you need to know about these new PDF standards, and what changes do they introduce for the subset standards?

The four subset standards in the second edition of PDF 2.0​

  1. PDF/A-4
  2. PDF/VT-3
  3. PDF/X-6
  4. PDF/R-1

How does the latest revision affect each subset standard?​

PDF/A-4: ISO 19005-4:2020

PDF/A, the format for long-term archiving, is now available in an updated specification. PDF/A-4 simplifies conversion and introduces an archiving path for PDF files without losing PDF 2.0 features such as page-based output intents. It also simplifies digital signature handling and supports JavaScript form fields.

PDF/A-4 also replaces the former conformance levels a/b/u with new levels PDF/A-4f and PDF/A-4e. These levels support non-PDF/A attachments and engineering use cases. Rich media annotations for 3D content in U3D or PRC can now be added to the base PDF/A-4 format.

More about PDF/A and its variants:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDF/A

PDF/X-6: ISO 15930-9:2020

In addition to long-term archiving standards, PDF/X was updated for professional print workflows. PDF/X was originally the first ISO subset standard for PDF and was designed for the printing industry (X = eXchange).

PDF/X-6 and PDF/A-4 are largely aligned, but PDF/X includes stricter color requirements for print production. PDF/X-6 also supports page-based output intents, black point compensation, and spectral data for spot colors (CxF), which helps ensure consistent color reproduction for logos and cross-media output. With PDF 2.0 revision support, PDF/X-6 files can also include annotations, digital signatures, and form fields.

More about PDF/X:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDF/X

PDF/VT-3: ISO 16612-3:2020

PDF/VT-3 is based on PDF/X-6 and focuses on variable and transactional printing workflows (VDP = Variable Data Printing). It is often considered an alternative to PCL, PPML, or AFP formats. The revision also introduces practical support for page-based metadata (DPart).

PDF/VT was introduced by ISO in 2010:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDF/VT

PDF/R-1: ISO 23504-1:2020

Alongside standards for archiving and print, PDF/R is designed specifically for scan workflows. In the revision context, PDF/R became a new ISO standard (R = raster).

The standard was developed by the PDF Association together with the TWAIN Working Group. Its focus is optimized storage and exchange of multi-page raster image documents, such as scanned documents and photos.

Read more​

PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, PDF/A-3, and PDF/UA

PDF/X:

https://www.webpdf.de/blog/en/the-printing-process-pdfx-as-the-standard/