1. What the PDF Association Does And What the Future Holds
PDF Days Europe 2017
What the PDF Association Does
And What the Future Holds
Matt Kuznicki Chairman of the PDF Association Chief Technical Officer - Datalogics 1

2. What is the PDF Association?
Our mission: To promote Open Standards-based electronic document implementations using PDF technology through education, expertise and shared experience for stakeholders worldwide.

3. Who is the PDF Association?
The PDF Association is made up of our membership:
138 member companies across 25 countries on 5 continents
PDF software toolkit creators
Software application writers
Document creators and workflow designers
Information managers
Technical users

4. What’s the PDF Association’s History?
PDF Association was founded in 2005 founding as ADDS (Association for Digital Document Standards)
PDF/A technical practitioners from 6 companies came together to discuss and refine PDF/A implementations
Over time, became leading general technical PDF resource for practitioners
Reached out to work with various industry organizations to advance the use of PDF
First conference held in 2007
First conference was held in 2007 in Stuttgart
The 1st International PDF/A Conference held in 2008.
We held our first general PDF event, PDF Days, in 2012 – here we are together again!

5. What’s the PDF Association’s History?
PDF Association was founded in 2005 founding as ADDS (Association for Digital Document Standards) Today the PDF Association remains the leading resource for PDF information and advocacy – while leading the future evolution of the file format

6. What Does the PDF Association Do?
We serve the PDF community in many ways:
Advancing PDF standards
Providing technical resources for PDF implementers
Collaborating with industry and trade associations to cooperate on meeting marketplace needs
Marketing and advocacy of PDF as the leading technology to solve business document needs
Bringing together the PDF implementer community

7. Advancing PDF Standards
The PDF Association and our member companies actively advance PDF standards in several ways:
Funding ISO project co-leadership role for PDF 2.0 and PDF/UA project leadership
Participating in revising, updating and advancing the PDF standard and derivatives:
PDF/A
PDF/UA
PDF/X
PDF/E
PDF/VT
Note the various PDF standards:
PDF/A for archiving and long-term preservation
PDF/UA for universal accessibility
PDF/X for graphic arts interchange
PDF/E for engineering archiving and interchange
PDF/VT for variable-data and transactional printing

8. Advancing PDF Standards
PDF Association members also receive access to participate in the ISO standards process:
Access to PDF standards drafts, working papers and committee reports
A means to provide feedback on PDF standards to the ISO working groups
Ability to register and attend ISO PDF standards meetings in-person
Our liaison status with the ISO PDF working groups allows our members to participate – actively or passively – and to make suggestions for the direction of PDF as it evolves

9. PDF Association Technical Working Groups
The PDF Association also sponsors and hosts Technical Working Groups (TWGs) to incubate ideas and advance PDF
Next generation PDF TWG
PDF/raster TWG
PDF Validation TWG
PDF Association members are welcome to propose new Technical Working Groups for proposing and refining suggestions for new features and standards
PDF/Raster TWG a joint effort with the TWAIN industry association

10. Technical Resources For PDF Implementers
The PDF Association provides a variety of resources:
PDF competence centers – expert forums for discussing questions about PDF
Best practices guides – guidance from experts for users, implementers and evaluators of PDF solutions
Reference suites – vendor-neutral test and verification suites for PDF solution evaluation
Technical and application notes – clarifications and updates to how the standards should be / are interpreted by the community
PDF competence centers: mailing lists open to PDF Association members
Reference suites: freely available to all. Includes:
Matterhorn (PDF/UA conformance) developed by the PDF/UA competence center
Isartor (PDF/A conformance) developed by the PDF/A competence center
Hosting the Cal Poly graphic communications PDF/VT test file suite

11. Industry Collaboration and Cooperation
The PDF Association works with industry and trade groups to provide information and thought leadership:
Liaisons with 21 groups in many areas:
Content and document management
Electronic information transfer standards
Information and records management
Archives, libraries and digital preservation
Graphic arts
Accessibility
Speaking engagements at liaison events
Partner members are eligible to be recommended as speakers for events
Electronic information transfer standards: Ferd (e-invoicing), ETSI (digital signatures)
We provide PDF insight, market knowledge and thought leadership to our liaisons. For example, our working with TWAIN to establish the joint technical working group to create PDF/raster
Liaison event speaker examples:
Duff at CapServe 2017
Dietrich at Nestor 2017

12. PDF Advocacy and Marketing
As PDF Association members, we understand the value that PDF brings – we seek to help others learn about this through:
Marketing materials and white papers
Industry articles and thought leadership pieces
Government and trade advocacy
PDF Association website
Public relations efforts
Materials and white papers: PDF format introduction pamphlets and “Nutshell” guides
Advocacy includes testimony to the US library of congress, US department of justice; input to many other government agencies on the use and suitability of PDF

13. PDF Association Website
A one-stop information and PDF solutions platform for our membership:
PDF industry news and articles
Member company information
Member product overviews and information
Hosted white papers and product information
Webinars and presentation videos
Member event listings
Content is member provided and driven – we aim to be the source for information about our members’ offerings
Members can list for free and in “self-service” mode – can post directly to the website – or we can help with posting

14. Bringing Together the PDF Community
The PDF Association provides ways for the PDF community to come together:
LinkedIn groups – question forums open to all PDF users regardless of affiliation
PDF Association member country/region chapters
PDF interoperability events
PDF-focused events
We’re always looking for suggestions on other ways we can come together!
Country & regional chapters: 9 different ones, each with local companies and people to share knowledge and insights with
Interoperability events: such as the PDF 2.0 interop events hosted by Global Graphics this year
PDF-focused events such as PDF days – where solution providers and practitioners can come together, have interesting and productive discussions and all learn something new!

15. Where is the PDF Association Going?
Increasing investment in standards and becoming the premier PDF Standards Development Organization
Through continuing to evolve PDF and the PDF subset standards
Through ongoing work on the Next Generation of PDF and the future of PDF
Increasing investment in marketing PDF as a business document solution ecosystem
Increasing advocacy for PDF to industry, trade and government organizations
Increasing awareness of PDF’s strengths vs. other formats and technologies
Continuing to provide opportunities for members to come together for collaboration and cooperation

16. How Can You Get Involved?
Bring your ideas and proposals
Working groups, best practices, etc. spring from interested groups of volunteers
The employees and board use your input to guide our activities and mission
You and your company can volunteer to help
Writing guides, white papers, case studies, etc.
Translating existing documents to reach new audiences
Volunteer to join the board and help drive the Association activities (partner members)
Bring your knowledge and insight
You have key knowledge that can help us understand how to promote the whole PDF ecosystem

17. How Can You Get Involved?
Keep in touch with us - let us know how we're doing
We exist in service of our members - so let us know what helps you!

18. To Summarize
Starting from a small collection of PDF/A practitioners The PDF Association has grown to be a worldwide association of PDF users and implementers Bringing together the best minds in the field Advancing the use of PDF throughout business, throughout the world

19. Thank you! Any questions?
PDF Days Europe 2017
Thank you! Any questions?
Get in touch: Web site: Twitter: PDFassocation 19