Feature
If you are serving communities that require accessible docu-
ments, take the time to review the PDF 2.0 specifications for
what they bring, but also remember to stay up-to-date with
changes in regulations. The Web Content Accessibility Guide-
lines (WCAG 2.0) on the W3C site (https://www.w3.org/TR/
WCAG-TECHS/pdf.html) are a great place to learn about the
requirements and changes in the world of accessible PDF.
What else is new?
For PDF 2.0 there are many major and minor changes
beyond the major rewrite for consistency and clarity. Because
PDF 2.0 is, in many ways, a roll-up of the wide array of PDF
variations (PDF/A, PDF/US, PDF/X and all of the varieties),
the update process could have an impact on the look of the
files your produce. You will want to establish a good regres-
sion-testing program to ensure that you can make needed
adjustments to maintain the look of the work you do for
regular clients.
The update includes rewrites of chapters covering rendering
and transparency, which may alter how your print files render.
If you are taking advantage of the tagging capabilities in PDF,
there are rewrites to the metadata and tagged PDF sections.
If you are one of the many print shops looking at adding
3D printers to support client requests, PDF 2.0 supports
the Product Representations Compact (PRC) 3D file format,
which allows for 3D data to be embedded in PDF files. It
also enables tools for viewing, measuring and annotating
media content.
One other notable change is something that goes away in
PDF 2.0. If you have been using the Open Prepress Interface
(OPI) in your homegrown prepress processes, this function
has been declared deprecated and removed. Many third-
party vendor products have workarounds, but if you are one
of the many print shops that wrote your own scripts and
protocols, this could require some changes in how you man-
age low-resolution placeholders.
Taking advantage of this new feature requires PDF genera-
tion tools that support that tagging of the profiles to the
pages, and digital front ends and RIPs that support PDF 2.0.
This is a great time to talk to your software vendors and your
clients to understand their PDF 2.0 plans.
If you are one of those printers who loves to dig into the
technical specifications, this time it comes with a price. The
copyright on the PDF 2.0 specification is held by ISO, so you
have to buy your copy from their website, www.iso.org.
Pat McGrew covers workflow and print for commercial, transactional,
packaging and textile printing focused on digital technologies with
KeyPoint Intelligence - InfoTrends. She is the co-author of eight
industry books and a regular writer in the industry trade press. Find
Pat on Twitter as @PatMcGrew and on LinkedIn.
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