Olaf Drümmer, founder and CEO of callas software GmbH, is asked about the importance of PDF/A.

Editor: Olaf Drümmer, why do you think that PDF/A is an important development? What are the reasons and 
benefits from possibly introducing it in an organization?

Drümmer: PDF is already being used for archiving purposes, with every company muddling through in their own fashion, guided by concepts that are more or less sound. The PDF/A standard now offers standardized guidelines devised by a group of international experts. In a nutshell, the wheel no longer needs to be re-invented every time.

Editor: What factors should an organization take into 
account when implementing PDF/A? Drümmer: The crucial thing is strict compliance with the PDF/A standard. This is achieved through selecting suitable tools and carrying out ongoing quality assurance on the archiving process. Particular emphasis should be placed on carrying out a reliable PDF/A validation of the documents to be archived. Otherwise, you’ll have some nasty surprises in store later on.

Editor: How can callas software help with this?

Drümmer: callas software has been developing high-quality PDF tools for ten years. In terms of PDF verification, we have been a technology provider for Adobe, which invented PDF, since 2003. We are now able to use our tried and tested expertise to offer specialized, state-of-the-art PDF/A tools.

Editor: What can callas software contribute through its involvement in the PDF/A Competence Center?

Drümmer: PDF/A’s acceptance hugely depends on existing and future solutions achieving an extremely high level of quality. The PDF/A Competence Center is regarded quite basically as an association that establishes a very high quality level in the market. A certification program for PDF/A tools is planned for 2007. Based on the work it has done thus far, callas software has acquired extensive experience in using test suites for the PDF/X standard that is predominant in print publishing, and will apply this expertise in its work for the Competence Center.

Olaf Drümmer (picture) has been committed since the late 1990s to establishing international norms for PDF standards. He is therefore regarded as an internationally acknowledged expert in PDF and Color Management.