The PDF format has been standardized at ISO (since 2008), more specifically in its Technical Committee 171 (TC171). This committee standardizes not only PDF itself, but also all subset standards (PDF/A, PDF/UA etc.) - except the graphic arts standards PDF/X and PDF/VT, which were standardized in TC130. In two ballots that closed last month (May 2025), both committees agreed to transfer PDF/X from ISO TC130 Working Group 2 into a new Joint Working Group 14 in TC171. (There is no active work for PDF/VT, so that is not moved). This might sound like a bureaucratic detail, but it means that the most important PDF subset standard for graphic arts is now closer to the PDF standard. In this blog, I want to talk about why this has happened, what it means for the industry and what else is going on in standardization for graphic arts.

The first result of the transition of PDF/X to TC 171 is that the current work on aligning PDF/A-4 and PDF/X-6 can now proceed more smoothly. The goal is to facilitate future standards development and their implementation. This will be achieved through new versions of the two subsets, which are currently being worked on.

However, there is more: upcoming changes in graphic arts have an impact on both PDF and print PDF. Some of these changes were discussed at a Symposium 1.5 years ago and a blog that I wrote shortly thereafter is still accurate:

• One of the “biggest” topics was and is HDR (high dynamic range) graphics, developed in a world where many graphics are primarily viewed on self-illuminating devices - also called “monitors”. It is debated whether HDR graphics can be printed (I do not think so), but not only do we need a specification for how they can be encoded in PDF, we also need rules for what should happen when those PDFs are then printed – e.g. on an office printer, on an offset printing machine or a 7 color digital press.

• Another significant topic is related precisely to these 7-color digital presses, often used to print brand or other spot colors in CMYKOVG. Using such color spaces is standardized in PDF/X-5n and PDF/X-6n, however it is currently not possible even in PDF 2.0 to transparently blend these spot colors – which are used like process colors – without converting them to CMYK.

• A newer topic is the authenticity of information in PDF. Authenticity is becoming more important today, since it is easy to manipulate images or other media using AI-based technology. The “Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity” (C2PA) has developed a cryptographic metadata standard to prove the authenticity of any media. It still needs to be specified how C2PA is encoded in PDF at both the document and object levels.

All these new features will have a significant impact on the graphic arts industry. They require fundamental changes to the PDF specification, and that work necessitates knowledge about the PDF format that is not as prevalent in TC 130 as it would need to be for these tasks. In addition, the “real” work on PDF is today done in working groups of the PDF Association. The PDF Association also has the secretariat for ISO TC171, so that proposals developed there can easily be moved from the PDF Association to ISO if that makes sense. Via their liaisons to ISO TC 171 (and TC 130), all members of the PDF Association have access to the ISO discussions and documents, so there are no delays or interruptions.

All of this means that the PDF Association might in the future provide a “larger home” for the graphic arts industry to discuss their requirements on PDF. For that reason, David and I will also host sessions on graphic arts topics at the PDF Association’s PDF Days in September in Berlin (“When PDF is production critical” and “Making it easier to design…” on Canva & Co). It would be great to see you there.

I want to close with a comment on why standards adoption is so slow and even slower than standards development. I believe standards and standard development are important to prepare for future developments. If the industry is not ready to use them once they are available, that is not an issue. It would be an issue if the industry was looking for a standard that is not available.