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PDF/A-2 makes it possible: the new pdfaPilot from callas software shows greater application options of PDF/A
Wednesday 22. September 2010 - The new part of the standard for PDF/A-2 provides additional options for long-term archiving
The international PDF/A conference in Rome will feature a presentation by callas software GmbH on the new release of the company’s pdfaPilot, a high performance software solution for generating and validating PDF/A-compliant files. In anticipation of PDF/A-2, callas software has integrated additional functions in its flagship product, which support the new part of the ISO standard. Among other things, all levels of conformity are supported, including the new PDF/A-2u level. In addition to that, at the exhibition running parallel with the conference, where ‘PDF/A-2 ready’ is a major theme, callas will show how the features that are new in PDF/A-2, such as collections of multiple files, offer new possibilities for archiving and other PDF workflows. The PDF/A conference will be held from September 30 to October 1, 2010 in Rome, Italy.
With the pdfaPilot from callas software, companies, public authorities, archives and libraries that want to store and maintain documents for long periods can create and validate PDF/A files for long-term archiving which comply with the ISO standard. The software converts all kinds of PDF documents into PDF/A documents, regardless of whether they are PDFs produced in MS Office applications or are interactive forms, invoices, construction drawings, technical documentation, presentations, newspapers or books. pdfaPilot also converts Microsoft Office and OpenOffice documents to PDF/A.
callas software has prepared its flagship product for the requirements of the new part of the standard, PDF/A-2. Its greater functionality will be demonstrated at the fourth international PDF/A conference focusing on PDF/A-2. The new features of pdfaPilot include support for all levels of conformity: On top of the familiar ‘b’ (basic: visual integrity) and ‘a’ (advanced), there is now also ‘PDF/A-2u’ (for Unicode). This level has less comprehensive requirements than level ‘a’, but ensures that PDF files are search-able and that text content can be copied.
Olaf Drümmer, CEO of callas software GmbH, explains “The PDF/A-2 standard offers some interesting advanced options, such as different ‘layer views’ for the same PDF or collecting multiple source files into a single PDF with embedded PDFs as attachments. This results in a variety of new application possibilities. Our new pdfaPilot has been upgraded so that users can really enjoy the benefits of these new features, which we will present for the first time at the PDF/A conference. We look forward to the dialogue with interested users.”
Layers as supported by PDF/A-2 enable multilingual content to be collected and viewed appropriately in a single PDF file, for example. Users might apply this function in order to switch easily between English, French and Chinese versions of a multilingual manual. But there are more areas of application. Looking at plans for buildings, for example, this might be the information for the electrical or water supply.
For e-mail archiving, the support of ‘collections’ is particularly interesting. This function will enable users to compile multiple files in a “container PDF”. E-mail attachments (such as original MS Word files, converted to PDF/A files in the archive) can be kept separate from the e-mail text but still combined in a PDF/A collection for archiving.
By supporting the new features of PDF/A-2, callas software provides companies who want to use the new part of the ISO standard with a solution for PDF/A-compliant long-term archiving. Approval of the new part of the standard is expected at the beginning of 2011.