Prepress

CeBIT: pdfaPilot from callas software archives emails with PDF/A

Friday 31. January 2014 - callas software GmbH, a provider of powerful PDF technology for publishing, printing production and document archiving, will present version 5.0 of its pdfaPilot in the BITKOM ECM Solutions Park (Hall 3, Stand B17) at this year's CeBIT from March 10-14. This new release allows users to archive emails in PDF/A format, guaranteeing long-term reproducibility and system independence.

All versions of the ISO-standardised format are supported, with support for PDF/A-3 offering particular convenience. This version of the standard allows digital messages, including attachments, to be stored in a single archivable PDF/A document which also includes the original-format files. The pdfaPilot 5.0’s range of functions also includes support for the release candidate of the ZUGFeRD data format, optimised transparency flattening for PDF/A-1, and improvements for PDF/UA (PDF for universal accessibility) and EPUB, the standard ebook format. The new version of the pdfaPilot will be released at CeBIT.
Sending and receiving emails is all part of day-to-day business; by this point, it has all but replaced physical post. Accordingly, there is a growing need to integrate digital messages into document processes and to archive both them and their attachments. Simply saving messages in their source format is no guarantee that the emails and their attachments will remain reproducible for years to come. This is why it is advisable to convert all emails to PDF/A format. This will ensure files will remain readable for the long term, no matter what applications or operating systems were originally used to create them. The independent PDF/A format also allows email data to be combined into folders alongside other documents, making it easier to search for documents relating to a given business process.
As one of the world’s most popular PDF/A products, the callas pdfaPilot 5.0 provides the needed functionality in both its server and desktop versions. The software is based on the same technology used by Adobe for its Acrobat software. Emails can be archived automatically or manually, in PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2 or PDF/A-3 format as desired. The user can also record rules to specify how to process attachments. These can also be converted or, when using PDF/A-3, embedded into the original file – or both. Conversion requires no additional software to be installed, such as MS Outlook or any other email client. And PDF/A is not only the format of choice for email archiving. PDF/A-3 also makes it possible to efficiently manage related documents on a project-by-project basis, as the third version of the standard allows even non-PDF/A-compliant files to be embedded (using the “container” principle), so that emails can be added to an existing project file, for example.
Electronic invoicing with PDF/A
callas software’s flagship product also supports the release candidate for the ZUGFeRD data format for e-invoicing. Digital invoices based on this data format consist of a single file containing an archivable PDF/A document and a machine-readable XML data set. With the callas pdfaPilot, users can create, test and process these files.
Further attention to detail
Finally, callas software has also improved the pdfaPilot’s transparency flattening for PDF/A-1 and optimised exporting to PDF/UA (PDF for universal accessibility) and EPUB, the standard ebook format.
Prices and availability
Two versions of the pdfaPilot are available for business users:
The callas pdfaPilot Server costs 4,499 euros plus tax and includes a complete hot-folder interface and a command line tool. The server components support multi-processor environments for converting and validating PDF/A files.
The callas pdfaPilot Desktop costs 379 euros plus tax. It processes individual documents or entire folders when using the batch function. As a plugin for Adobe Acrobat, or a fast standalone application, the callas pdfaPilot contains a wide range of useful tools for making documents PDF/A-compatible or adapting them for many other uses.
The pdfaPilot SDK programming library is available for software houses wishing to integrate the pdfaPilot into their own product. Prices available on request.