Duff Johnson is a veteran of the electronic document technology marketplace. He founded or led several software and services businesses in the electronic document industry since 1996, and holds several industry awards.
As CEO of the PDF Association and Executive Director of its US subsidiary, PDF Association, Inc., Duff coordinates a wide variety of industry activities and represents the industry in a variety of settings and promotes the advancement and adoption of PDF technology worldwide.
Duff serves the PDF industry in technical roles as ISO Project co-Leader and US TAG chair for both ISO 32000 (the PDF specification) and ISO 14289 (PDF/UA).
He can be reached at duff.johnson@pdfa.org.
Duff Johnson is a veteran of the electronic document technology marketplace. He founded or led several software and services businesses in the electronic document industry since 1996, and holds several industry awards.
As CEO of the PDF Association and Executive Director of its US subsidiary, PDF Association, Inc., Duff coordinates a wide variety of industry activities and represents the industry in a variety of settings and promotes the advancement and adoption of PDF technology worldwide.
Duff serves the PDF industry in technical roles as ISO Project co-Leader and US TAG chair for both ISO 32000 (the PDF specification) and ISO 14289 (PDF/UA).
He can be reached at duff.johnson@pdfa.org.
A new resource collating all ISO groups and currently active work items related to PDF has been developed. Based on public information, this summary is invaluable for all PDF developers to ensure awareness of forthcoming …
When people talk to me about PDF technology they are generally pretty happy about it. End users feel that they can really understand PDF; it works exactly as you’d expect digital paper to work; simple, …
“I’m sorry, Derek, but, now that Kelsey has learned how to convert JPEGs into PDFs, we can’t justify keeping you on.”
Apple’s desktop suite, Pages, Keynote and Numbers, now supports creation of tagged (and thus, accessible and reusable) PDF.
As of October 7, 2019, websites and mobile applications in the U.S. will be assessed as “public accommodations”, and the Americans with Disabilities Act will apply.
Earlier this year we covered the release of the Mueller Report covering the Special Counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election. We highlighted how, in the digital age, the choices made in …
After an impressive effort the Mueller Report is now available as a free EPUB file. What might have been in PDF?
What are the essential characteristics and optimal functional requirements of email messages and necessary related information in a PDF technology-based archive? This project sets out to answer that question.
PDF Association awarded DoD contract to advise on research into enhancing trust in digital content and streams. Last year the PDF Association reported that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a unit of the …
Through the Section 508 regulations, the US Access Board sets accessibility policy for US federal agencies and contractor’s deliverables. “[Essentially], PDF/UA is required (as an option) for software that can create *modern and good* PDFs,” …
How do you redact content in HTML? The format doesn’t really include that concept. In both principle and practice, committing to a rendering is definitive; final, portable and generic; it’s what the use case demands. …
As reported within hours by Quartz, four days after its initial release and fanfare-free, the US Department of Justice re-posted the Mueller Report PDF with a few improvements. They also added a few problems that …
On April 19 we published an analysis of the Mueller report PDF released by the US Department of Justice. Further analysis of the PDF file reveals an additional serious problem. Even after running OCR software, the …
What can we learn about the Mueller Report from the PDF file released by the Department of Justice (DoJ) on April 18, 2019? This article offers two things: a brief, high-level technical assessment of the …
Author of over 15 books and a guru to generations of graphic designers, David Blatner is a legend in digital publishing. He’s also the keynote speaker opening the 2nd day of the Electronic Document Conference in …
When I’m not working for the PDF Association I still do some consulting in the document management space. Some recent conversations prompted me to revisit an assessment I wrote four years ago exploring a typical conversation …
On February 25, 2019, researchers from Ruhr University Bochum and Hackmanit GmbH published pdf-insecurity.org, a detailed explanation of several vulnerabilities they had identified in PDF viewers and online validation services relevant to signature validation in digitally-signed …
Welcome to the brand new PDF Association website. This sweeping relaunch has a modern and user-friendly interface and offers interesting contributions for every visitor.
This event allows those engaged with electronic document technology focusing on developers, product managers, professional document users, creative professionals and others, to exchange views and discuss subjects of common interest. The Electronic Document Conference 2019 will …
How do we gain insight into how users’ views of documents are shifting? Google Trends is an increasingly interesting source of high-level marketplace data. By aggregating Google’s search data over time, reporting a term’s popularity …
My hospital emailed me a medical records release form as a PDF. They told me to print it, fill it, sign it, scan it and return it to the medical records department, in that order. …
PDF/UA, like PDF itself, is internally complex, but used correctly, actually makes things easier.
In a recent article I discussed using PDF as a container to organize, transport and archive collections of content. Since then I’ve had numerous discussions about this idea with members of the PDF technology and related …
Introduction PDF technology profiles can be leveraged to provide trusted, predictable containers for record types that often present workflow and preservation challenges, with email and case files (associated files in arbitrary formats) as primary use-cases. Community-developed …
PDF files deliver a complete package of information that defines a document; everything that’s needed to represent the text, graphics and layout that the recipient receives. To most people, PDF is “electronic paper” – the …
What is a “document”? A document is a record of some (typically written) content – a publication, a contract, a statement, a painting – at a moment in time. Until the advent of computers (and …
It’s a question that vexes vendors of web-based solutions everywhere: why do people still insist on PDF files? And why does PDF’s mindshare keep going up? “PDF is such antediluvian technology!” they say. “It’s pre-web, are …
The Portable Document Format is perhaps the most common example of a de facto standard, so much so that Wikipedia features PDF on its “de facto standards” page. From Ethernet and 802.11 to HTTP and …
As we reported yesterday, those in the crypto world are well-aware that Google and others have proven that SHA-1, the venerable cryptographic hash function standard, is dead. The consequences, however, are yet to be determined. …
The veraPDF consortium has completed PREFORMA’s prototyping phase, and has been awarded the contract for the final six month testing phase.
The first post-Adobe ISO standard for PDF technology creates new opportunities for developers of electronic document software. Berlin, February 2, 2017 –The PDF Association, the non-profit industry trade-group for organizations specializing in PDF technology, today …
The US Access Board has issued new rules updating its “Section 508” accessibility requirements. PDF/UA-1 support is required for PDF creation software producing PDF 1.7 files.
Apple’s PDF problems get worse on Sierra, says Tidbits publisher.
The final beta-release of veraPDF is now available. Version 1.0 is expected on January 9th 2017. The 1.0 release is required by PREFORMA in order to initiate its Phase 3 testing and acceptance process.
It’s all about the strategic perspective on PDF.
The website Technology Decisions wrote: For the first time, PDF Day will be held in Australia during November. The event is designed to assist CIOs, document management experts and electronic content policymakers understand ISO-standardised PDF …
veraPDF version 0.26 includes the first beta release of the new purpose-built PDF parser. This release can be used alongside the PDFBox parser to compare results. In addition, a new batch processor and updated reporting …
ISO 32000 Project co-Leader and PDF Association member Peter Wyatt talks PDF 2.0 and the upcoming PDF Day Australia conference on November 25 in Sydney.
Have you used veraPDF? Let the project’s funder know your views!
The latest veraPDF now includes batch processing (beta), additional error-handling and extraction of the AFRelationship key.
Looking for PDF expertise in the Asia / Pacific region! Come to PDF Day Australia on November 25, 2016 in Sydney!
The latest incremental release reflects user requests, some minor fixes and a decision taken in the PDF Validation TWG.
US agencies have released updated guidelines on digitizing books and other materials.
PDF/UA documents from Microsoft are on the way.
ECM needs a common portable container to move information management to the next level.
version 0.20 is a minor update to the software. In addition, 34 files have been aded to the test corpus for PDF/A-2b.
The composition of the Board now includes six from Europe and four from North America, including Adlib Software, Adobe Systems, callas software, Datalogics, DocuSign, Intarsys, Levigo, LuraTech (a unit of Foxit), Nitro and Satz-Rechen-Zentrum Berlin.
The veraPDF purpose-built validator for PDF/A now covers all parts and conformance levels of PDF/A.
Apple’s latest tablet brings ColorSync functionality to iOS.
Along with 65 new atomic test suite files, the 0.14 release features validation of all parts and conformance levels of PDF/A.
PDF Association Executive Director Duff Johnson wins the Thomas Bagg Standards Award.
PDF’s value-proposition is exemplified by a USB key developed to monitor temperatures in shipping containers.
veraPDF 0.12 features improved PDF/A-2b and PDF/A-3b validation and a complete REST API.
An optional PDF/UA conversion add-on will soon allow users to create PDF/UA documents from Google Docs.
PDF/UA is the newest US National Standard, and it’s available for only $15 from aiim.org!
It’s a milestone release for this open source, permissively-licensed Java software for PDF creation and processing.
The Nordic Council of Ministers adopts PDF/UA for a key publication series.
Release 0.10 includes a substantially improved CLI, an initial set of PDF/A-2 test files, and more.
The latest Quark Xpress will be able to repurpose PDF page content into its own object and layout model.
A world-leading chat application adds PDF support before any other.
Among many other accessibility-related enhancements to its Office products in 2016, Microsoft plans to improve support for PDF/UA.
As with every other industry, the architectural, engineering and construction industries have been slowly transitioning from paper to electronic documentation and specifications. PDF/E is the ISO subset of PDF designed for these applications.
PDF files can be hard to search with confidence. Here’s why it matters, how it happens, and what you can do about it.
Videos and presentations from the November, 2015 PDF Accessibility Days are now available!
Now a Partner Organization, the 3D PDF Consortium will bring the experience of 3D PDF development and implementation to the PDF Association.
veraPDF 0.8 includes several updated features and a variety of bug-fixes.
Videos from the PDF Technical Conference are now posted!
Google’s latest release of Chrome includes updated support for PDF viewing.
Karlen Communications is surveying users with disabilities to better understand the end user experience of PDF documents within that population.
SD Times talks PDF with a number of developers in the electronic document field, including several PDF Association members.
The amended Transparency Directive will require public company annual financial reports in an ESEF beginning January 1, 2020.
The veraPDF consortium has announced the 0.6 release of the veraPDF PDF/A validation software and test-suite. This release features validation of conformance criteria for PDF/A-1b.
The European Disability Forum reports that European Commissioner Thyssen has confirmed that the European Accessibility Act, under development since 2012, is ready for discussion, and possible approval by the College of Commissioners on 2 December. …
Firefox will drop support for plugins based on NPAPI by the end of 2016.
Announcing a new 3D PDF solution using PRC.
Paper is still with us: “Digital books accounted last year for around 20 percent of the market, roughly the same as they did a few years ago.”
2 PDF-packed days; 3 tracks, 37 sessions, and two great keynote speakers: Adobe’s Phil Ydens and Silent Circle’s Jon Callas!
The 0.4 release includes the first complete (in principle) PDF/A-1b validation profile, and while unverified, tests well against the internal corpora.
Official PDF Association PDF/A and PDF/UA flyers updated
PDF creation is now native in Windows.
The complete specification for Unicode 8.0 is now available, with 7,716 new characters.
Release 0.2 of veraPDF does not yet perform PDF/A validation, but as a proof-of-concept it demonstrates the approach selected for project.
Link-farming with PDF (still) fools Google. What are they parsing, and what are they doing with what they get?
Will Android heavyweight Samsung introduce PDF annotation support?
The latest version of the Unicode Standard adds 7,716 new characters and six new scripts. New additions range from emoji characters (including five modifiers for diversity), new ideographs for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, support for more lowercase Cherokee …
PDF/A adoption remains slow, even in European academic archives.
Will PDF/UA be an option or a requirement for PDF documents in the coming refresh of Section 508? Duff Johnson walks you through the issues and reviews 3rd party testimony on PDF/UA.
EU policy-makers reconsider application of WCAG 2.0-based regulations to non-web content.
The PDF Technical Conference 2015 in San Jose, California this coming October offers a unique collection of developer-oriented resources to help non-experts grow PDF-specific knowledge.
The first set of 49 candidate test suite files has been loaded to veraPDFs public Github repository.
Following 24 hours of teleconference meetings ISO committee delegates and PDF Association members gather in San Jose.
In essence, Xplor is about doing clever things with PDF files.
Germany Standards bureau bans lossy JBIG2 compression from use in German federal agencies.
In October 2014 the PDF Association (in association with its veraPDF consortium partners) won phase 1 of the PREFORMA contract to design and develop an industry-supported open-source PDF/A validator. PREFORMA has now awarded Phase 2, …
Adobe delivers the 12th major version of the software that introduced PDF.
PDF Association Executive Director testifies to the US Access Board
For members only, the PDF/A Adoption Survey collates impressions of the marketplace factors affecting PDF/A adoption.
Preservation risks associated with PDF/A, a formal analysis.
The X7 Technical Suite has been enhanced with new support for ISO standardized PDF technology.
Adobe Systems announces Acrobat DC as its replacement for Acrobat XI.
PDF/UA is featured in the US Access Board’s 2015 Notice of Public Rule Making for the Section 508 refresh.
The Open Preservation Foundation and the PDF Association have signed an agreement to formally recognize their on-going collaborative partnership.
A just-published report from the Australian government finds that PDF as a file-format is accessible but that PDF as supported on mobile devices is not.
The 2nd edition of PDF/UA is a minor revision, but what’s more exciting is that it conforms to PDF/UA!. Developers interested in accessible PDF should acquire it without delay.
An overwhelming majority say that they learned readily applicable information, both from the sessions and one-on-one discussions.
The Product Representation Compact (PRC) format for sharing 3D data with end users has been published as ISO 14739-1:2014.
The VeraPDF consortium, which includes the PDF Association as a lead partner, has been awarded the PREFORMA first phase design contract for a definitive PDF/A validator.
The Document Imaging Report covers PDF Day and talks about support for PDF in the ECM marketplace.
The PDF Association today announced the appointment of the organization’s Vice Chairman to the role of Executive Director.
A 5 minute survey providing insight into the way people think about electronic documents vs. documents on paper. The questions invite the user to reflect on how they use (or don’t use) electronic documents to …
The PDF Day events in Washington DC and New York City offer executives and managers high-level, non-commercial information to improve their understanding of how PDF fits into their technology infrastructure, and what they could do …
Tuesday, September 4, 2012 Melbourne, Australia. NetCentric Technologies, the world’s leading PDF accessibility vendor and maker of CommonLook suite of tools and services, will be joined by NV Access and Vision Australia in an unique …
The December 2011 ANPRM asserts it is straightforward to apply the WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements to all electronic content. NetCentric’s Duff Johnson, chair of the US Committee for PDF/UA, contests this claim, …
The twice-annual PDF Standards Week for the winter of 2011-2012 was hosted by Microsoft in their Bravern facility in Bellevue, Washington during the first week of December, 2011. Present to conduct the meetings were delegates …
Duff Johnson considers the Beyond the PDF workshop and suggests PDF/E as a means of developing real-world solutions for science publishing.
Duff Johnson reviews a recent report on PDF content accessibility produced by the Australian federal government. The Report accurately characterizes the current state of affairs for Assistive Technology (AT) users attempting to interact with PDF …
NOTE: Since this article was published the ISO specification for PDF/A has added new “parts”. Visit the PDF/A resource page for current information on published versions of PDF/A. Executive Summary PDF/A-1a is the higher …
Our Executive Director Duff Johnson gives some personally information about his experience with the “PDF universe” and much more.
Session Description: Everyone understands paper’s features, and how it “works”. For PDF, “full-function” isn’t really defined. 4 PDF experts will discuss under moderation from Duff Johnson, Executive Director of the PDF Association, how to encourage …
Duff Johnson, Executive Director of the PDF Association, will be hosting a keynote titled “Beyond the page: my story with PDF 2.0” at the PDF Days Europe 2018. Presenter: Duff Johnson has worked in the …
Duff Johnson, Executive Director of the PDF Association will be hosting a presentation titled “PDF statistics” at the PDF Days Europe 2018. Presenter: Duff Johnson has worked in the PDF space since 1996, the year …
Earlier in 2017 both the US Library of Congress and NARA joined the PDF Association as Liaison members, an option available to non-profit and governmental organizations interested in contributing to the development and best-practice of PDF technology. As …
SD Times, a leading periodical targeting systems and application developers, has featured PDF in its December 2017 publication. The journalists at SD Times interviewed various members of the PDF technology community, including experts from several …
PDF 1.7, the final Adobe edition of the PDF specification, was published in 2006, and converted to an ISO standard in 2008. Since then, Working Group 8 of ISO TC 171 SC 2 has worked …
The Associated Files feature allows PDF writers to provide additional information about files related to a PDF file in a standardized and therefore machine-readable manner.
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