BS ISO 19005-4:2020

What is ISO 19005-4— Electronic document file format about?  

ISO 19005-4 is the fourth part of an international multi-series standard that covers aspects of document management. 

ISO 19005-4 specifies the use of the Portable Document Format (PDF) 2.0, as formalized in ISO 320002, for preserving the static visual representation of page-based electronic documents over time in addition to allowing any type of other content to be included as an embedded file or attachment. 

ISO 19005-4 defines a framework for representing the logical structure and other semantic information of electronic documents within conforming files. 

ISO 19005-4 is intended to lead to the development of various applications that read, render, write and validate conforming files. 

Note: ISO 19005-4 does not apply to: 

• Specific processes for converting paper or electronic documents to the PDF/A format 
• Specific technical design, user interface, implementation, or operational details of rendering 
• Specific physical methods of storing these documents such as media and storage conditions 
• Required computer hardware and/or operating systems 

Who is ISO 19005-4— Electronic document file format for? 

ISO 19005-4 on Electronic document file format is useful for: 

• IT companies 
• Policymakers for IT innovation 
• Legal experts regarding electronic activities  
• IT planners  
• IT service providers  
• Data analysts  
• Data analysis companies 

Why should you use ISO 19005-4 — Electronic document file format? 

PDF is a digital format for representing page-based documents. PDF files can be created natively in PDF form, converted from other electronic formats, or digitized from paper, microform, or another hard copy format. Businesses, governments, libraries, archives, other institutions, and individuals around the world use PDF to represent considerable bodies of important information. The primary purpose of ISO 19005-4 is to define a file format based on PDF, known as PDF/A, which provides a mechanism for representing electronic documents in a manner that preserves their visual appearance over time, independent of the tools and systems used for creating, storing, or rendering the files. 

ISO 19005-4 defines a framework for representing the logical structure and other semantic information of electronic documents within conforming files. These goals are accomplished by identifying the set of PDF components that can be used, and restrictions on the form of their use, within conforming PDF/A files. 

ISO 19005-4 enables PDF documents to serve as containers for other file formats so that a single physical file can contain not only the visual representation but also other representations including the original authored version, richer semantic formats, and others.  

ISO 19005-4 introduces some new directions in archiving non-static content that can be present in PDF documents, such as form fields and ECMAScript. It seeks to preserve more information in the file (by not requiring its removal during the archival process) and puts a greater burden on conforming viewers to ensure that such information does not alter the visual appearance of the file during consumption.