The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/67910
Adobe Reader Is Not Your Friend Metadata in the file identifies it as a PDF/A document, along with its conformance level (i.e., PDF/A-1a or PDF/A-1b). Adobe Reader displays the document as a PDF/A without actually validating it as one. More specifically, when Adobe Reader opens a document identified as a PDF/A based on file metadata, the document's message bar indicates that you are viewing a PDF/A document. You will notice there is an extra pane on the "Navigation" panel — the "Standards" pane. This will indicate the conformance level of the PDF/A. The status will indicate that the document has yet to be validated against the PDF/A standard. The problem with Adobe Reader is that it cannot validate PDF/A documents. Valid One Minute, Invalid the Next You can validate a PDF/A document using Adobe Acrobat Pro. However, it doesn't automatically warn you that changes have been made to the document that may invalidate it. Like Adobe Reader, PDF/A documents opened in Adobe Acrobat Pro display in PDF/A mode to prevent users from making changes. However, users can turn this setting off if they need to change or modify the document. Therefore it is possible that a valid PDF/A document can be invalidated as a result of editing or modification. If you do not validate the document after making changes, you may not be aware that the document is no longer a valid PDF/A document. This invalid document will display in Adobe Reader in PDF/A mode, which may lead users to believe it is a valid PDF/A document. Beware of False Positives Another important point to consider is the currency of your PDF/A validator tool or software. If your firm has a validator tool, you will need to ensure it validates based on the latest PDF/A standard. The PDF/A standard was first published in 2005. Since then there have been several technical modifications to the standard, notably in 2007 and 2010. This might mean that the software you purchased in 2008 is no longer validating PDF/A documents based on the latest specifications. Validate Before It's Too Late With the courts adopting the PDF/A standard for the long-term archiving of documents, law firms will need to ensure that they have a PDF/A validation tool or software, and that it validates based on the latest PDF/A specifications. If you don't have a validation tool, you will be relying on the courts or someone 50 years in the future to validate your documents. In both cases, that might be too late. Kerry Carroll is the Marketing Manager at DocsCorp, a member of the PDF Association. He can be reached at kerry.carroll@docscorp.com. Peer to Peer 11 Come see a related session at ILTA's ac2dc conference on Tuesday, August 28. http://conference.iltanet.org