Home > Articles

PDF Reference: Version 1.4, 3rd Edition

This is chapter 1 from PDF Reference: Version 1.4, 3rd Edition.
This chapter is from the book

The Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) is the native file format of the Adobe® Acrobat® family of products. The goal of these products is to enable users to exchange and view electronic documents easily and reliably, independently of the environment in which they were created. PDF relies on the same imaging model as the PostScript® page description language to describe text and graphics in a device-independent and resolution-independent manner. To improve performance for interactive viewing, PDF defines a more structured format than that used by most PostScript language programs. PDF also includes objects, such as annotations and hypertext links, that are not part of the page itself but are useful for interactive viewing and document interchange.

1.1 About This Book

This book provides a description of the PDF file format and is intended primarily for application developers wishing to develop PDF producer applications that create PDF files directly. It also contains enough information to allow developers to write PDF consumer applications that read existing PDF files and interpret or modify their contents.

Although the PDF specification is independent of any particular software implementation, some PDF features are best explained by describing the way they are processed by a typical application program. In such cases, this book uses the Adobe Acrobat family of PDF viewer applications as its model. (The prototypical viewer is the fully capable Acrobat product, not the limited Acrobat Reader product.) Similarly, Appendix C discusses some implementation limits in the _Acrobat viewer applications, even though these limits are not part of the file format itself. To provide guidance to implementors of PDF producer and consumer applications, compatibility and implementation notes in Appendix H describe the behavior of Acrobat viewer applications when they encounter newer features they do not understand, as well as areas in which the Acrobat products diverge from the specification presented in this book.

This third edition of the PDF Reference describes version 1.4 of PDF. (See implementation note 1 in Appendix H.) Throughout the book, information specific to particular versions of PDF is marked as such—for example, with indicators like (PDF 1.3) or (PDF 1.4). Features so marked may be new in the indicated version or may have been substantially redefined in that version. Features designated (PDF 1.0) have generally been superseded in later versions; unless otherwise stated, features identified as specific to other versions are understood to be available in later versions as well. (PDF viewer applications designed for a specific PDF version generally ignore newer features they do not recognize; implementation notes in Appendix H point out exceptions.)

The rest of the book is organized as follows:

  • Chapter 2, "Overview," briefly introduces the overall architecture of PDF and the design considerations behind it, compares it with the PostScript language, and describes the underlying imaging model that they share.

  • Chapter 3, "Syntax," presents the syntax of PDF at the object, file, and document level. It sets the stage for subsequent chapters, which describe how that information is interpreted as page descriptions, interactive navigational aids, and application-level logical structure.

  • Chapter 4, "Graphics," describes the graphics operators used to describe the appearance of pages in a PDF document.

  • Chapter 5, "Text," discusses PDF's special facilities for presenting text in the form of character shapes, or glyphs, defined by fonts.

  • Chapter 6, "Rendering," considers how device-independent content descriptions are matched to the characteristics of a particular output device.

  • Chapter 7, "Transparency," discusses the operation of the transparent imaging model, introduced in PDF 1.4, in which objects can be painted with varying degrees of opacity, allowing the previous contents of the page to show through.

  • Chapter 8, "Interactive Features," describes those features of PDF that allow a user to interact with a document on the screen, using the mouse and keyboard.

  • Chapter 9, "Document Interchange," shows how PDF documents can incorporate higher-level information that is useful for the interchange of documents among applications.

The appendices contain useful tables and other auxiliary information.

  • Appendix A, "Operator Summary," lists all the operators used in describing the visual content of a PDF document.

  • Appendix B, "Operators in Type 4 Functions," summarizes the PostScript operators that can be used in PostScript calculator functions, which contain code written in a small subset of the PostScript language.

  • Appendix C, "Implementation Limits," describes typical size and quantity _limits imposed by the Acrobat viewer applications.

  • Appendix D, "Character Sets and Encodings," lists the character sets and encodings that are assumed to be predefined in any PDF viewer application.

  • Appendix E, "PDF Name Registry," discusses a registry, maintained for developers by Adobe Systems, that contains private names and formats used by PDF producers or Acrobat plug-in extensions.

  • Appendix F, "Linearized PDF," describes a special form of PDF file organization designed to work efficiently in network environments.

  • Appendix G, "Example PDF Files," presents several examples showing the structure of actual PDF files, ranging from one containing a minimal one-page document to one showing how the structure of a PDF file evolves over the course of several revisions.

  • Appendix H, "Compatibility and Implementation Notes," provides details on the behavior of Acrobat viewer applications and describes how viewer applications should handle PDF files containing features that they do not recognize.

A color plate section provides illustrations of some of PDF's color-related features. References in the text of the form "see Plate 1" refer to the contents of this section.

The book concludes with a Bibliography and an Index.

The enclosed CD-ROM contains the entire text of this book in PDF form.

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020