Today, the Portable Document Format (PDF) is the prevalent fileformat for the exchange of fixed content electronic documents forpublication, research, and dissemination work in the academic andcultural heritage domains. Therefore it is not surprising that PDF/Ais perceived to be an archival format suitable for digital archivingworkflows.This paper gives a rather short overview about the history andtechnical complexity of the format, its benefits, shortcomings andpotential pitfalls in the area of digital preservation with respect toaspects of accessibility and reusability of the information contentof PDF/A.Several potential problems within the creation, preservation,and dissemination contexts are identified that may create problemsfor present and future content users. It also discusses some of therisks inherent to PDF/A for parts of the preservation communityand suggests possible strategies to mitigate problems that mightprevent future human or machine-based usability of the data andinformation stored within digital archives.

iPRES, Kyoto

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