ISO 16613-1:2017

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 16613-1
First edition
2017-08
Graphic technology — Variable
content replacement —
Part 1:
Using PDF/X for variable content
replacement (PDF/VCR-1)
Technologie graphique — Remplacement du contenu variable —
Partie 1: Utilisation de PDF/X pour le remplacement du contenu
variable (PDF/VCR-1)
Reference number
©
ISO 2017
© ISO 2017, Published in Switzerland
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ii © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 2
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms . 2
4 Notations. 6
5 Relation to other standards . 6
6 Workflow . 6
7 PDF/VCR: Base requirements . 7
7.1 General . 7
7.2 PDF/VCR template file base requirements . 7
7.2.1 General. 7
7.2.2 PDF/VCR template file identification . 7
7.2.3 PDF/VCR template file content . 8
7.2.4 Logical structure . 8
7.2.5 Data fields . 8
7.2.6 Page selection . 9
7.2.7 Placeholders . 9
7.2.8 Placeholder objects . . .10
7.2.9 Placeholder entries .10
7.3 PDF/VCR data sequence conformance .11
8 PDF/VCR-1 conformance requirements .12
8.1 General .12
8.2 PDF/VCR-1 template file conformance .12
8.3 PDF/VCR-1 data sequence conformance .13
8.3.1 General.13
8.3.2 PDF/VCR-1 data field conformance . .13
8.4 PDF/VCR-1 writer conformance .13
8.5 PDF/VCR-1 data provider conformance .13
8.6 PDF/VCR-1 reader conformance .14
8.7 PDF/VCR-1 processor conformance .14
8.7.1 General.14
8.7.2 PDF/VCR-1 replacement .14
Annex A (informative) Example .16
Annex B (informative) Use cases.22
Bibliography .24
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following
URL: w w w . i s o .org/ iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 130, Graphic technology.
A list of all parts in the ISO 16613 series can be found on the ISO website.
iv © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Introduction
This document describes the use of PDF as a variable content page template for printing applications
where variable content data is substituted into the template live in real time immediately ahead of
the rendering and printing processes. In most cases, a conforming processor comprises an integrated
merge, render and print engine and the graphical representation of each merged page is stored only
temporarily in memory until output.
In this type of template-based variable data driven print workflow, the variable substitution content
data to be later merged with the template for printing is typically generated and then transferred into
production in a data exchange separate from the exchange of the static content template.
In another type of workflow, the variable substitution content is generated during production by a
processor present in the production workflow. This processor can use static source data as input, such
as data from a database, and generate the substitution content on the fly. It can also use live source data,
or both live and static source data where the live source data is acquired, e.g. from scanners during
production.
This differs from the use of ISO 16612-2 (PDF/VT) where conforming PDF/VT files instead represent
fully composed variable content documents that are the result of an arbitrarily complex, possibly
template-based, data driven composition or merge process. Thus, pages of PDF/VT documents represent
final form mastered documents that can be exchanged as a single file with static and variable content
already combined and the final form representation remains after output is completed.
This document is targeted to enable the following requirements for printing using live content
substitution:
— long runs;
— closed loop print verification and reprint recovery;
— immediate start of printing;
— fixed speed without pause (due to roll-based transportation of the media);
— low latency real-time processing (e.g. allow for camera-based determination of variable data and
then merge, render and print in real time;
— capability to keep security-related information only temporarily;
— allow for spontaneous changes in print order (selectively reprinting bad records).
Use cases of printing using live content substitution are described in Annex B.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 16613-1:2017(E)
Graphic technology — Variable content replacement —
Part 1:
Using PDF/X for variable content replacement (PDF/VCR-1)
1 Scope
This document enables variable data printing applications using PDF template-based variable content
substitution where
— a PDF template file containing pages with variable content substitution fields (placeholders) is
delivered ahead of a print production run and may be reused across multiple print production
runs, and
— PDF-based variable data substitution content is provided during print production and merged with
the PDF template to produce final form variable content page output.
This document defines PDF/VCR (PDF for variable content replacement), a set of base technical
requirements for a PDF template file format, a PDF-based variable data substitution content format and
a framework for in-RIP variable content merging. The PDF/VCR base technical requirements do not
include writer and processor conformance.
This document also defines the PDF/VCR-1 conformance level which is based on the PDF/VCR base
technical requirements and defines conformance requirements for:
— the PDF/VCR-1 template file format;
— the PDF/VCR-1 data sequence format, a variable data substitution content format;
— a PDF/VCR-1 writer, a software application which can generate PDF/VCR-1 template files;
— a PDF/VCR-1 data provider, a software application which can generate PDF/VCR-1 data sequences;
— a PDF/VCR-1 processor, a software application which can perform substitution (replacement) of
PDF/VCR-1 template placeholder objects with substitution content provided within a PDF/VCR-1
data sequence.
NOTE 1 Additional conformance levels can be added at a later time based on the same PDF/VCR base technical
requirements.
NOTE 2 A conforming PDF/VCR-1 template file contains all necessary information for variable content printing
by adding matching substitution content. Generating the substitution content usually requires additional
information not present in the template file.
The template file format defined in this document is based on the ISO 15930 (PDF/X) family of standard
formats for the representation
...