SIST ISO 16612-2:2011

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 16612-2
First edition
2010-08-15
Graphic technology — Variable data
exchange —
Part 2:
Using PDF/X-4 and PDF/X-5
(PDF/VT-1 and PDF/VT-2)
Technologie graphique — Échange de données d'impression
variables —
Partie 2: Utilisation de PDF/X-4 et PDF/X-5 (PDF/VT-1 et PDF/VT-2)

Reference number
©
ISO 2010
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ii © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction.v
1 Scope.1
2 Normative references.1
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms.2
3.1 Terms and definitions .2
3.2 Abbreviated terms .5
4 Notations .5
5 Conforming files and equipment .5
5.1 General .5
5.2 PDF/VT-1 conformance.6
5.3 PDF/VT-2 conformance.6
5.4 PDF/VT-2s conformance.6
5.5 All PDF/VT file conformance levels .6
5.6 Validation of PDF/VT files.6
6 Technical requirements .7
6.1 General .7
6.2 PDF/VT file requirements.7
6.3 PDF/VT-1 and PDF/VT-2 file identification .7
6.4 Architecture .8
6.5 Document part hierarchy.9
6.6 Document part metadata (DPM).11
6.7 Recurring graphical object definitions.12
Annex A (normative) Use of multipart MIME for streamed generation of PDF/VT data.16
Annex B (informative) PDF/X conformance summary.18
Annex C (informative) Example DPart structure.19
Annex D (normative) XML representation of the document part hierarchy.26
Annex E (normative) Naming conventions for DPM keys .31
Annex F (normative) Determining XObject equivalence.32
Bibliography.36

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.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
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.
ISO 16612-2 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 130, Graphic technology.
ISO 16612 consists of the following parts, under the general title Graphic technology — Variable data
exchange:
⎯ Part 1: Using PPML 2.1 and PDF 1.4 (PPML/VDX-2005)
⎯ Part 2: Using PDF/X-4 and PDF/X-5 (PDF/VT-1 and PDF/VT-2)
iv © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved

Introduction
This part of ISO 16612 defines the PDF/VT document format which specifies methods for the use of the
Portable Document Format (PDF) for the definition and exchange of all content elements and supporting
metadata necessary for printing tasks involving variable or transactional document content. It allows the
specification of document structure, document layout, content data, and interaction of graphical elements in a
graphics model that supports transparency.
PDF/VT is designed to enable variable document printing (VDP) in a variety of environments from desktop
printers to digital production presses. This includes hybrid workflows involving both conventional and digital
printing.
This part of ISO 16612 defines three conformance levels as follows.
⎯ PDF/VT-1 for a complete single-file exchange. PDF/VT-1 requires all resources necessary for proper
interpretation of the PDF data to be included within the conforming PDF file.
⎯ PDF/VT-2 for multi-file exchange. PDF/VT-2 enables a conforming file to refer to an external ICC profile
file and additional content defined in external PDF/X conforming files for use as page content.
⎯ PDF/VT-2s for streamed delivery. PDF/VT-2s allows for processing (streaming) of multiple compound
entities representing graphical content before the entire PDF/VT instance has been generated. A
PDF/VT-2s stream is a MIME package that contains a sequence of one or more PDF/VT files and
supporting resources.
The present trend towards the separation of variable document content creation from the details of print
production workflow and printing device dependencies is evolving rapidly. The job definition format (JDF) job
ticket specification being developed by the International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in
Prepress, Press, and Postpress Organization (CIP4) provides one means of specifying a print product and
corresponding production process in a way that is independent of any particular graphical content format.
PDF/VT is intended to be workflow-architecture-neutral. PDF/VT has no provision for encoding workflow or
device-specific control information. The aspects of device control, resource, and production management are
outside the scope of this part of ISO 16612. In a production environment, PDF/VT relies on the use of JDF, or
similar job ticket formats, to define a print product and the corresponding production requirements. The
primary focus of PDF/VT is on the exchange of content between businesses or within an integrated
environment that produces variable document printing.
Graphics design applications continue to evolve with greater capability and increased sophistication of the
graphical content and design effects based on a graphics model that supports transparency. This graphics
model is required to support features such as drop shadows and colour blending effects that are associated
with the interaction of transparent content objects. These capabilities are used in the creation of one-to-one
customer communication print applications including direct marketing documents, transactional documents,
and trans-promotional documents.
This part of ISO 16612, referred to as PDF/VT, includes support for the PDF 1.6 imaging model which
includes support for transparency. It builds on the PDF/X-4 and PDF/X-5 standards (defined in ISO 15930-7
and ISO 15930-8), which, in turn, reference PDF 1.6. Like ISO 16612-1, this part of ISO 16612 guarantees
portability of conforming VDP content and metadata across conforming digital printing systems. It is focused
on defining the content data and metadata necessary to support efficient workflow manipulation and
processing based on the use of JDF or similar job ticket formats. More specifically, the job ticket is expected to
define the production requirements and draw upon PDF/VT for its content and metadata resources.
This approach supports the fundamental requirements of portability, device and workflow independence and
guaranteed communication of the intended colour reproduction. The native constructs within PDF allow
products to provide functionality equivalent to that of PPML workflows as used in ISO 16612-1. This part of
ISO 16612 uses a single homogeneous format while adding support for a graphics model that supports
transparency, including support for interacting transparent objects.
This part of ISO 16612 is based on PDF/X-4 and PDF/X-5 allowing users to continue to use, and solution
vendors to build on, existing PDF-based workflow tools and job-ticket-based VDP workflow architecture similar
to PPML/VDX, with the added capability of the full graphics model of PDF 1.6.
PDF/VT supports the use of graphical object definitions as a method of specifying graphical content data only
once in a PDF/VT file independent of the number of times it is referenced in the file. This approach serves to
reduce the file size of a PDF/VT instance and allows implementers of conforming readers to employ various
processing optimization strategies. Within the context of PDF/X-4, these graphical objects are specified as
image, form and transparency group XObjects. Use of PDF/X-5g and PDF/X-5pg allows for the use of
reference XObjects where the XObject's content stream is that of a page of a referenced PDF file.
While strongly recommended, there is nothing in this part of ISO 16612 that enforces the creation of PDF/VT
files that make efficient use of XObjects.
XObjects referenced multiple times from various content streams can be tagged with hint information that aids
the conforming reader in its determination of XObject reuse. These hints include an explicit lifetime scope to
indicate the context within which the XObject is known to be referenced multiple times, such as within the
current file, across multiple files of a PDF/VT instance or across PDF/VT instances. An XObject can also be
tagged with an identifier to assist a conforming reader in the identification and management of such recurring
definitions, such as in the case where it is known to occur across multiple PDF/VT files.
An XObject can also be identified as an encapsulated XObject if its definition has a limited and well-defined
interaction with the current graphic state when invoked. This explicit hint serves to assist a conforming reader
in its optimization strategy.
This part of ISO 16612 enables an exchange of content where no additional technical information is required
to be communicated between sender and receiver for the purpose of describing the appearance of page
content.
Application notes fo
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