New Directions for PDF
PDF for enterprises and government ;
Forms, databases and online collaboration ;

What can we learn from
Seybold Amsterdam?.
Meeting on Wednesday June 2nd 2004,
IQA, near Victoria, London

The first decade established PDF as a document format, online and for pre-press. Seybold Amsterdam covered e-forms, XML, and the Job Definition Format. Adobe showed how forms design connects with server software. These issues are not new but the Seybold event demonstrated a wider momentum in Europe. At drupa there were various approaches to implementing the Job Definition Format, linking XML and PDF. The slides from Amsterdam below are available with the permission of Seybold Seminars.

Morning (11-1)
• Matthew Hardy
PDF and XML - How can they work together?

• Update on defra case study from Joe Combs, Adobe UK
Slides from 2003 meeting at Digital Solutions by David Stevenson

The defra project is to offer PDF forms on the web with Reader Extensions server software to activate form filling features of Adobe Reader. This is one of the first e-government projects in the UK using PDF forms.

See Adobe.com for a recent press release on the Defra project.

Quality systems and intelligent documents (1 meg) Will Pollard

Afternoon (2-4)

The Job Definition Format is an example of XML in use for enterprise communication. There is some background and an example. Two examples of linking XML and PDF.

'What happened to the 'Portable Job Ticket?' (1meg) Will Pollard

David Parker from Pelagon will demonstrate the Spinnaker software used for Nexpress. This is based on a Courier SDK from Global Graphics. See the Pelagon web site for more information.

Digital Print on Demand, product description (312k)

web2print, brochure (517k)

Ivor Dixon from Positive Focus was not able to attend but here is a PDFof slides
he intended to present.

Automating Print Production (95k)

Topics for discussion will include how widely the Adobe server software can be afforded and whether other approaches are viable. Are there other UK government case studies that can be public? How do they compare with other examples in Europe? Can SVG be considered for use as an alternative to PDF? In what sort of situations?

Two SVG presentations from Seybold

SVG-What's the deal? Julius Mong

SVG and PDF with Apache Batik and Apache FOP -Jeremias Maerki

Evening (5-7)
Summary of what has already been discussed. Topics for future meetings. Connections with UK events during 2004 ( digital print, content management) . Digital Solutions will not happen this year. Digital Print World is in October. Online Information now exists also as a website but the AUF has no contacts with the free sessions during Content Management Europe. This year there is also a section for 'Enterprise Document and Record Management'.

Can the AUF relaunch with an ‘enterprise’ focus? Will the designers still turn up? Should we just update the website and forget about ‘real’ events?

The cost is £40 for the day including lunch or £10 for the evening.

Please email or phone if you intend to be there. There is a blog with comments that may develop parallel to the meeting

Will Pollard 01392 660639 auf@eudoramail.com PO Box 134 Exeter UK EX1 2WB

Previously at Digital Solutions

PDF of handout for all three events

Jon Bessant from Certitec and Stephens & George spoke on Acrobat 6 for Pre-Press and was comprehensive. He also showed why software such as Enfocus Pitstop was still useful in a workflow. Slides will be at the Stephens & George site.

Acrobat 6 for Pre-Press (1.5 meg)

There is now an online guide to Acrobat 6 for pre-press at Certitec.

David Brailslord spoke on
'Exploiting XML in PDF workflows' .
This explained the benefits of structure in PDF for access through 'readaloud' and for publishing in different formats. There was reference to publishing projects featured at Seybold Amsterdam, Mimotek and Digitorial. Comparison with the Seybold keynote shows a growing emphasis on SVG.

Will Pollard from Acrobat Services explained the connections between the three events. Click here for a text. Other opinions on the WWWatford site.

Thanks to the IQA, IP3
and XML UK for help in promoting the meeting

This presentation from Seybold Amsterdam.