Editing PDF (section)

{{Short description|Portable Document Format, a digital file format}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox file format
| name          = Portable Document Format
| icon          = PDF_file_icon.svg
| icon_size     = 121px
| iconcaption   = Adobe PDF icon
| screenshot    = 
| extension     = <code>.pdf</code>
| _noextcode    = no
| mime          = {{Plainlist|
* <code>application/pdf</code>,<ref name="rfc8118">{{Cite IETF |title=The application/pdf Media Type |rfc=8118  |last1=Hardy|first1=M.|last2=Masinter|first2=L.|last3=Markovic|first3=D.|last4=Johnson|first4=D.|last5=Bailey|first5=M.|date=March 2017|publisher=[[Internet Engineering Task Force|IETF]]}}</ref>
* <code>application/x-pdf</code>
* <code>application/x-bzpdf</code>
* <code>application/x-gzpdf</code>
 }}
| _nomimecode   = true
| uniform type  = com.adobe.pdf
| magic         = <code>%PDF</code>
| owner         = [[Adobe Inc.]] (1991–2008)<br />
[[ISO]] (2008–)
| genre         = 
| released      = {{Start date and age|1993|6|15}}
| latest release version = 2.0
| latest release date = <!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|mm|dd}} -->
| container for = 
| contained by  = 
| extended from = 
| extended to   = [[PDF/A]], [[PDF/E]], [[PDF/UA]], [[PDF/VT]], [[PDF/X]]
| standard      = ISO 32000-2
| open          = Yes
| url           = {{URL|https://iso.org/standard/75839.html}}
| image         = 
| typecode      = <code>PDF </code><ref name="rfc8118" /> (including a single trailing space)
}}

'''Portable Document Format''' ('''PDF'''), standardized as '''ISO 32000''', is a [[file format]] developed by [[Adobe Inc.|Adobe]] in 1992 to present [[document]]s, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of [[application software]], [[Computer hardware|hardware]], and [[operating system]]s.<ref name="pdf-ref-1.7">{{cite web|author=Adobe Systems Incorporated|url=https://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/pdfs/pdf_reference_1-7.pdf|title=PDF Reference|date=November 2006|edition=6th|version=1.7|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001170454/https://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/pdfs/pdf_reference_1-7.pdf|archivedate=October 1, 2008|accessdate=January 12, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Warnock|first=J.|url=https://www.pdfa.org/norm-refs/warnock_camelot.pdf|title=The Camelot Project|date=14 October 2004<!--dates from PDF source-->|orig-date=Original date 5 May 1995|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718230852/http://www.planetpdf.com/planetpdf/pdfs/warnock_camelot.pdf|archive-date=July 18, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Based on the [[PostScript]] language, each PDF file encapsulates a complete description of a fixed-layout flat document, including the text, [[font]]s, [[vector graphics]], [[raster images]] and other information needed to display it. PDF has its roots in "The Camelot Project" initiated by Adobe co-founder [[John Warnock]] in 1991.<ref>{{Cite web|title=What is a PDF? Portable Document Format {{!}} Adobe Acrobat DC|url=https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/about-adobe-pdf.html|access-date=January 12, 2023|publisher=Adobe Systems Inc.|language=en|archive-date=January 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130032548/https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/about-adobe-pdf.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
PDF was standardized as ISO 32000 in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://wwwimages.adobe.com/www.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/en/devnet/pdf/pdfs/PDF32000_2008.pdf |title = ISO 32000-1:2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726064724/http://wwwimages.adobe.com/www.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/en/devnet/pdf/pdfs/PDF32000_2008.pdf | archive-date=July 26, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> The last edition as ISO 32000-2:2020 was published in December 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ISO 32000-2 – PDF Association |url=https://pdfa.org/resource/iso-32000-2/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |language=en-US}}</ref>

PDF files may contain a variety of content besides flat text and graphics including logical structuring elements, interactive elements such as annotations and form-fields, layers, [[rich media]] (including video content), three-dimensional objects using [[U3D]] or [[PRC (file format)|PRC]], and various other [[File format|data formats]]. The PDF specification also provides for encryption and [[digital signature]]s, file attachments, and [[metadata]] to enable [[workflow]]s requiring these features.