The PDF/E (PDF/Engineering) format is a PDF subset whose purpose is to handle engineering and design documents. It is certified by the International Organization for Standardization as Standard ISO 24517-1:2008. The PDF/E format has widespread use in the creation and exchange of various engineering and technical documents. It is being developed and supported by AIIM (Association for Information and Image Management).

The PDF/E format was first announced on March 1, 2004. In 2005 its information was submitted to the International Organization for Standardization. Voting with respect to the format occurred in 2006. And in mid-2007 it was approved as a standard. In 2008 the standard was updated.

The PDF/E is based on PDF V1.6. However, it has been stripped of certain capabilities that are not used when creating engineering documents. Features specific to PDF/E include mandatory font embedding in the file being created, hardware-independent colors, and XMP for metadata. In addition, documents in this format may use JavaScript (associated with 3D), encryption, digital signatures, transparency, layers, etc. PDF/E documents may not contain links to external objects, dynamic (XFA-based) forms, or JavaScript that is not associated with 3D.


See also: PDF/A, PDF/UA, PDF/X.