Although you probably come across PDF files quite often in day-to-day life, you may not be as familiar with the PDF/E format. In this guide, you'll find out what a PDF/E file is, how to open and create one, as well as the advantages of the PDF/E format.
A PDF/E file is a sub-type of a PDF. It is the international standard file type used for engineering documents, identified by the International Standard Organisation as ISO 24517. PDF/E files are primarily used for creating and exchanging technical documentation.
PDF stands for Portable Document Format and the ‘E’ in PDF/E stands for engineering. For that reason, PDF/E files can also be called PDF Engineering files.
PDF/E was developed by Adobe and first announced in March 2004. The following year, PDF/E was submitted to the ISO (International Standard Organisation) to go through its approval process. PDF/E was officially made available in May 2008, under the international standard ISO 24517-1:2008.
The original PDF/E-1 is based on the PDF 1.6 format. PDF/A-4e was launched in 2020 as a successor to PDF/E-1 for PDF 2.0-based engineering documents. It supports Rich Media and 3D Annotations, as well as embedded files.
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As PDF/E is the international standard format for engineering documents, engineers from all over the world use PDF/E files to share, print and archive their work. These technical documents can contain 2D or 3D drawings and are used in areas including manufacturing, construction and geospatial workflows.
PDF/E files are used to facilitate the exchange and printing of engineering and technical documentation, as well as collaboration on these documents, in both interactive and non-interactive workflows. This can improve company productivity internally, as well as with external partners, suppliers, customers and government organisations.
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Here are some of the benefits of using the PDF/E format:
PDF/E files can be opened on Windows or MacOS devices with the Adobe Acrobat reader software, which is free or with any other PDF reader.
To open a PDF/E file with Adobe Acrobat:
Within the engineering industry, The PDF/E standard is supported by various types of specialist software. Common ways to create and edit PDF/E files include using Adobe Acrobat Distiller, Adobe Acrobat PDFMaker and Microsoft Visio.
From the Default Settings menu, select the predefined PDF/E option and then choose Settings > Edit Adobe PDF Settings.
Go on Settings > Advanced Settings > Show All Settings. Select the PDF/E preset from the list and customise it if needed. Next, click Save As, choose a name for the file, then hit Save.
In Acrobat, you can check if your PDF/E file conforms to its standard. Select View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Standards.
You’ll be able to see the conformance information, including the standard used to create the file, the ISO name and whether the file has been verified as PDF/E-compliant.
Learn more about the standard file type for archiving electronic documents in the PDF format.
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Want to learn more about different types of PDF and how they work in different settings? Check out our guide.
Adobe Acrobat Online has all the tools you need to do more with your documents.
You can convert a PDF to the PDF/E standard-compliant using the Standards wizard. Just follow these steps:
PDF is the mother format for portable documents, while PDF/E is a sub-type of the PDF format, used for engineering documents. If you save your engineering file as a regular PDF instead of PDF/E, you’ll see some limitations and conflicts, including:
In total, there are eight types of PDF files. They’re split into two main categories.
PDFs based on ISO:
PDFs based on other organisations:
You can remove the PDF/E-specific information, such as the output condition or the GTS_PDFX version key, using this step-by-step guide. You may want to do this if your file has been modified, you need to start again or the file size is too big because of the ICC profile.
Given their use within the engineering industry, PDF/E files often contain 3D models. However, you can also place a 3D file on a standard PDF page. Acrobat Pro can create 3D PDFs using the 3D tool, but only from U3D ECMA 1 files.
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