Glossary
Standards, defined
A precise reference for the PDF, digital signature, e-invoice, and integration terms used across NextPDF.
Reference
Terms
- PDF 2.0 ISO 32000-2
- The current generation of the PDF format. NextPDF is built around its object model for document structure, digital signatures, archival profiles, and colour management.
- PDF/UA-2 ISO 14289-2
- The accessibility profile for PDF 2.0. It covers logical structure, document language, reading order, and figure alternative text. Meaningful content remains an editorial responsibility.
- PDF/A-3 ISO 19005-3
- An archival profile that permits embedded files. ZUGFeRD and Factur-X use PDF/A-3 as a carrier for structured XML and a human-readable invoice.
- PDF/A-4 ISO 19005-4
- The PDF 2.0-based archival profile for long-term preservation. NextPDF Enterprise targets PDF/A-4 for standalone archival output.
- PAdES ETSI EN 319 142-1
- PDF Advanced Electronic Signatures. The ETSI profile family defines four baseline levels for digital signatures in PDF: PAdES B-B/B-T/B-LT/B-LTA.
- PAdES B-B (Baseline) ETSI EN 319 142-1
- The baseline level. It embeds the digital signature and signer certificate in the PDF. NextPDF Core provides PAdES B-B.
- PAdES B-T (Timestamped) RFC 3161
- Adds an RFC 3161 timestamp token for the existing digital signature. NextPDF Pro provides PAdES B-T.
- PAdES B-LT (Long-term) ETSI EN 319 142-1
- Adds validation material in the DSS, including certificates and revocation data. NextPDF Enterprise provides PAdES B-LT.
- PAdES B-LTA (Long-term archival) ETSI EN 319 142-1
- Adds document timestamps over the signature and its validation material to support archival validation. NextPDF Enterprise provides PAdES B-LTA.
- CMS SignedData RFC 5652
- The Cryptographic Message Syntax structure that carries a digital signature and related certificate information. PAdES embeds this structure in the PDF signature container.
- ByteRange ISO 32000-2
- The PDF entry that identifies the byte ranges covered by a digital signature. The signature value occupies the excluded range.
- DSS (Document Security Store) ISO 32000-2
- The PDF structure used to hold certificate and revocation information for validation. PAdES B-LT/B-LTA require this validation material.
- RFC 3161 timestamp RFC 3161
- A timestamp token issued by a Time-Stamping Authority for data presented to it. NextPDF Pro uses it for PAdES B-T.
- EN 16931 EN 16931-1
- The European semantic model for the core elements of an electronic invoice. NextPDF Enterprise targets it for structured invoice data in hybrid PDFs.
- ZUGFeRD and Factur-X EN 16931 · PDF/A-3
- Hybrid e-invoice formats that pair a human-readable PDF/A-3 document with embedded structured XML. Their profiles include mappings to the EN 16931 semantic model.
- ICC v4 colour ISO 15076-1
- Version 4 profiles from the International Color Consortium. They describe colour transformations for colour-managed output across devices and workflows.
- MCP (Model Context Protocol)
- A protocol for exposing tools to AI systems. NextPDF Connect offers MCP alongside REST and gRPC for its typed PDF operations.
- HSM / PKCS#11
- A Hardware Security Module and its PKCS#11 interface. NextPDF Enterprise can route signing through a configured module. Key residency follows the module and key attributes in your deployment.
Put the terms in context
Find edition details and deployment answers in the supporting reference pages.