Why PDF 2.0, and why now
NextPDF builds on the PDF 2.0 (ISO 32000-2) object model, with tagged structure, PAdES signatures, and PDF/A-4 archival profiles in scope.
Many PHP applications produce static files based on the PDF 1.x era. Current accessibility workflows use tagged logical structure for assistive technology, while archival and signature workflows require newer capabilities.
What PDF 2.0 changes
ISO 32000-2—PDF 2.0—is the current standard, and it frames how the modern document world works: tagged structure for accessibility (PDF/UA-2), archival profiles (PDF/A-4), signature containers (PAdES), and ICC v4 colour management. NextPDF’s core is built around the PDF 2.0 model.
That matters because the obligations attached to documents have changed:
- Accessibility requires structure. A document that is just pixels excludes assistive technology and increasingly fails procurement. PDF/UA-2 tagging carries the document’s semantics so a screen reader can navigate it.
- Long-term signatures add requirements. A signature that still verifies in ten years uses PAdES B-LTA with timestamps and revocation data.
- Archival and e-invoicing are regulated. PDF/A-4 and the ZUGFeRD/Factur-X invoice profiles are common requirements in regulated archival and e-invoicing workflows. They help documents clear procurement or tax systems where those profiles apply.
Built for what comes next
PDF 2.0 also makes documents legible to machines. NextPDF exposes deterministic PDF tools to AI systems over typed MCP, REST, and gRPC contracts. An agent can create, analyse, sign, and validate documents from their structure instead of pixel OCR.
NextPDF starts from the standard. Accessibility, signatures, and archival profiles are part of the architecture from the outset.