PDF Association cheat sheets reviewed

Why do we need Cheat sheets for PDF?

PDF is a complex topic to get into. There is a lot to learn and understand and there is nothing simple about the format. If you are working with PDF files in anything more than a casual way, you really need to understand them and have some domain knowledge on the topic. We spent a lot of time getting our new developers up to speed on the PDF format so anything which helps this is definitely on our radar!

Having worked the file format for more than 24 years, I was (naturally) interested to see that the PDF Association had released some ‘cheat sheets‘ as PDFs. You do not need to be a member of the PDF Association to access them (if your job revolves around PDF files you will benefit from it).

What are the cheat sheets?

There are 9 cheat sheets currently available. They are not intended as tutorials or to replace documentation. What they do provide are key summaries (with all the required information). Let’s look at each in turn…..

1. PDF Basics

The PDF Basics cheat sheet nicely summarises all the different types and versions of PDF you will find. It demystifies the language used, explains how the file is organised (both physically and conceptually) and the types of object which can exist in a PDF Object. If you are working with PDF files, this sheet will save you countless hours digging into the reference guide and hunting for technical details.

2. PDF’s common objects

PDF’s common objects goes into more detail on how the key objects in PDF work – GraphicsState, Annotations, ColorSpaces, Fonts and the Document Catalogues. It includes types and values, along with when they were introduced into the specification. Again, it is not a tutorial on what these are (or how they work) but a very handy summary of how to use and control them.

3. PDF’s graphic operators and operands

PDF’s graphic operators and operands explain all the Commands you can use to draw and control content (color, text, shapes, images, clips) on the page. It explains how the co-ordinate system works and how structures can be defined.

4. PDF color

Colour is a complex topic in PDF, with multiple ways to define and use it. This is fully covered, along with a really nice diagram showing how blending works. Shading and Patterns are also defined.

5. PDF’s logical structure

PDF’s logical structure explains in more detail how the PDF Document is structured and how values are stored. It also covers how Structure is defined.

6. PDF’s standard structure elements

In this cheat sheet you are given a summary of structure elements with a detailed comparison of the differences between PDF versions 1.7 and 2.0.

7. MathML in PDF

If you need to include formulae in a PDF Document, this cheat sheet covers how these can be defined both graphically and in the content of the document.

8. Arlington PDF Model

The Arlington model defines all the possible keys and values you get in all versions of PDF files. This sheet shows you how it is defined and provides the link to download the full model.

How to get the PDF Cheat sheets

You can download any or all of them from here.

You probably will not need all of them, but you will find them a great resource if you need to work with PDF files on a regular basis.

Our software libraries allow you to