The Editable PDF Initiative is a collaborative project to turn PDF into a format that can be readily edited using a graphical or text editor, in the same way that would normally be possible using a word processing package. All specifications will be fully open and prototypes will be open-source.

Why?

PDF has long become the de facto format for exchanging print-oriented documents on the Web, and for a good reason: it works, and reliably so! However, its main drawback is that it is currently an end-of-line format, and therefore very difficult to edit.

People wishing to exchange editable documents are currently forced to use the native formats of their application, such as DOC(X), ODF, etc., missing out on the openness and visual robustness that PDF offers.

No-one should be forced to make compromises. This project aims to investigate and propose extensions to the PDF standard, giving users the best of both worlds.

We need your help!

We would love to hear your feedback, so feel free to leave a public comment on any of these pages (but please allow a short time for your comment to be moderated). If you don’t wish your comment to be made public, please send a private message instead. Please see the Contribute page if you would like to work with us more closely on developing the prototype or specifying the format.