8. Graphics

8.2 Graphics objects

Change Table 50 as follows:

Table 50 - Operator categories
Category Operators Location
Shading patterns Sh sh "Table 76 — Shading operator"
... ... ...
Marked-content MP, DP, BMC, BDC, EMC "Table 351 — Entries in a data dictionary" "Table 352 — Marked-content operators"

8.4 Graphics state

8.4.1 General

Add the following row to Table 52 below the Haftone entry as follows:

Table 52 - Device-dependent graphics state parameters
Parameter Type Value
flatness number The precision with which curves shall be rendered on the output device (see 10.7.2, "Flatness tolerance"). The value of this parameter (positive number) gives the maximum error tolerance, measured in output device pixels; smaller numbers give smoother curves at the expense of more computation and memory use. Initial value: 1.0.
halftone origin array (PDF 2.0) The X and Y coordinates of the halftone origin. Initial value: a PDF reader shall initialise this to a suitable device dependent value.

8.4.2 Graphics state stack

Append a new sentence to the last paragraph as follows:

Occurrences of the q and Q operators shall be balanced within a given content stream (or within the sequence of streams specified in a page dictionary’s Contents array). See 9.4.1, "General" for additional information that must be managed as part of the graphics state stack when q and Q operators occur within text objects.

8.4.3 Details of graphics state parameters

8.4.3.5 Mitre limit

Change the first paragraph as follows:

When two line segments meet at a sharp angle and mitered joins have been specified as the line join style, it is possible for the miter to extend far beyond the thickness of the line stroking the path. The miter limit shall be a number greater than or equal to 1.0 and shall impose a maximum on the ratio of the miter length to the line width (see "Figure 15 — Miter length"). When the limit is exceeded, the join is converted from a miter to a bevel.

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8.4.4 Graphics state operators

Change Table 56 as follows:

Table 56 - Graphics state operators
Operands Operator Description
flatness i Set the flatness tolerance in the graphics state (see 10.7.2, "Flatness tolerance"). flatness is a number in the range 0 to 100; a value of 0 shall specify the output device’s default flatness tolerance.

8.4.5 Graphics state parameter dictionaries

Change Table 57 as follows:

Table 57 - Entries in a graphics state parameter dictionary
Key Type Value
UseBlackPtComp name

...

The default value is: Default.

8.5 Path constructing and painting

8.5.3 Path-painting operators

8.5.3.1 General

Add a new NOTE above Table 59 as follows:

NOTE: While these operators are primarily for path-painting, they also serve a purpose in path construction as they may affect the current graphics path (see 8.5.2, "Path-construction operators").

Change Table 59 as follows:

Table 59 - Path-painting categories
Operands Operator Description
- B

Fill and then stroke the path, using the non-zero winding number rule to determine the region to fill. In the opaque imaging model, this This operator shall produce the same result as constructing two identical path objects, painting the first with f and the second with S.

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8.6.5.5 ICCBased colour spaces

Change the first paragraph as follows:

ICCBased colour spaces (PDF 1.3) shall be based on a cross-platform colour profile as defined by the International Color Consortium (ICC). Unlike the CalGray, CalRGB, and Lab colour spaces, which are characterised by entries in the colour space dictionary, an ICCBased colour space shall be characterised by a sequence of bytes in a standard format. Details of the profile format can be found in the ICC specifications.

Replace the paragraph before Table 66 and Table 66 as follows:

"Table 66 - ICC Specification versions supported by ICC based colour spaces" shows the versions of the ICC specification on which the ICCBased colour spaces that PDF versions 1.3 and later shall use. (Earlier versions of the ICC specification shall also be supported.) ICC profile versions supported by ICCBased colour spaces" lists the ICC profile versions as specified in the ICC header that shall be supported.

Table 66 - ICC Specification versions supported by ICC based colour spacesICC profile versions supported by ICCBased colour spaces
ICC profile header version ICC Specification
2.x.y.z "Specification ICC.1:2001-04 - File Format for Color Profiles [REVISION of ICC.1:1998-09]"
4.x.y.z where x ≤ 3 ISO 15076-1:2010, Image technology colour management – Architecture, profile format and data structure — Part 1: Based on ICC.1:2010

Change the bulleted list below Table 66 as follows:

PDF processors shall follow these guidelines for writing and rendering ICC based color spaces:

  • A PDF reader shall support ICC.1:2010 as required by PDF 2.0both ICC profile header version 2.x and 4.x profiles, which will enable it to properly render all embedded ICC profiles regardless of the PDF version.
  • A PDF reader shall always process an embedded ICC profile according to the corresponding version of the PDFICC specification being processed as shown in "ICC Specification versions supported by ICC based colour spaces"Table 66 - ICC profile versions supported by ICCBased colour spaces" above; it shall not substitute the alternate colour space in these cases.
  • A PDF writer should use ICC 1:2010 profiles conforming to ISO 15076-1:2010. It may embed profiles conforming to an earlier or later ICC version.
  • ...

Add a new NOTE 2 below NOTE 1 and above Table 67 as follows:

NOTE 2 ICC profiles can contain private tags or tags defined in later versions of ICC profile specifications than specified in "Table 66 - ICC Specification versions supported by ICC based colour spaces". This document intentionally does not specify how a PDF processor might use such data in ICC profiles. A PDF processor can ignore such data altogether. Any use of such data is implementation dependent.

8.6.5.8 Rendering intents

Change the NOTE below Table 69 as follows:

NOTE The exact set of rendering intents supported can vary from one output device to another; a particular device does not have to support all PDF rendering intents and can support additional ones beyond those listed in the table above.

8.6.6 Special colour spaces

8.6.6.5 DeviceN colour spaces

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Change the paragraph this is 2 paragraphs above NOTE 4 as follows:

The component names shall all be different from one another, except for the name None, which may be repeated as described later in this subclause. The special name None shall not be used in DeviceN colour spaces that have the NChannel subtype The special name All, used by Separation colour spaces, shall not be used. The names Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black are reserved to name the subtractive process colourants of a CMYK device.

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Change the paragraph below NOTE 6 as follows:

The colour component name None , which may be present only for DeviceN colour spaces that do not have the NChannel subtype, indicates that the corresponding colour component shall never be painted on the page, as in a Separation colour space for the None colourant. When a DeviceN colour space is painting the named device colourants directly, colour components corresponding to None colourants shall be discarded. However, when the DeviceN colour space reverts to its alternate colour space, those components shall be passed to the tint transformation function, which may use them as desired.

8.7 Patterns

8.7.3 Tiling patterns

8.7.3.1 General

Change the second paragraph as follows:

The pattern cell can include graphical elements such as filled areas, text, and sampled images. Its shape need not be rectangular, and the spacing of tiles can differ from the dimensions of the cell itself. When performing painting operations such as S (stroke) or f (fill), the PDF processor shall paint the cell on the current page as many times as necessary to fill an area. The order in which individual tiles (instances of the cell) are painted is unspecified and unpredictable (implementation dependent) ; figures on adjacent tiles should not overlap.

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Change the caption of Table 74 as follows:

Table 74 - Additional entries specific to a Type 1 pattern stream dictionary
Key Type Value
... ... ...

8.9 Images

8.9.5 Image dictionaries

8.9.5.1 General

Change Table 87 as follows:

Table 87 - Additional entries specific to an image dictionary
Key Type Value
BitsPerComponent integer

(Required except for image masks and images that use the JPXDecode filter) The number of bits used to represent each colour component. Only a single value shall be specified; the number of bits shall be the same for all colour components. The value shall be 1, 2, 4, 8, or (from PDF 1.5) 16. If ImageMask is true, this entry is optional, but if specified, its value shall be 1.

If the image stream uses a filter, the value of BitsPerComponent shall be consistent with the size of the data samples that the filter delivers. In particular, a CCITTFaxDecode or JBIG2Decode filter shall always deliver 1-bit samples, a RunLengthDecode or DCTDecode filter shall always deliver 8-bit samples, and an LZWDecode or FlateDecode filter shall deliver samples of a the specified size if a predictor function is used.

If the image stream uses the JPXDecode filter, this entry is optional and shall be ignored if present. The bit depth is determined by the PDF processor in the process of decoding the JPEG 2000 image.

Intent name

...

Additional limitations also apply to this key when used in soft-mask image dictionaries - see clause 11.6.5.2 Soft-mask images.
ImageMask boolean (Optional) A flag indicating whether the image shall be treated as an image mask (see 8.9.6, "Masked images"). If this flag is true, the value of BitsPerComponent, if present, shall be 1 and Mask Mask and ColorSpace shall not be specifiedpresent (if present, they shall be ignored); unmasked areas shall be painted using the current nonstroking colour. Default value: false.
Mask stream or array

(Optional; shall not be present for image masks; PDF 1.3) An image XObject defining an image mask to be applied to this image (see 8.9.6.3, "Explicit masking"), or an array specifying a range of colours to be applied to it as a colour key mask (see 8.9.6.4, "Colour key masking"). If ImageMask is true, this entry shall not be present (if present, it shall be ignored).

NOTE Interactions between SMask, SMaskInData and the current soft mask in the graphics state are set out in clause 11.6.4.3, "Mask shape and opacity".

Alternates array

...

Additional limitations also apply to this key when used in soft-mask image dictionaries - see clause 11.6.5.2 Soft-mask images.
SMask stream

(Optional; PDF 1.4) A subsidiary image XObject defining a soft-mask image (see 11.6.5.2, "Soft-mask images") that shall be used as a source of mask shape or mask opacity values in the transparent imaging model. The alpha source parameter in the graphics state determines whether the mask values shall be interpreted as shape or opacity.

If present, this entry shall override the current soft mask in the graphics state, as well as the image’s Mask entry, if any. However, the other transparency-related graphics state parameters — blend mode and alpha constant — shall remain in effect. If SMask is absent and SMaskInData has value 0, the image shall have no associated soft mask (although the current soft mask in the graphics state may still apply). SMask shall not be present if SMaskInData has a non-zero value (if present, SMask shall be ignored).

Additional limitations also apply to this key when used in soft-mask image dictionaries - see clause 11.6.5.2 Soft-mask images.

SMaskInData integer

(Optional for images that use the JPXDecode filter, meaningless otherwise; PDF 1.5) A code specifying how soft-mask information (see 11.6.5.2, "Soft-mask images") encoded with image samples shall be used:

  1. If present, encoded soft-mask image information shall be ignored. If present, SMask shall override the current soft mask in the graphics state, as well as the image’s Mask entry, if any. However, the other transparency-related graphics state parameters — blend mode and alpha constant — shall remain in effect.
  2. The image’s data stream includes encoded soft-mask values. A PDF processor shall create a soft-mask image from the information to be used as a source of mask shape or mask opacity in the transparency imaging model.
  3. The image’s data stream includes colour channels that have been premultiplied with an opacity channel; the image data also includes the opacity channel. A PDF processor shall create a soft-mask image from the opacity channel information to be used as a source of mask shape or mask opacity in the transparency model.

If this entry has a non-zero value, SMask shall not be specified (if present, SMask shall be ignored). If SMaskInData is non-zero, there shall be only one opacity channel in the JPEG 2000 data and it shall apply to all colour channels. See also 7.4.9, "JPXDecode filter".

NOTE 2 Interactions between SMask, SMaskInData and the current soft mask in the graphics state are set out in clause 11.6.4.3, "Mask shape and opacity".

Default value: 0.
Name name

...

Additional limitations also apply to this key when used in soft-mask image dictionaries - see clause 11.6.5.2 Soft-mask images.

StructParent integer

...

Additional limitations also apply to this key when used in soft-mask image dictionaries - see clause 11.6.5.2 Soft-mask images.
ID byte string

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Additional limitations also apply to this key when used in soft-mask image dictionaries - see clause 11.6.5.2 Soft-mask images.

8.9.5.4 Alternate images

Change the list below Table 89 as follows:

In PDF 1.5, optional content (see 8.11, "Optional content") may be used to facilitate selection between alternate images. The following algorithm shall be used to determine which image, if any, shall be rendered:

NOTE (2020) The following algorithm was changed in this document to reflect that OC processing has precedence over DefaultForPrinting functionality, and situations where no image is to be renderedclarify the relationship between optional content and DefaultForPrinting.

  1. If the base image contains an OC key then DefaultForPrinting shall be ignored on all Alternates entriesentry that specifies that the content is not visible, then nothing shall be shown.

  2. If the base image contains an OC entry that specifies that the base image is visible, then the base image shall be rendered.

  3. If the base image contains an OC entry that specifies that the base image is not visible, then the list of alternate image dictionaries specified by the base image Alternates entry shall be examined in order, and the first entry not containing an OC key, or containing an OC entry specifying that the alternate image should be visible, shall be selected. Further, if this selected alternate image has an OC entry, then that OC entry shall also be processed to determine if the alternate image shall be rendered or not. If none of the alternate image dictionaries have an OC key, or none of the alternate image dictionaries with an OC entry specify that that alternate image is visible, then nothing shall be shown. DefaultForPrinting shall be ignored on all Alternates entries.

  4. Otherwise if the PDF is being printed and any of the Alternates entries has DefaultForPrinting set to true, then that alternate image shall be printed.

  5. If the base image does not contain an OC key and the PDF is being printed then the first entry in the Alternates array of the base image that has DefaultForPrinting set to true shall be selected. Further, if this selected alternate image has an OC entry, then that OC entry shall also be processed to determine if the alternate image shall be printed or not. If no alternate image dictionary in the Alternates array has DefaultForPrinting set to true, then the base image shall be printed.

  6. Otherwise, the list of alternates specified by the base image Alternates entry is examined, and the first alternate containing an OC entry specifying that its content is visible shall be shown (Alternates that have no OC entry shall not be shown.) Furthermore if the image dictionary that forms the value of the Image key of the selected alternate contains an OC entry, then that OC in the image dictionary shall not be examined.

  7. If steps c and d above do not identify an alternate to be rendered then the base image shall be rendered.

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8.9.6 Masked images

8.9.6.2 Stencil masking

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Change the NOTE as follows:

NOTE One of the most important uses of stencil masking is for painting character glyphs represented as bitmaps. Using such a glyph as a stencil mask transfers only its "black" bits to the page, leaving the "white" bits (which are really just background) unchanged. For reasons discussed in 9.6.5.3, "Encodings for Type 3 fonts" 9.6.4, "Type 3 fonts" , an image mask, rather than an image, need almost always be used to paint glyph bitmaps is normally used to paint glyph bitmaps.

8.9.7 Inline images

Change the paragraphs below Table 90 as follows:

Inline image objects shall not be nested; that is, two BI operators shall not appear without an intervening EI to close the first object. Similarly, an ID operator shall only appear between a BI and its balancing EI. Unless the image uses ASCIIHexDecode or ASCII85Decode as one of its filters its final or only filter, the ID operator shall be followed by a single white-space character, and the next character shall be interpreted as the first byte of image data.

The key-value pairs appearing between the BI and ID operators (as listed in "Table 91 - Entries in an inline image object") are analogous to their respective key-value pairs in an image XObject dictionary (see "Table 87 - Additional entries specific to an image dictionary") or a stream dictionary (see "Table 5 - Entries common to all stream dictionaries"). For convenience, the abbreviations shown in "Table 91 - Entries in an inline image object" and "Table 92 - Additional abbreviations in an inline image object" may be used in place of the full names. In the situation where both an abbreviated key name and the corresponding full key name from Table 91 are present, the abbreviated key name shall take precedence. Entries other than those listed shall be ignored.

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Change Table 91 as follows:

Table 91 - Entries in an inline image object
Full Name Abbreviation
Interpolate I (uppercase Ii)

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Replace NOTE 3 as follows:

NOTE 3 The names DeviceGray, DeviceRGB, and DeviceCMYK (as well as their abbreviations G, RGB, and CMYK) always identify the corresponding colour spaces directly; they never refer to resources in the ColorSpace subdictionary. never refer to resources in the ColorSpace subdictionary; they always identify the corresponding colour spaces either directly or via a default colour space (see 8.6.5.6 "Default colour spaces").

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8.10 Form XObjects

8.10.2 Form dictionaries

Change Table 93 as follows:

Table 93 - Additional entries specific to a Type 1 form dictionary
Key Type Value
Resources dictionary

(Optional but strongly recommended Sometimes required; PDF 1.2) A dictionary specifying any resources (such as fonts and images) required by the form XObject (see 7.8, "Content streams and resources").

In a PDF whose version is 1.1 and earlier, all named resources used in the form XObject shall be included in the resource dictionary of each page object on which the form XObject appears, regardless of whether they also appear in the resource dictionary of the form XObject. These resources should also be specified in the form XObject’s resource dictionary as well, to determine which resources are used inside the form XObject. If a resource is included in both dictionaries, it shall have the same name in both locations.

In PDF 1.2 and later versions, form XObjects may be independent of the content streams in which they appear, and this is strongly recommended although not requiredit is strongly recommended that form XObjects be independent of the content streams in which they appear; from PDF 2.0 this is required. In an independent form XObject, the resource dictionary of the form XObject is required and shall contain all named resources used by the form XObject. These resources shall not be promoted to the outer content stream’s resource dictionary, although that stream’s resource dictionary refers to the form XObject.

NOTE 1 In PDF 1.1 and earlier, all named resources used in the form XObject were defined to be included in the resource dictionary of each page object on which the form XObject appears, regardless of whether they also appeared in the resource dictionary of the form XObject. These resources also needed to be specified in the form XObject’s resource dictionary as well, to determine which resources were used inside the form XObject. If a resource was included in both dictionaries, it needed to have the same name in both locations.

NOTE 2 Linearized PDF files impose additional requirements on resources - see "Annex F - (normative) Linearized PDF".

StructParent integer (Required if the form XObject is a structural content item; PDF 1.3) The integer key of the form XObject’s entry in the structural parent tree (see 14.7.5.4, "Finding structure elements from content items"). At most one of the entries StructParent or StructParents shall be present. A form XObject shall be either a content item in its entirety or a container for marked-content sequences that are content items, but not both.

8.11 Optional Content

8.11.4 Configuring optional content

8.11.4.3 Optional content configuration dictionaries

Change Table 99 as follows:

Table 99 - Entries in an optional content configuration dictionary
Key Type Value
RBGroups array

(Optional) An array consisting of one or more arrays, each of which. Each of the inner arrays represents a collection of optional content groups whose states shall be intended to follow a radio button paradigm. That is, the state of at most one optional content group in each inner array shall be ON at a time. If one group is turned ON, all others shall be turned OFF. However, turning a group from ON to OFF does not force any other group to be turned ON. None of the inner array elements shall be an empty array.

An empty array [] explicitly indicates that no such collections exist. If the value of RBGroups is an empty array [], then this explicitly indicates that no such collections exist.

In the default configuration dictionary, the default value for RBGroups shall be an empty array; in other configuration dictionaries, the default is the RBGroups value from the default configuration dictionary.

Last modified: 19 November 2024