Embedded Payload Manifest (EPM v1.0)¶
EPM v1.0 is a draft standard for preserving machine-readable structured data inside a PDF without losing that data when the document is treated as a presentation-first artifact.
Many document-generation systems begin with structured data, but the rendered PDF discards or obscures that structure. EPM addresses this by defining a narrow wrapper for one structured payload carried with the PDF itself — a single-file workflow in which the presentation document and the machine-readable data move together.
Documents¶
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Specification | Normative rules for EPM v1.0 producers and consumers |
| PDF Embedding Profile | Informative guidance on embedding and discovering EPMs in PDF |
| Use Cases | Informative use cases covering write/read workflows, multi-EPM discovery, and BI-assisted reconstruction |
Schema¶
The machine-readable JSON Schema for EPM v1.0 is available at:
https://epmstandard.org/schema/epm-1
Key Properties¶
- One payload per manifest. Each EPM carries exactly one structured payload associated with its host document.
- Format-neutral payload. Any media type is supported;
payload.typeidentifies the format andpayload.doc_typeidentifies the semantic document type. - PDF-first. EPM v1.0 targets PDF/A-3 and PDF/A-4f as host document profiles, using document-level Associated Files for embedding and discovery.
- Optional integrity and compression. Producers may declare compression, encryption, size, and integrity metadata for the stored payload.
- Strict versioning. Each EPM version defines its own conformance class. This specification defines EPM v1.0.
Status¶
This is a working draft. The canonical home for this standard is epmstandard.org.
License¶
The specification and documentation are licensed under CC BY 4.0. The schema, examples, and implementation-oriented artifacts are licensed under Apache-2.0.