Many people, particularly in Europe, know DIN Media (formerly Beuth Verlag) as one of Germany’s largest providers of specialist information and knowledge. The company has long focused on delivering high-quality, durable products and services. In 2019, DIN Media adopted callas pdfaPilot and pdfToolbox. The software automatically processes, converts and validates PDF/A and PDF/X files. This significantly reduced the publisher’s manual workload.

“As a publisher of standards, norms and guidelines, we must ensure that our publications meet high quality standards and comply with all legal requirements,” says Mark Reuter, Project Manager for Policy Production at Beuth Verlag.

DIN Media uses the PDF/A-1b standard for its files. This ensures consistent visual reproduction of every font, formula and symbol in its publications.

The files also need the correct structure. Structural errors can be difficult to spot on screen without software support. For example, a complex formula may contain mathematical symbols, unusual integrals or units. It may look correct in the PDF but print incorrectly.

“If we had to check all our standards manually for these and other errors, the workload would be substantial.”

Of the 40,000 DIN standards, callas tools processed and corrected 31,000 automatically. Another 6,000 needed only basic manual work. DIN Media employees reviewed the remaining 3,000 files themselves.

Most of these files came from the early days of PDF, when authors had less experience with the format. pdfToolbox and pdfaPilot kept manual work to a minimum. Their content-based search functions allow DIN Media to validate and convert publications according to their maturity or draft status.

Since the 2020 releases, DIN Media has also used the software to generate ZUGFeRD-compliant digital invoices automatically.

Where possible, pdfaPilot corrects issues such as undefined symbols, CID sets and character widths. It also helped DIN Media solve problems involving transparency. When the software cannot correct an error, it generates a report with bookmarks that lead employees directly to the affected content. This approach prevents almost all problems with printed and downloadable files.

The graphical editor also makes it easier to create Process Plans and document workflows clearly.

Automatically splitting invoices

DIN Media also uses pdfaPilot to split invoice files through robotic process automation. A typical 500-page PDF contains many individual invoices. pdfaPilot identifies specific text phrases and uses them to separate the file automatically. The process now takes just 60 seconds instead of an hour. The software also simplifies the renaming of PDF prefixes and suffixes.

“This is particularly useful for our new PDF/X preflight process, which generates uniquely named file versions with different resolutions and colours.”

DIN Media also uses pdfaPilot to convert selected standards into PDF/UA-compliant files.

“Without callas technology, we simply wouldn’t have been able to do this efficiently enough. We can now guarantee PDF/A compliance and process 98% of the claims we receive using software alone. callas and its distributor, Four Pees, provide excellent support in this field.”

You can learn more about DIN Media here.