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Duff Johnson, President

Duff Johnson has worked with PDF technology since 1995. His first company, a service-bureau, spent most of its time making Adobe's Acrobat software do what the customers wanted. As new features were added to PDF and to Adobe's Acrobat and Reader software, Document Solutions, Inc (DSI) added new services. Some examples:

• In 1996, DSI created a sophisticated user-interface for CD-ROM based collections of PDFs
• In 1997, DSI leveraged the unique capabilities of PDF to combine lossless black-and-white scanned pages with lossy JPEG color images. "MultiResolution PDF" was very popular with publishers, and DSI went on to convert millions of pages of academic journals and magazines to PDF using this technique.
• In 1998, shortly after Adobe's initial release of PDF forms in Acrobat, DSI added form-fields to over 30,000 PDF insurance forms for server-based filling and delivery.
• In 2001, DSI was the first organization in the world to offer the service of tagging PDF files for accessibility purposes, such as compliance with Section 508.

In 2008, Document Solutions, Inc. merged with PDF software company Appligent, Inc. Duff Johnson served as CEO of the combined company for two and a half years. In 2011, Duff became President of NetCentric Technologies.

Industry Standards

Duff believes that the key function of PDF -- to serve as electronic paper -- is an essential component of forseeable information-age business infrastructure.  Duff is known to his colleagues as a "PDF purist" for his lay representation of end-user interests.

Duff sets the highest value by the concepts of reliability, backwards compatibility, interoperability and interchange. In PDF, it's possible to know what those things actually MEAN. Duff likes that.

To encourage the acceptance, adoption and development of high quality PDF technology, Duff helps develop and advocate International Standards for PDF via his leadership roles in several ISO Committees relating to the development of ISO standards for PDF, including:

• ISO Project Co-Leader for ISO 32000 (PDF)
• Chair of the U.S. Committee for ISO 32000 (PDF)
• Chair of the U.S. Committee for ISO 14289 (PDF/UA)
• U.S. Spokesperson for ISO 14289
• ISO Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for ISO/TC 171
• Member, AIIM Standards Committee

Duff serves the electronic document industry as Vice Chair of the PDF Association. Beginning in 2006 as the PDF/A Competence Center, the PDF Association exists to provide software vendors with information and resources on the various International Standards for PDF to help them make the most of their investment in PDF technology.

For his service to the industry in support of PDF Standards, Duff Johnson was presented with AIIM's Distinguished Service Award in 2010.

Writing

Author of dozens of feature articles covering the use (and abuse) of electronic document technologies, Duff's articles and software reviews offer an independent perspective. As of February, 2012, Duff's articles now appear on his blog Logical Structures.

A regular panelist and speaker at industry events, Duff has presented at many conferences including AIIM, Seybold, AGI, PDF Conference, PDF Central, BFMA and PDF Association as well as in online webinars and other venues.

Duff's articles from 1999-2011 are linked from his personal site at duff-johnson.com.