The plug-in, which allows users to check existing PDF files for compliance with ISO standards or to convert them to PDF/A files, is also now fully 64-bit enabled and has added support for batch processing of PDF files (in the desktop version) and splitting and merging PDFs (in the server version).

Olaf Drümmer, chief executive of Callas Software, said: "We are so pleased that, after much concerted effort, the contents of the new PDF/A-2 part of the standard have at last been defined.

"This gives the industry the ability to work with a newer PDF basis with some interesting features for archiving. In every detail, our Callas pdfaPilot already meets the new requirements and offers many additional functions to fully exploit the new possibilities."

Callas pdfaPilot 2.3 is available now for €379 (£320) and the pdfaPilot Server 2.3 is available for €4,499 - licence holders can upgrade to the new version free of charge. A free demo version is available at www.callassoftware.com.