PDF Xpansion SDK 15 released – New Features for eInvoicing & Digital Signatures

Necessary Requirements to establish eInvoices

In order to establish eInvoices on a broad level, they have to fulfil important requirements: the use of a common (standard) data format on the one hand, plus the existence of laws and regulations that define the implementation rules for supplier and buyer, on the other hand.

Currently, the data formats FACTUR-X (in Germany and France), ZUGFeRD and XRechnung (both in Germany) are such standards, and they meet EU and national laws and regulations. ZUGFeRD is the German language abbreviation for „Zentraler User Guide Forum elektronische Rechnung Deutschland“, which means „Central User Guide Forum Electronic Invoice Germany“).

Software developers have already created solutions based on these formats. And on the users´ side, more and more companies are interested in these solutions. Apart from that, the use of "structured" invoice data instead of paper invoices or simple PDF files has become obligatory by law many countries. For example, in Germany, federal authorities only accept XML files in the XRechnung format since November 27, 2020.

ZUGFeRD and FACTUR-X combine a printable invoice (PDF/A-3 file as visual representation of the invoice data) with an embedded XML file that presents the invoice data in a specifically structured way. XRechnung is only an XML file without any visual representation at all.

New components for eInvoices

PDF Xpansion SDK 15 does not only allow software manufacturers to implement functionality for the creation, reading, and validation of current eInvoicing formats (all published specifications of FACTUR-X, ZUGFeRD and XRechnung) in their applications, but also for the visualization of XML files in PDF format. Additionally, a separate new feature allows the conversion between the aforementioned eInvoicing formats.

News for Electronic Signatures

Last but not least, PDF Xpansion SDK 15 offers enhanced features in the field of digital signatures: it now also supports signing and verification with certification signatures and PAdES signatures (all conformance levels), plus the embedding of time stamps according to ISO 32000-2 and the RFC 3161 protocol.

News Overview

• Features for current formats/specifications to send and receive eInvoices: ZUGFeRD 1.0 to 2.1.1 (all profiles) and FACTUR-X, XRechnung 1.2.2 and 2.0
• Support of UBL syntax for import of data from XRechnung (to UN/CEFACT)
• Visualize XML invoices (generate PDF using XML invoice and design template): convert content of XML to PDF, and place the content in a predefined invoice layout design
• Reformat invoice from one standard to another: open a format standard, convert & save
• Extended features for electronic signatures: Certification signatures, document time stamps
• PAdES signatures: verification and/or signing with B (Basic), T (Time), LT (Long-Term-Validation) & LTA (Long-Term Availability and Integrity of Validation) conformance levels
• Embedding of time stamps according to ISO 32000-2 and to RFC 3161 protocol into electronic signatures
• More new features in version 15: compare text in two PDF documents (diff procedure), mark changes to see them in file viewer or save as text markup; improved rendering of PDF contents

Details

Detailed information is available on the PDF Xpansion SDK 15 product page. The page also offers a trial license that comes with a detailed product guide and an illustrative programming reference for developers.