What is the difference between Creator and Producer in PDF metadata?

In PDF metadata, Creator refers to the application that originally created the document content (like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or Adobe InDesign), while Producer refers to the application that converted or last saved the document to PDF format (like Adobe Acrobat, PDF printer, or online converters).

This distinction is important for PDF authenticity checking because mismatches between Creator and Producer can indicate document modification. For example, a document created in Word but saved as PDF through a different tool shows different Creator and Producer values—this is normal.

However, if our PDF modification detection finds unexpected changes in these values or timestamps that don’t align with the document history, it may suggest tampering. Understanding Creator vs Producer helps interpret PDF verification results and identify potential document integrity issues.