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What is PDF/A, and when do you need it?

Published · 2 min read

If an upload form has ever rejected your perfectly good PDF with a message about “PDF/A”, you've met the archival version of PDF. It looks the same as any other PDF, but it follows stricter rules so it can be opened and displayed identically decades from now.

What makes PDF/A different

An ordinary PDF can depend on things outside the file: fonts installed on your computer, colour settings of the device that shows it, content fetched from the internet. That's fine today, but it means the document might not look the same in twenty years.

PDF/A removes those dependencies. Fonts must be embedded, colours need a defined profile, and features that can't be preserved reliably, such as scripts, aren't allowed. The file also declares which part of the standard it follows, so archives and portals can check it automatically.

Who asks for PDF/A

  • Courts and e-filing systems that keep documents for many years.
  • Government portals, public archives and libraries.
  • Universities, for theses and dissertations.
  • Companies that must keep records such as invoices and contracts for a long time.

PDF/A-1b, 2b or 3b?

  • PDF/A-2b suits most uses. Choose it if the recipient doesn't say which part they need.
  • PDF/A-1b is the oldest and strictest. Choose it only if it's required; transparency may be flattened during conversion.
  • PDF/A-3b is like 2b but allows attached files of any type. Choose it if the document must carry attachments.
  • The “b” stands for basic conformance: the document is guaranteed to look the same. Other levels add requirements about text and structure that most recipients don't ask for.

Convert a PDF to PDF/A

  1. Open PDF to PDF/A and choose your file.
  2. Pick the part your recipient asks for, or 2b if you're unsure.
  3. Download the converted file. Fonts are embedded and colours get a defined profile, and the PDF/A declaration is checked before you download.

Good to know

PDF/A conversion needs OCRmyPDF and Ghostscript, which don't run in a browser, so this tool uses our server and is labelled as such before you start. Your file is deleted after you download the result, and in any case within 60 minutes.

We check the result's structure and its PDF/A declaration. For formal compliance, some recipients run their own validator, such as veraPDF. If a file won't convert because it's damaged, try Repair PDF first, and if it's too large for the upload limit, compress it afterwards.

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