Which flavour should I choose?

PDF/A-1b is the strictest and the most universally accepted: it is what most public tenders and archive deposits ask for. 2b and 3b allow more recent features, including attachments for 3b.

What does the conversion change in the document?

Fonts are embedded, colours made device-independent, and anything depending on outside software is stripped. The idea is that it still opens in twenty years, unchanged.

How do I know the file is genuinely compliant?

It is read back after conversion: if it does not declare the standard, it is not handed to you under that name. A file announced as PDF/A that is not would be refused at deposit, which is the worst moment to find out.

Convert a PDF to PDF/A

The archival standard, verified

Where it runs: On the server.

Settings

Conformance level

PDF/A-1bThe strictest and oldest. No transparency, no layers. Some public bodies still require it.PDF/A-2bThe default choice: accepts transparency and layers, and covers the vast majority of archival requirements.PDF/A-3bLike 2b, but also allows attached files (an invoice with its XML, for instance).

The produced file is read back: if it does not declare the standard, it is not handed over. Whatever cannot be made compliant (transparency in 1b, an exotic colour profile) is removed from the document.

Drop a file to begin.

This tool needs software that does not run in a browser. The file is sent over an encrypted connection, processed, then deleted automatically after two hours. Nobody reads it.

What this tool does

Converts to PDF/A-1b, 2b or 3b: embedded fonts, device-independent colour, nothing that depends on software that won't exist any more. This is what public tenders and archive deposits require. The produced file is read back: if it doesn't declare the standard, it isn't handed over under that name.

In the same family

Where the file goes

Server round tripYour disk → this tab → our server → this tab → your disk. Deleted automatically after two hours.

How to do it

01Drop in the PDF to archive.
02Choose the flavour: PDF/A-1b, 2b or 3b.
03Run it: the file produced is read back before it reaches you.

Frequently asked questions

Which flavour should I choose?: PDF/A-1b is the strictest and the most universally accepted: it is what most public tenders and archive deposits ask for. 2b and 3b allow more recent features, including attachments for 3b.
What does the conversion change in the document?: Fonts are embedded, colours made device-independent, and anything depending on outside software is stripped. The idea is that it still opens in twenty years, unchanged.
How do I know the file is genuinely compliant?: It is read back after conversion: if it does not declare the standard, it is not handed to you under that name. A file announced as PDF/A that is not would be refused at deposit, which is the worst moment to find out.