A normal PDF can depend on things outside the file: fonts on your computer, links to external content, encryption. Years later, any of those can stop it opening the way it did. PDF/A is a stricter version of PDF designed so a document is still readable decades from now.
Archives, courts, government bodies and regulated businesses often ask for it. Here's what it is, which version to pick, and how to create it.
PDF/A is an ISO standard (ISO 19005) for long-term archiving. A PDF/A file has to contain everything needed to display it and must avoid anything that might not work in the future.
Feature
Normal PDF
PDF/A
Fonts
Can rely on fonts installed on the computer
Must be embedded
Encryption / passwords
Allowed
Not allowed
JavaScript, audio, video
Allowed
Not allowed
Links to external content
Allowed
Not allowed for display content
Colour
Can be device-dependent
Must be defined precisely
Metadata
Optional
Required, in a standard format
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PDF/A-1b vs PDF/A-2b (and the others)
Version
Based on
Notes
PDF/A-1
PDF 1.4
The original (2005). Most widely accepted. No transparency or layers.
PDF/A-2
ISO 32000-1 (PDF 1.7)
Adds JPEG 2000 compression, transparency, layers, and embedding of other PDF/A files.
PDF/A-3
ISO 32000-1
Allows any file type to be embedded, such as XML or spreadsheets.
The letter after the number is the conformance level. b (basic) guarantees the document looks the same when displayed. a (accessible) adds structure for screen readers, and u adds reliable Unicode text.
Which to pick
If the requester names a version, use that. Otherwise PDF/A-1b is the most widely accepted, and PDF/A-2b gives smaller files when the content has transparency or modern images.
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When you should use PDF/A
Records you have a legal or regulatory duty to keep for years.
Submissions to archives, government bodies, or courts that ask for PDF/A.
Contracts, deeds and final versions of documents you'll never edit again.
Anything you hand over and expect to be opened by someone else, on unknown software, years from now.
Don't use it for working drafts or forms people still need to fill in. PDF/A is for finished documents.
04
How to save documents as PDF/A
When merging or splitting PDFs with Magic Soft PDF Split & Merge, choose the output format at the export step: Standard PDF, PDF/A-1b or PDF/A-2b.
01
Load the PDFs
Add the files or a folder.
02
Split or merge
Pick the operation and options, such as bookmarks for a merge.
03
Choose PDF/A
Select PDF/A-1b or PDF/A-2b as the output format.
04
Export
Choose a folder and click Start.
NO PASSWORDS IN PDF/A - PDF/A doesn't allow encryption. You can enter a password to open a protected source file, but the PDF/A output itself won't be password-protected. Store it somewhere access-controlled instead.
Microsoft Word can also save as PDF/A: File > Save As > PDF > Options > PDF/A compliant.
05
Checking a file really is PDF/A
A file can be labelled PDF/A without meeting the standard. If compliance matters, check it with a validator such as veraPDF, a free, open-source PDF/A checker. Most archives run a check like this on submission anyway.
Summary
PDF/A is a self-contained PDF built to display the same way in decades. Use it for finished records and formal submissions, pick PDF/A-1b unless told otherwise, and remember it can't be password-protected. To combine documents into one archival file, see how to merge PDF files.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Archive. PDF/A is the archival version of PDF, defined in ISO 19005.
PDF/A-1b is based on PDF 1.4 and is the most widely accepted. PDF/A-2b is based on PDF 1.7 and supports transparency, layers and JPEG 2000.
No. The standard doesn't allow encryption.
You can, but editing may break compliance. Treat PDF/A as a final version and keep an editable source elsewhere.
Choose PDF/A-1b or PDF/A-2b as the output format in PDF Split & Merge, or use PDF/A options in Word or Acrobat.
About The Author
Magic Soft
Magic Soft provides software solutions for email recovery, data migration, file conversion, and digital data management.
