PDF to PDF/A Converter
Transform your regular PDFs into standardized PDF/A format designed for decades of accessibility. Our tool handles font embedding, color profile management, and validation to ensure your documents meet strict archival requirements.
Why our PDF to PDF/A converter stands above the rest
Intelligent conversion
Our advanced engine transforms regular PDFs into fully compliant archival formats with automatic issue detection and repair for worry-free preservation.
Complete document integrity
Every conversion embeds essential fonts, preserves color profiles, and maintains critical metadata to ensure your documents display consistently for decades.
Full standards compliance
Choose between PDF/A-1b, PDF/A-2b, or PDF/A-3b formats to meet specific institutional requirements for digital archives, libraries, and regulatory submissions.
How to create archive-ready PDF/A documents in three simple steps
Upload your document
Select any PDF file from your computer or simply drag and drop it into the upload area to begin the transformation process.
Configure archival settings
Choose your preferred PDF/A standard version, select color profile options, enable font embedding, and determine if you want automatic validation of the final document.
Download your archive-ready file
Receive your fully-compliant PDF/A document with embedded fonts, proper color profiles, and validation report confirming standards compliance.
Popular applications for PDF/A document conversion
Business records management
Transform critical financial statements, contracts, and corporate records into standardized PDF/A format that remains accessible and legally valid despite future technology changes.
Academic preservation
Prepare research papers, dissertations, and scholarly publications for permanent digital library archives with complete font embedding and format integrity.
Legal & regulatory compliance
Meet strict court filing requirements, ensure regulatory submission acceptance, and create legally admissible documents that maintain integrity for evidentiary purposes.
Government record preservation
Convert vital public records, permits, and official correspondence into standardized archival formats that satisfy long-term preservation mandates for government agencies.
Digital heritage preservation
Archive historical documents, cultural artifacts, and important publications in a format designed to maintain readability for decades while preserving critical metadata.
Medical record archiving
Convert patient records and clinical documentation into standardized PDF/A files that meet healthcare information retention requirements while ensuring future accessibility.
Related PDF tools
Expert tips for creating perfect PDF/A archives
Choose the right PDF/A version
Select PDF/A-1b for maximum compatibility with archival systems, PDF/A-2b when you need transparency and layers, or PDF/A-3b when including source files like spreadsheets alongside your document.
Verify font embedding
Always enable complete font embedding to ensure your text appears exactly the same regardless of which system opens your document, even decades into the future.
Select appropriate color profiles
Choose sRGB for digital viewing, CMYK for documents intended for professional printing, or grayscale to minimize file size while maintaining excellent readability.
Run validation checks
Always validate your PDF/A files after conversion to identify and resolve any compliance issues that might prevent acceptance by archival systems or regulatory bodies.
Enhance document metadata
Include comprehensive metadata with title, author, creation date, subject, and keywords to improve searchability and ensure your documents remain discoverable in digital archives.
Maintain original versions
Always preserve your original PDF alongside the PDF/A version in your own storage system, especially if you might need to make edits to the document in the future.
Technical specifications & capabilities
Comprehensive information about our PDF/A converter's supported formats, compliance options, and performance characteristics.
Format support & compliance
Input document support
- • All standard PDF versions (1.0 through 2.0)
- • Both linearized (web-optimized) and standard PDFs
- • Documents with embedded fonts, images, and form fields
- • Scanned PDFs with text recognition (OCR strongly recommended before archiving)
Archival capabilities
- • Full support for PDF/A-1b, PDF/A-2b, and PDF/A-3b ISO standards
- • Complete font embedding with subset optimization
- • Standardized XMP metadata with Dublin Core fields (Title, Author, Subject, Keywords)
- • Detailed validation reports highlighting any compliance issues with recommended fixes
Conversion performance
- • Standard documents: 2-5 seconds per page processing time
- • Complex documents with extensive fonts, images, or transparency: 5-10 seconds per page
- • Efficient parallel processing for multi-document batch conversions
- • Intelligent resource allocation with built-in error recovery for high reliability
Security & Infrastructure
Data Security
- • TLS 1.3 encryption in transit
- • AES-256 encryption at rest
- • Zero-knowledge processing
- • GDPR & CCPA compliant
- • No file content logging
File Management
- • Automatic deletion after 1 hour
- • Secure server processing
- • No permanent storage
- • Memory-only processing
- • Multi-region redundancy
Infrastructure
- • Cloud-based processing
- • Auto-scaling servers
- • Global CDN delivery
- • 99.9% uptime guarantee
- • 24/7 monitoring
Frequently asked questions about PDF/A conversion
Is your PDF/A converter completely free to use?
Yes, our core conversion service is completely free to use. You can convert your PDFs to any PDF/A standard without registration or hidden fees. For advanced features like detailed validation reports, batch processing, or enterprise-level integrations, we offer premium subscription options.
Will my document look different after converting to PDF/A format?
PDF/A standards focus on visual fidelity and consistent rendering. In most cases, your document will look identical to the original. However, certain elements like transparency may be flattened, and fonts will be embedded to ensure long-term visual consistency. These changes preserve how your document appears rather than altering it.
What's the maximum file size I can convert to PDF/A?
Our standard service supports documents up to 100 MB in size. For larger documents or bulk conversions, we recommend using our batch processing feature which efficiently handles large document collections. Enterprise users can request custom limits for extremely large archiving projects.
How do I know which PDF/A standard version to choose?
Select PDF/A-1b for maximum compatibility with all PDF/A-compliant systems and when simpler documents without transparency are sufficient. Choose PDF/A-2b when your document contains transparency, layers, or JPEG2000 images. Use PDF/A-3b when you need to embed source files (like Excel spreadsheets or Word documents) within your archival PDF.
Do I need to download software to convert my PDFs to PDF/A?
No software installation is required. Our PDF/A converter runs entirely in your web browser, making it accessible from any device with internet access. The actual conversion takes place on our secure servers, ensuring consistent, high-quality results regardless of your local system's capabilities.
How are document metadata and properties handled during conversion?
Our converter intelligently preserves existing metadata from your original PDF and enhances it with standardized XMP metadata fields required for PDF/A compliance. You can also add or edit title, author, subject, keywords, and other metadata during the conversion process to improve discoverability in digital archives.
Can I convert scanned paper documents directly to PDF/A?
Yes, scanned documents can be converted to PDF/A format, but we strongly recommend performing OCR (Optical Character Recognition) first. This makes the text searchable and extractable, greatly enhancing the document's usefulness in digital archives. Our tool can process existing scanned PDFs, whether they've been OCR'd or not.
How can I verify my document meets PDF/A standards after conversion?
Our converter includes an optional validation feature that thoroughly checks your document against all requirements of your selected PDF/A standard. The validation report highlights any compliance issues and provides recommendations for fixing them. This ensures your document will be accepted by institutional archives, courts, and regulatory bodies.