When we talk about PDF/A, we are referring to a variation of the PDF format, which guarantees that a document can be opened in the same way regardless of the software we are using at any given time. In this way, all the information necessary to display the document and its elements are embedded in the same way in the file, making it possible for our documents to be secure and accessible in the long term. And it is that the precise reproduction of the content is guaranteed in the next 25 years or moreso we can open the document at that time with the content unchanged.
Documents that are in PDF/A format are completely independent. This means that your content, as well as color information, text, images, audio, fonts and other elements are located embedded in the file itself, so it cannot contain information from an external source. Attributes enhance these types of files as a advantage of reproducibility. When files are copied, it will contain the same elements as the original, since it does not allow subsequent changes or modifications, ensuring the originality of the content.
Likewise, this type of format is not compatible with executable content, URLs, slides, JavaScript and LZW compression unlike traditional PDF documents. We can find all the information, tools and documentation from .
Therefore, we could say that its functionality and modes of use are reduced compared to normal PDF, but in its specific use it will be very useful. This means that this specific format focuses on the storage of the corresponding PDF files full of information, long-term. It is to be assumed that the software in the future will continue to evolve to a great extent, so we must avoid having problems when trying to open these files if we have saved them for years. Hence his high compatibilitybut its reduction of certain functions and modes of use.
What types can we find
Given the evolution of the PDF format in recent years, the programs capable of reading, creating or modifying them have also obtained this evolution. For this reason, the PDF/A standard has been revised with new levels, each one with different characteristics and objectives. For this reason, we can find three modalities such as PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2 and PDF/A-3.
This does not mean that a higher number implies a more advanced level of the standard, which is why the new ones have not replaced the old standard. This is because each level is better suited to the needs of the file we want to deal with in that case.
Each of these levels contains in turn two or three sublevels:
- Sublevel B (basic): it is one that meets all the requirements and specifications of the standard that we have mentioned before.
- Sublevel U: this is just basic compliance. It counts as an added requirement that the PDF texts always have their equivalent in Unicode encoding to guarantee indexing and proper reading of the texts.
- Sublevel A (accessible): are those that, in addition to the contents B and U, comply with the structure of the content and are labeled in a way that describes both the order and the hierarchy of reading.
That’s why each option takes care to provide different levels of compliance, making it easy to keep multiple items in your digital file and supporting other items like effects and layers.
As we told you before, this special PDF format focuses on the file storage in the long term, so we try to pay special attention to all of this. Otherwise these types of movements to save documentation would be completely useless if they failed to open them in the future.
Advantages and disadvantages with respect to PDF
The use of PDF/A has some advantages with respect to the traditional ones, because when it comes to storing the data, these are saved based on some official limitations with respect to the conventional ones. In this way we can use it to save information in the long term, its main objective. So we can read and understand them, even if the software changes.
In the event that we work with a PDF/A file instead of the usual Adobe format, readers of these will generally indicate it, since the initial appearance of the content will be similar to the naked eye. This means that, in the event that what we need is to create documents with all types of content, not just text, the popular Adobe format is a highly used solution. But in the event that we need the files to be accessible over time, the use of PDF/A will always be more recommended.
However, we must also take into account limitations when using it, since a PDF document can contain links, buttons, form fields, audio and video. You can also include metadata, annotations, and embedded files. In addition, they allow you to sign electronically with digital certificates and encrypt to keep your content safe from third parties. PDF/A lacks all of this, so it is important to take it into account when choosing between one or the other.
Convert a PDF to PDF/A
If we are convinced and we want to convert our PDF documents to PDF/A, we can use different software tools to carry out this task. In addition, it is worth knowing that all of them will not be useful without any complications, thanks mainly to all the facilities that they offer us in their user interface.
NitroPro
It is a professional tool PDF manager for Windows. If we want to try it we can download a free trial version from . It is a complete application with which you can create, convert, edit, sign and share PDF files. Among its functions is the possibility of converting any PDF file to PDF/A 1 and 2.
Once installed, we run it and click on the “Open” button to add a new document. Once loaded, click on the tab “Convert” and click on the To PDF/A option that we find in the toolbar. Later we choose the level of compliance that we want to apply (1b, 2b or 2u). If the document contains images, we can opt for PDF/A-2b, which guarantees long-term visual preservation. Immediately afterwards, a window will appear so that we can choose where we want to save the file. Once this is done, the conversion will be processed and we will receive a confirmation message informing of the conversion to the new format, complying with the established standards.
ilovepdf.com
It is one of the most popular websites for processing PDF documents. On the Ilovepdf site we find a lot of online tools with which we can join, divide, compress, rotate, unlock or convert PDF documents to other formats. We will also find the function that allows us to convert PDF documents to PDF/A to keep them long-term. We will be able to choose the ISO level of conformity for the PDF/A. All this using our web browser and without the need to download or install any software on the PC. For this, just .
Once we have accessed we must add the document. To do this we can click on the button Select PDF file to select it from our hard drive or drag and drop the PDF on the interface. In addition, we can add it directly from Google Chrome or Dropbox by clicking on its corresponding icon, with the advantages that this way of working gives us.
Subsequently, we must set the level of compliance of the PDF/A, so we display the options menu among different options such as PDF/A-1b, PDF/A-2b, etc. In addition, we can allow if we want to lower the compliance level to convert to PDF/A when certain elements are found in the original PDF. Finally, we only have to click on the button Convert to PDF/A.
After a few seconds the conversion will be completed and we can download it again to our computer, save it in Google Drive or Dropbox, share a download link or scan the QR or delete it.
PDF24Tools
Another interesting online tool to convert any file in PDF format to PDF/A can be found at PDF24 Tools. PDF24 Tools is a set of online tools with which we can convert, completely free of charge, from the PDF format to PDF/A without the need to install any third-party application.
From the main page of this , we just have to click on Select files (we can carry out this process in batches) or select the files in this format in the browser with the web open. Automatically, the website will do its job and convert the files to PDF/A format, showing us a button to download each of the files independently.
What if I want to go from PDF/A to PDF?
We have already told you about the different types of files in PDF/A format that we can find and use right now. Basically, the main utility of these formats, which may be less familiar to us than conventional PDFs, is their high compatibility. This allows us to keep them long-term so that we can open them without problems in a few years. Likewise, we have also seen some programs that allow us to convert a PDF normal of those that we have in the hard disk, to a PDF/A.
But at this point some may wonder about the possibility of carrying out the reverse process. Contrary to what has been seen in these lines, we are not going to find specific applications for this reverse process that we are discussing. And it is that it is not going to make much sense to use a program that converts a completely compatible file, the other with less compatibility. And it is that we should not have any problem when opening a PDF/A, hence it does not make much sense to convert it to a normal PDF in which we could have problems in some programs.
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