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    Convert PDF to PDF/A or PDF/X

    Convert to PDF/A (archive) or PDF/X (print) and verify

    Convert to PDF/A (archive) or PDF/X (print) and verify

    1Choose file2Settings3Process4Save

    Choose a PDF and its contents will be analyzed and shown here.

    Files are processed only in this browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server.

    Convert to archival PDF/A-1b or 2b and check it against the standard

    Continue in another tool
    Task settings
    Conversion settings

    Based on PDF 1.7 · transparency and layers allowed. This is what most submission portals accept.

    Pre-check

    Choose a file to check fonts, transparency and color spaces page by page.

    Handled automatically: JavaScript, launch actions, attachments and XFA removed; annotation print flags and appearances fixed; LZW recompressed; sRGB output intent, XMP metadata and document ID added; full rewrite.

    Remove the password from an encrypted PDF first. The whole file is rewritten, so any existing digital signature becomes invalid. Keep the original and check the result.

    About Convert PDF to PDF/A or PDF/X

    This tool has two modes. PDF/A mode rewrites an ordinary PDF toward PDF/A-1b or PDF/A-2b for long-term archiving; PDF/X mode prepares a file for a print shop as PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X-4. In both modes, once conversion finishes, a separate checker that shares no code with the converter re-reads the saved bytes from scratch and reports each rule as pass, fail or warning, with the clause it comes from.

    Be clear about what a green result means: it is this tool's internal check, not certification. It does not verify glyph widths against the embedded font program, TrueType cmap and encoding rules, the validity of every content-stream operator, XMP extension schemas or the internal tags of ICC profiles. If the file is going somewhere that actually enforces conformance, such as a court e-filing system or an archive ingest pipeline, run the saved file through veraPDF before you submit it.

    What PDF/A mode actually changes

    PDF/A asks one question: will this file render exactly the same way decades from now, with nothing but the file itself? So the conversion strips anything that depends on the outside world or that different viewers might interpret differently. Automatically, the tool:

    • Refuses encrypted input, because PDF/A forbids encryption. Decrypt it first.
    • Removes JavaScript, Launch and other forbidden actions, every additional-action (/AA) entry, embedded files, XFA and the NeedAppearances flag.
    • Sets the Print flag on annotations, clears Hidden/NoView, and inserts an empty appearance where one is missing (and tells you it did).
    • Re-encodes LZW streams with Flate, since PDF/A-1 bans LZW.
    • Adds an OutputIntent carrying an embedded sRGB ICC profile and writes a fresh XMP packet with the pdfaid part and conformance level, synchronised with the Info dictionary.
    • For 1b only, removes optional content (layers) and cleans up transparency groups that contain no actual transparency.

    The three things it cannot fix on its own

    Non-embedded fonts are the most common failure. If a page was drawn with a font that was never put inside the file, the viewer substitutes something, and there is no way for this tool to conjure up the original font program. The other two blockers are real transparency (drop shadows, semi-transparent shapes) under 1b, and device colors that don't match the output intent, for example DeviceCMYK fills in a file whose intent is sRGB.

    If you set unfixable pages to be converted to images, only those pages are replaced by a rendering made in your browser. They will pass the structural checks, but their text can no longer be selected or searched, and it goes soft when zoomed. For destinations that require searchable text as well as PDF/A (Spain's LexNET e-filing system asks for PDF/A with OCR), that option breaks the requirement you are trying to meet. Re-exporting from the source application with fonts embedded is the better fix.

    Choosing between 1b and 2b

    PDF/A-1 (ISO 19005-1:2005) is built on PDF 1.4 and does not allow transparency, layers or JPEG 2000. PDF/A-2 (ISO 19005-2:2011) is built on PDF 1.7, allows all three, and also lets you attach other PDF/A files. PDF/A-3 (ISO 19005-3:2012) is PDF/A-2 plus the ability to embed arbitrary files such as XML or spreadsheets; it is what e-invoice formats like ZUGFeRD/Factur-X rely on. This tool removes all attachments, so it never produces part 3.

    The trailing letter is the conformance level. b (basic) guarantees visual reproduction only; u adds a Unicode mapping for every character; a adds a full tag structure for accessibility. This tool produces b. If the recipient names no version, 2b is the sensible default; choose 1b only when a rule or an older system explicitly asks for part 1. The U.S. National Archives, for example, lists both PDF/A-1 and PDF/A-2 as preferred formats for textual records transferred to it.

    PDF/X mode: what a printer wants

    PDF/X (ISO 15930) is about predictable printing, not preservation. PDF/X-1a:2001 allows only CMYK and spot colors and forbids transparency and layers, so everything has been flattened and separated before the file reaches the press. PDF/X-4 (ISO 15930-7) keeps live transparency, layers and ICC-based color and leaves them for the output device's RIP. The tool converts colors to DeviceCMYK through the chosen ICC profile, writes a GTS_PDFX output intent, and sets TrimBox and BleedBox.

    The built-in profile is a simplified one computed from a CC0 public profile (CGATS TR 001, SWOP compatible). That is a reasonable stand-in for North American web-offset, but it is not GRACoL, FOGRA or Japan Color, so upload your printer's .icc when color matters. The bleed setting enlarges the page boxes beyond the trim line, but it cannot extend artwork that was never drawn there: if your background stops exactly at the trim edge, the bleed area is white and a slightly off cut shows a white sliver. The checker also does not measure image resolution or total area coverage (TAC).

    Worked examples

    A word-processor report to PDF/A-2b

    Input
    12-page report exported with fonts embedded; one semi-transparent shape on the cover
    Output
    PDF/A-2b: passes the internal check after automatic fixes. PDF/A-1b: page 1 fails on transparency

    Part 2 allows transparency, so nothing else is needed. If you truly need 1b, either rasterize the cover or remove the effect in the source and export again.

    Missing fonts on three pages

    Input
    8-page file; pages 2, 5 and 6 use a font that was not embedded
    Output
    Report mode: 3 page-level failures. Image mode: pages 2, 5, 6 become pictures and the file passes

    Those three pages lose selectable and searchable text. For a court filing that requires OCR'd text, fix the source instead.

    Business card to PDF/X-4 with 3 mm bleed

    Input
    3.5 × 2 in card (88.9 × 50.8 mm), RGB logo, bleed 3 mm
    Output
    TrimBox 88.9 × 50.8 mm, BleedBox 94.9 × 56.8 mm, colors converted to CMYK

    Each dimension grows by 3 mm on both sides. U.S. printers often ask for 1/8 in (3.175 mm); enter what your printer specifies.

    How to use it

    1. Pick a mode (PDF/A or PDF/X) and a standard.
    2. Choose a PDF; a pre-check lists fonts, transparency and color spaces per page.
    3. For PDF/A decide how to handle unfixable pages; for PDF/X pick the output profile and bleed. Convert.
    4. Read the rule table and save. Before submitting, confirm with veraPDF (PDF/A) or your printer's preflight (PDF/X).

    Key terms

    OutputIntent
    An entry declaring, via an ICC profile, the color space the document's colors are meant for. PDF/A uses the GTS_PDFA1 subtype, PDF/X uses GTS_PDFX.
    pdfaid (XMP)
    The metadata marker stating which PDF/A part and level a file claims. A claim is not proof.
    TrimBox / BleedBox
    The finished size after cutting, and the larger area that should contain extra artwork to absorb cutting error.

    Frequently asked questions

    My PDF reader says the file is PDF/A. Is it compliant?

    Not necessarily. Readers display the claim stored in XMP metadata. Plenty of files carry the claim while missing embedded fonts. Only a validator that inspects the content, such as veraPDF, can tell you.

    Why won't it accept a password-protected PDF?

    PDF/A prohibits encryption: there's no guarantee the password or decryption method will be available decades later. Remove the password first, then convert.

    What happens to digital signatures?

    The tool rewrites the whole file, which invalidates existing signatures. Convert to PDF/A first and sign afterward.

    Can one file be both PDF/A and PDF/X?

    The standards don't forbid a file claiming both, but this tool produces one at a time, and running one mode's output through the other replaces the output intent and metadata.

    Colors look duller after PDF/X conversion.

    Saturated screen blues and greens fall outside what CMYK ink can print, so they're pulled into gamut. Using your printer's profile gives the most realistic preview.

    Notes

    Rasterized pages grow the file and lose text selection, search and screen-reader access.

    Not checked in PDF/X mode: glyph width and CID consistency, detailed overprint-mode rules, X-4 blending-space details, image resolution, total ink coverage.

    Related guides

    Sources

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