PDF/A and Archiving: What This Site Does Not Do
Some archives and courts require PDF/A. Here is what the standard actually demands, why this site does not produce it, and what to do instead.
Written against the Aug 8, 2026 release·what has changed since
Some institutions will not accept an ordinary PDF. A national archive, a court filing system or a university thesis office may specify PDF/A, and reject anything else without explaining what the difference is.
What the standard actually requires
PDF/A is the same file format with things forbidden. The goal is a document that will render identically in fifty years, on software nobody has written yet, with no access to anything outside the file.
- Every font must be embedded. No exceptions and no substitution, because the font installed on a future machine is not knowable.
- No encryption. A document nobody can open is not archived.
- No external references. Nothing that depends on a network, a linked file or an installed resource.
- No JavaScript, no audio, no video, no launch actions. Anything that executes is a dependency on an interpreter that may not exist.
- Declared colour. Colours must be described in a way that does not rely on the device, usually through an embedded colour profile.
- Recorded metadata in a standard form, so a catalogue can read it without guessing.
What to do when it is required
- 1
Export PDF/A from whatever authored the document
Most office suites offer it directly in their export dialog. This is by far the most reliable route and it costs nothing.
- 2
Ask which conformance level
PDF/A-1, 2 and 3 differ, and each has an a and a b variant. The a variants also require tagged structure, which is a much larger ask. The institution that demanded it can tell you which one.
- 3
Validate before you file
A conformance checker gives a yes or no. Assuming a file conforms because it was exported from something that offers the option is how filings get rejected.
For everything short of a formal archive, an ordinary PDF with its fonts embedded is durable enough. Embedding is the requirement doing most of the work in that list, and it is the one you can act on wherever a document is made.
- PDF/A is ordinary PDF with dependencies forbidden, so it renders without anything external.
- This site produces no PDF/A and validates nothing against the standard.
- Export it from the application that authored the document, and ask which level.
- For everyday durability, embedded fonts carry most of the benefit.
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Novus Stream Solutions Editorial Team
The Novus Stream Solutions Editorial Team maintains Novus PDF Studio's product documentation, tutorials and PDF explainers. The team checks product claims against the current browser-local implementation and tests, prefers primary specifications and vendor documentation, and corrects material errors openly. The byline identifies the responsible organization; it does not imply a named expert or professional adviser.
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