Technology How To

About PDF/A

PDF/A, defined by ISO 19005-1:2005, is a subset of the PDF electronic document file format that leaves out PDF features not suited for long term preservation.

In addition, the standard places requirements on software products that read PDF/A files. The software must follow certain rules including following color management guidelines, using embedded fonts, and making annotation content available to users.

According to the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) It is important to be aware that:

• PDF/A-1 alone does not guarantee preservation
• PDF/A-1 alone does not guarantee exact replication of source material

PDF/A-1 files must include:

• Embedded fonts
• Device-independent color
• XMP metadata

PDF/A-1 files may not include:

• Encryption
• LZW Compression
• Embedded files
• External content references
• PDF Transparency
• Multi-media
• JavaScript

PDF/A-1a files must include:

• Tagged PDF - to support the structure of the document and allow it to be reflowed to fit different page or screen sizes including hand held device screens.
• Unicode character maps to preserve the document

Resources for Information on the PDF/A Format

• PDF For Long-term Preservation Use (Sustainability of Digital Formats Planning for Library of Congress Collections)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Transferring Permanent Records in PDF/A-1 to NARA (The National Archives)
• Dusting off the archives with PDF/A (Adobe Acrobat User Community)
• FAQ in support of ISO 19005-1:2005 (From the Association for Information and Image Management, now known as AIIM - The Enterprise Content Management Association)

How to Create PDF/A-1a Files

From MS Word:

• Click File
• Select Save as PDF
• Click Adobe Acrobat PDF Conversion Options
• Check PDF/A Compliant
• Click Save
  

Adobe Acrobat will launch and open the PDF file. To convert the PDF to PDF/A in Adoba Acrobat 8 and higher:

• Select the Advanced Menu
• Select Preflight
• In the Preflight window, expand the Preflight profile for PDF/A compliance
• Select Convert to PDF/A-1a (sRGB)
• Click Execute

Note that the file name of the PDF file has been amended with _A1a.pdf at the end of the file. The file may be closed and the process is complete.

From the Web:

• Begin at the web page to archive and view it in Print Friendly form if possible.
• From the File Menu of the web browser, Click Print
• Next Select the Printer Adobe PDF
• Click Properties
• Click the Adobe PDF Settings Tab
• Select the PDF/A-1b:2005 (sRGB) option in the Default Settings pulldown
• Click OK
• Click OK
• Name the PDF file and choose the location to store the file
• Click Save
  

Adobe Acrobat will launch and open the PDF file. To convert the PDF to PDF/A in Adoba Acrobat 8 and higher:

• Select the Advanced Menu
• Select Accessibility and click Add Tags to Document
• Select Preflight from the Advanced Menu
  
• In the Preflight window, expand the Preflight profile for PDF/A compliance
• Select Convert to PDF/A-1a (sRGB)
• Click Execute

Note that the file name of the PDF file has been amended with _A1a.pdf at the end of the file. The file may be closed and the process is complete.

Common Issues

• All fonts must be embedded in the file. How to embed fonts varying between applications
• Document must be tagged. To tag a PDF file:
  • Click the Advanced Menu
  • Click Accessibility
  • Click Add Tags to Document
• All images must be 250 dpi or higher