What is PDF/A?
PDF/A is an ISO standard for using the PDF format for long-term preservation and archiving of digital documents. The format provides a way to represent electronic documents so that their visual appearance remains preserved for a long time, regardless of the tools and systems used to create, save, or view them.
Since its publication in 2005, PDF/A has become the format of choice for archiving digital documents in many applications and industries. The letter 'A' in the name stands for 'Archival'.
The different PDF/A standards
The PDF/A standards set rules for creating electronic documents so they can be reliably reproduced for decades. There are four versions of the original ISO standard today:
PDF/A-1 - The first archiving standard appeared in 2001. It is based on PDF version 1.4. Features:
- All resources (images, graphics, typographic characters) must be embedded within the PDF/A document itself.
- Transparent elements, PDF layers, some forms of compression, and certain actions or JavaScript are forbidden.
- A PDF/A file requires precise, platform-independent color data using ICC profiles, and XMP for the document metadata.
- A PDF/A file must not be password-protected.
- PDF/A-1 explicitly supports embedded digital signatures and the use of hyperlinks.
PDF/A-2 was published in 2011. The new features in this version are:
- PDF/A-2 allows JPEG2000 compression, transparent elements, and PDF layers.
- PDF/A-2 also allows you to embed OpenType fonts and supports PAdES - PDF Advanced Electronic Signatures.
- PDF/A files can be embedded within a PDF/A-2 document.
PDF/A-3 has been available since October 2012. A PDF/A-3 document allows you to embed any file format, not just PDF/A documents.
PDF/A-4 Part 4 of the standard, based on PDF 2.0, was published in late 2020.
How is PDF/A different from PDF?
PDF/A, as a subset of the PDF format, strictly defines that all content and layout of a document must be created to ensure a self-contained presentation of the document, independent of PDF viewers.
PDF/A achieves this through two key requirements:
- defines the presentation attributes of the document that must be included in it - fonts, color profiles, etc.
- defines content that must not be embedded in the document - code, rich content, references to external content, encryption, etc.
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