What is the difference between PDF/A-1b and PDF/A-2b?

PDF/A-1b is based on PDF 1.4 and is the most widely required conformance level. PDF/A-2b is based on PDF 1.7 and adds support for JPEG 2000 compression and optional content groups. For most archival and regulatory purposes, PDF/A-1b is the correct choice unless a specific system requires PDF/A-2.

Will my document look different after conversion?

For most documents, the visual appearance is identical. Changes only occur where the original PDF used features that are not permitted in PDF/A — for example, transparent elements may be flattened, and color values may be adjusted to match the normalized profile. These changes are minimal in practice.

Why can't a PDF/A file be encrypted?

PDF/A is designed for long-term accessibility, and encryption could prevent future software from opening the file if the password or algorithm is no longer supported. The standard therefore prohibits encryption. If you need both archival compliance and access control, consider storing the file in an encrypted repository rather than encrypting the PDF itself.

My source PDF has form fields. Will they survive conversion?

Interactive form fields are a disallowed element in PDF/A-1b. During conversion they are either removed or flattened into the page content. If you need the forms to remain interactive, PDF/A-2b with the correct conformance level allows certain form fields — contact support for guidance on this workflow.

Can I convert a scanned PDF to PDF/A?

Yes, but a scanned PDF is image-based and will produce a PDF/A file containing images — it will be visually correct but not text-searchable. If searchability is required, run the document through the OCR tool first to add a text layer, then convert to PDF/A.

How do I know if my output file is actually valid PDF/A?

The converter validates the output against the ISO 19005 standard automatically and shows a conformance report. You can also verify independently using free tools such as veraPDF, which is the reference validator for PDF/A compliance.

Does the conversion reduce image quality?

No. Images in the source PDF are re-embedded without quality reduction. Color space normalization adjusts color profiles but does not downsample or re-compress pixel data unless the original used a compression format not permitted by the target conformance level.

Is PDF/A required for e-invoicing?

In some jurisdictions, yes. The European e-invoicing standard EN 16931 and related national implementations (Italy's FatturaPA, Germany's ZUGFeRD) embed structured XML data inside a PDF/A-3 file. Dokk.ai's PDF/A conversion produces PDF/A-1b and PDF/A-2b, which covers document archiving. For ZUGFeRD or Factur-X e-invoices, check whether your invoicing software can produce the required PDF/A-3 with embedded XML.

What happens to hyperlinks in the original PDF?

External hyperlinks (links to URLs) are retained in PDF/A-1b and PDF/A-2b as annotation objects, provided they point to external resources. Internal cross-references and bookmarks are fully preserved.

Can I batch-convert a folder of PDFs to PDF/A?

Yes. Upload multiple PDF files at once and select PDF/A as the target format. All files are converted in a single batch and packaged as a ZIP archive for download.

Totes les eines

PDF/A

Conversió a format d'arxiu

1Puja

2Configura

3Processa

Drop file here

PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images up to 25 MB

Característiques principals

Converts to PDF/A-1b and PDF/A-2b conformance levels
Embeds all referenced fonts into the output file
Normalizes color spaces to device-independent profiles
Removes disallowed elements (JavaScript
encryption
external references)
Validates output against ISO 19005 before delivery
Preserves text searchability and document structure
Handles multi-page documents of any length
Retains embedded images at original quality
Supports both RGB and CMYK color workflows
Compatible with all PDF/A-compliant viewers and archiving systems
No account or sign-up required
Files deleted after processing
TLS encryption for all transfers
Accepted by government and regulatory submission systems
Output includes XMP conformance metadata

Casos d'ús

Preparing legal documents for court submission requiring PDF/A
Converting financial statements for long-term regulatory archive
Archiving medical records for compliance with healthcare data retention laws
Submitting tax documents to revenue authorities that require PDF/A format
Creating archival copies of notarized documents
Converting business contracts for ISO-certified document management systems
Preparing e-invoices for government portals requiring PDF/A compliance
Archiving engineering drawings and technical specifications for decades-long retention

Com s'utilitza

1Upload your PDF file using the upload area or by dragging it from your file manager.
2Select the target conformance level: PDF/A-1b for maximum compatibility or PDF/A-2b for better compression on large files.
3Click 'Convert' and wait while fonts are embedded, color spaces are normalized, and disallowed elements are removed.
4Review the conversion report to see which changes were made and confirm the output is valid.
5Download the PDF/A file. Optionally use the Compress PDF tool to reduce file size while maintaining conformance.

A standard PDF file is designed to be displayed on screen using software available today. It may reference external fonts, rely on JavaScript for interactivity, or use color profiles that require specific rendering software. Open that same file in 15 years on different hardware with different software and the result may look nothing like the original. For documents that need to be readable and verifiable decades from now — legal contracts, government records, medical files, financial statements — a standard PDF is not sufficient. PDF/A is an ISO-standardized subset of PDF specifically designed for long-term archival. Unlike regular PDF, a PDF/A file is entirely self-contained: all fonts must be embedded, color spaces must be explicitly defined and device-independent, encryption is not permitted, and features that depend on external resources or active content (JavaScript, audio, video, external references) are prohibited. The result is a file that any PDF/A-compliant viewer can render identically regardless of when or where it is opened. Dokk.ai converts standard PDF files to PDF/A-1b or PDF/A-2b conformance levels. PDF/A-1b is the most broadly required level and is accepted by the majority of regulatory and archival systems. PDF/A-2b adds support for JPEG 2000 image compression and optional content layers, making it suitable for larger documents where file size matters. During conversion, missing font embeddings are resolved, color profiles are normalized to sRGB or CMYK, and disallowed elements are removed or substituted. The output is validated against the standard before being made available for download. This conversion is commonly required for court submissions, tax authority filings, notarial archives, ISO-certified business processes, and long-term document retention systems in healthcare and finance. Many European public administrations specifically require PDF/A for electronic document submission. If you are unsure which level to use, PDF/A-1b is the safe default — it is the most universally accepted conformance level. After archiving, you may want to apply additional document controls. The Compress PDF tool can reduce file size without compromising the PDF/A conformance. Metadata enrichment — adding author, creation date, and subject fields — is available through the Metadata tool and helps with long-term cataloging. For documents that need visual permanence before archiving, the Flatten tool collapses annotations and form fields into the static page content, which is required for certain PDF/A conformance workflows.

Preguntes freqüents

Seguretat i privadesa

Files are uploaded via TLS and deleted from our servers immediately after download. We do not retain document content, and no account is required. The conversion process runs in an isolated environment with no external data access.