PDF/A is an ISO standard (ISO 19005) designed for long-term archival of PDF documents. It guarantees that the document can be displayed exactly as today for many decades — all fonts are embedded, color management is unambiguous, and dependencies on external resources are forbidden. Required by most government agencies, libraries and legal archives in the EU.

Which PDF/A version should I choose?

Quick decision tree: PDF/A-1b for widest acceptance (required by many older archive systems). PDF/A-2b for modern documents — allows transparency and layers. PDF/A-3b if you need to attach source documents (e-invoicing with ZUGFeRD or tax filings where the original spreadsheet must be embedded). In doubt? Choose A-2b.

What is the difference between PDF/A and PDF/X?

PDF/A is for archival (long-term preservation), PDF/X is for printing. Both are ISO standards and embed fonts + ICC, but their goals differ. PDF/A favors sRGB-based OutputIntent (screen-optimized over time). PDF/X is optimized for the offset press. If your document needs to last 20+ years: PDF/A. If it needs to print: PDF/X.

What is the ICC profile for?

It unambiguously defines how colors in your PDF should be interpreted. sRGB IEC61966-2.1 is the standard for archival. FOGRA39 is chosen if the document was originally prepared for CMYK print and you want to preserve that intent in the archive.

What is XMP metadata?

XMP is Adobe metadata format — it is part of the PDF/A spec and includes title, author, language, creation date, etc. Our tool adds it automatically; you can fill in optional fields for more precise metadata. This is what library systems and digital archives use for indexing.

Yes — converting to PDF/A-1b, A-2b and A-3b is free at pdf.dk. No watermark, no signup for basic use.

Convert PDF to PDF/A (A-1b, A-2b, A-3b)

Convert PDF to PDF/A-1b, A-2b or A-3b ISO standard for long-term archival. Required by government agencies and e-invoicing. Free online tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PDF/A?: PDF/A is an ISO standard (ISO 19005) designed for long-term archival of PDF documents. It guarantees that the document can be displayed exactly as today for many decades — all fonts are embedded, color management is unambiguous, and dependencies on external resources are forbidden. Required by most government agencies, libraries and legal archives in the EU.
Which PDF/A version should I choose?: Quick decision tree: PDF/A-1b for widest acceptance (required by many older archive systems). PDF/A-2b for modern documents — allows transparency and layers. PDF/A-3b if you need to attach source documents (e-invoicing with ZUGFeRD or tax filings where the original spreadsheet must be embedded). In doubt? Choose A-2b.
What is the difference between PDF/A and PDF/X?: PDF/A is for archival (long-term preservation), PDF/X is for printing. Both are ISO standards and embed fonts + ICC, but their goals differ. PDF/A favors sRGB-based OutputIntent (screen-optimized over time). PDF/X is optimized for the offset press. If your document needs to last 20+ years: PDF/A. If it needs to print: PDF/X.
What is the ICC profile for?: It unambiguously defines how colors in your PDF should be interpreted. sRGB IEC61966-2.1 is the standard for archival. FOGRA39 is chosen if the document was originally prepared for CMYK print and you want to preserve that intent in the archive.
What is XMP metadata?: XMP is Adobe metadata format — it is part of the PDF/A spec and includes title, author, language, creation date, etc. Our tool adds it automatically; you can fill in optional fields for more precise metadata. This is what library systems and digital archives use for indexing.
Is the tool free?: Yes — converting to PDF/A-1b, A-2b and A-3b is free at pdf.dk. No watermark, no signup for basic use.

How to

Upload your PDF file
Choose PDF/A version (A-2b is the standard choice)
Choose ICC profile (sRGB for standard archival)
Click "Convert to PDF/A" and download the result