What PDF/A is and why it exists
An ordinary PDF can depend on things outside the file — fonts installed on your computer, linked content, or features that a future reader may not support. PDF/A is a restricted version of PDF, defined by ISO standards, designed so that a document will look the same decades from now. It requires fonts to be embedded, color to be defined, and bans features such as encryption and external dependencies.
That is why courts, government agencies, libraries, archives, and many companies require PDF/A for records that must be kept for years: contracts, invoices, medical and legal files, and scanned archives.
Choosing a conformance level
PDF Studio offers five levels. PDF/A-1b is the original, most restrictive standard and aims to preserve visual appearance. PDF/A-2b is the usual default: it is built on a newer PDF version, allows more modern compression and transparency, and is widely accepted. The “u” variants (2u and 3u) additionally guarantee that text can be searched and copied correctly. The 3 levels (3b and 3u) also allow other files, such as the source spreadsheet, to be embedded inside the PDF.
If a recipient has not told you which level they need, choose 2b. If they name a level, choose exactly that one.
How the conversion works — and how to check it
Unlike most tools on this site, PDF/A conversion runs on our server rather than in your browser, because it uses the Ghostscript engine. Your file is uploaded for the conversion (up to 100 MB), processed in a temporary folder, and the temporary files are deleted as soon as the conversion finishes. See the Privacy Policy for how data is handled.
Ghostscript produces PDF/A files on a best-effort basis. For most documents the result is accepted without trouble, but if you must prove strict compliance — for a court filing or a regulated archive — run the output through a validator such as veraPDF before relying on it. Always open the converted file and check it looks right.
Things to know before converting
PDF/A forbids encryption, so remove any password first with Unlock PDF. Files with unusual or missing fonts, or content that depends on JavaScript or external links, may be altered during conversion. The result is a new file named after your original with the level added, for example report_PDF-A-2b.pdf, and your original is untouched.