Convert from PDF
What does PDF to PDF/A do?
PDF to PDF/A converts PDFs into self-contained PDF/A-2b files in your browser for long-term visual archiving. It preserves rendered page appearance and page order through 300 dpi lossless conversion with an embedded sRGB colour profile. Text, graphics and filled form appearances become page images, removing dependencies on source fonts and interactive objects. The output contains matching archival metadata and document identifiers.
How to use PDF to PDF/A
- 1Choose your PDFs
Select the PDFs you want to archive. Unlock encrypted files first. Keep your originals if you will need selectable text, editable forms or digital signatures later.
- 2Convert to PDF/A-2b
Start the conversion. Each page is rendered at 300 dpi, saved without JPEG compression and embedded with the colour information needed for future display. The profile is selected automatically.
- 3Download the archive
Download the PDF/A file, or a ZIP containing one archive per input when processing several PDFs. Page order, visible rotation and cropping are retained.
- 4Review the saved pages
Open the download and check small text, images and filled fields. Where an archive requires a specific profile or acceptance check, submit the file to that archive’s validator.
Supported files and limits
- Output format: PDF/A-2b
- Input: PDF
- Output options: 300 dpi lossless conversion; embedded sRGB colour profile
- 32 megapixels per page; text and forms become page images
- Files stay on this device and are removed when you close the page.
This is a visual archive: text and forms become page images. The browser supports up to 32 megapixels per page, with a maximum of 16,384 pixels on either side at 300 dpi. Available device memory also limits the total document size.
What the output keeps
- rendered page appearance
- page order
The conversion retains rendered page appearance and page order, including visible form values, page rotation and cropping.
What may change or be lost
- selectable text
- forms
- links
- vector detail
- original metadata
Selectable text, forms, links, vector detail and original metadata are replaced by fixed page images and new archival metadata. Original signatures and attachments are not carried into the new document.
When not to use this tool
Use another workflow if your archive requires PDF/A-1, PDF/A-3, a text layer or accessible document structure. This tool produces PDF/A-2b for visual preservation. It is not a file-size reduction tool.
If processing fails
Unlock encrypted PDFs first and export dynamic XFA forms as ordinary PDFs. Oversized pages, unavailable rendering resources and damaged content stop conversion instead of returning a partial archive. Try a smaller document if your device runs out of memory.
Privacy boundary
Conversion runs in this browser. Your PDF stays on your device and is not uploaded to a PDF Smart Kit application server. Download the result before leaving the page.
Testing evidence
Last tested: · Test browser: Chromium; Node.js · Product version: 1.0.0
Sample: Text, form and image PDFs · 4 pages
What was checked
- PDF/A-2b validation passes with veraPDF.
- Page count matches the source.
- The download is a valid PDF.
Known failures and limits
- text and forms become page images