How to convert PDF / A

A colleague sent you a document in PDF format via email, added that the latter complies with the PDF / A standard and you, in addition to being “scared” by the definition used, have thought, for your convenience, to turn it into another type of file. However, if you are here now and you are reading these lines, it seems clear to me that you do not have the slightest idea of ​​what PDF / A means and above all which tools to use to perform the conversion. Well, if this is indeed the case, I am happy to let you know that you have landed on the right guide at the right time. If you grant me a few minutes of your precious time I can I explain it to word for word, how to convert PDF / A.

Assuming that the one you are dealing with is nothing more than a variant of the classic PDF designed specifically for archiving electronic documents in the long term, all you need to do to make the transformation into another type of document is nothing more than resorting to the use of special tools for conversion. How do you say? Don’t feel like downloading new programs to your computer? But you have nothing to worry about! Most of the resources I am about to recommend can be used directly from the web browser, at no cost and without having to install anything on the PC.

So what would you say if we put the gossip aside and finally started to get busy? Yes? So let’s not waste any more time and get right to the heart of this tutorial. You will see, in the end not only will you be able to tell yourself very happy and satisfied with what you have learned but I am also sure that you will be ready to say that actually transforming PDF / A into other types of files was a real breeze. What do you say, we bet?

ZamZar (Online)

The first among the tools to convert your PDF / A file to another format that I want to suggest you to use is  ZamZar. Haven’t you ever heard of it? No? Strange, he is very famous. Either way you don’t have to worry, we can fix it immediately. It is an online service that is not limited to the processing of PDF / A and “simple” PDFs but which is also capable of working with Office documents, music, videos, images and many other types of files. It works perfectly with all the most popular Web browsers and every time it allows you to work on files with a maximum size of 100 MB.

To use it, connect to its home page via the link I just provided and click on the Choose Files… button to select the PDF / A file to convert. If you prefer to take advantage of drag and drop, you can also drag your files directly into the browser window, in correspondence with the words or drag and drop files.

Then use the drop-down menu that you find under  Step 2 to indicate the format you are interested in converting your document into and then type your e-mail address in the empty field under Step 3  (it is a mandatory step in order to receive via email the file once converted) and presses the Convert button.

Then, access the e-mail address referring to the address you indicated above, open the e-mail that was sent to you by ZamZar and press the link inside to immediately download the converted PDF / A file. The file will be saved in the Downloads folder on your computer (unless you have made any changes to your web browser’s default settings).

Online Convert (Online)

Another very valid online tool that I want to tell you is  Online Convert. It is an all-in-one converter through which, as well as ZamZar, you can convert your PDF and PDF / A documents but also many other types of files such as photos, music files, videos, text documents and so on. It does not require registration and allows you to upload files with a total weight of 100 MB.

To use it, go to the main page of the service using the link I just indicated, select the format in which you want to convert your PDF / A by selecting it from the appropriate drop-down menus that you see corresponding to the various categories on the screen and then click on the button  Choose file / Browse and select your PDF / a you want to turn into another type of file. If the file you want to convert is online, you can also paste its link into the field that are in correspondence with the wording  Or enter URL of the file you want to convert to EPUB: .

Is your file on Dropbox or Google Drive? No problem, you can also upload it directly from there. To do this, press the relevant button visible on the screen, log in to your account and select the file. Convenient!

If you need, you can also intervene on the various options in the Optional settings section. For example, if you want to convert your PDF / A to a JPG image you will find options to adjust the color scale, DPI number and so on.

Then click the Convert file button. At this point, the file will first be uploaded to the site, then converted, and finally automatically downloaded to your computer in the Downloads folder (even if you haven’t made any changes to your web browser’s default settings).

iLovePDF (Online)

iLovePDF is an online service which, as the name implies, is specifically dedicated to converting and editing PDF files. It does not require registration to be used and automatically deletes the documents that are uploaded to its servers. It is very simple to use and, although it allows you to intervene only on the type of file in question, it has the advantage of allowing the upload of files having a total weight of 200 MB.

To use it, connected to its home page using the link I indicated earlier, bring the cursor to the Convert PDF item at the top and select the document format in which you want to convert your file by choosing it from the menu that you located on the right.

Then drag the PDF to convert into the browser window. Alternatively, click on the Select PDF file button and select the PDF / A file you want to act on from your computer. If your document is on Dropbox or Google Drive, you can also upload it directly from there by clicking on the relevant buttons and logging into your account.

Press the black button at the bottom to start the conversion procedure. When the operation is complete, you will find the file in the Downloads folder of your computer (even if you have not changed the default settings of the web browser).

I also point out that, if you choose to convert your PDF / A into JPG format, you will be asked to choose whether to convert all the pages of your document to the format in question or to intervene only on any images contained within it. Select the option you prefer and then proceed as I have just indicated.

PDFill FREE PDF Tools (Windows)

If your need is explicitly to transform the PDF / A in your possession into an image, you can also turn to a tool such as  PDFill FREE PDF Tools. It is a free and very versatile software for Windows operating systems that allows you to work with PDF files. More precisely, it allows you to transform the type of documents in question into other file formats but also to merge and divide documents, apply watermarks and much more.

To immediately download it to your computer, connect to the software website and press the Download now button twice in a row.

When the download is complete, open the file just obtained and, in the window that opens, click first on the Yes button and then on Next. Accept the conditions of use of the software, placing the sign in correspondence with the wording  I accept the terms in the License Agreement and complete the setup by first clicking on Next three consecutive times, then on Install and then on  FinishPDFill_PDF_Tools_FREE.exe. Then make sure there is no checkmark next to the items relating to other PDFill products (this will prevent you from installing evaluation copies of other programs on your computer that you do not need at this time).

At this point, to convert a PDF file into an image, start the program and press the Convert PDF to Images button attached to its main screen. Then select the file to convert and adjust the settings related to the output images in the new window you see appearing according to your needs.

Then select the output format you prefer among those available and click on the Save as Image button to select the folder in which to save your document transformed into an image and start the conversion.

If you need, I point out that you can also set a specific range of pages to be transformed into images by filling in the text fields next to the Select page from item.

Note:  During the program setup, the GhostScript software may be downloaded from the Internet. It is a free program that is used to interpret the Adobe PostScript and PDF page description languages ​​without which PDFill FREE PDF Tools cannot function properly. It may also be necessary to download the  Microsoft .Net Framework, which is also essential for the correct functioning of the software.

PDF Toolkit + (Mac)

If you use a Mac and if your need is always to convert PDF / A to images I suggest you try  PDF Toolkit +. It is a very convenient application for macOS that allows you to intervene on PDF documents by joining them, dividing them, compressing them and obviously also converting them. It also allows you to extract texts and images from them. You can find the app from the Mac App Store at the very low price of 2.29 euros.

To use the application, download and install it on your Mac via the link I just indicated, then start PDFToolkit + by clicking on its icon that has been added to the Launchpad and click on the Text / Images tab.

Then drag the PDF / A to be transformed into an image in the program window and select the desired output format from the drop-down menu located at the bottom right. If asked, set a resolution via the Save as images menu and then presses Convert and select the destination folder.

I also point out that clicking the  Extract!  placed under the heading  Extract images you can directly extract the images contained in the PDF without necessarily having to intervene on all the other contents.

How to check if a PDF is a PDF / A

Have you seen? In the end, converting a PDF / A file wasn’t complicated at all! Before saying goodbye, however, I would like to explain to you how to distinguish a common PDF file from a PDF / A. Since the extension is practically identical in both cases ( .pdf ) and since if it was not you who saved the file in PDF / A you will never be sure of the real nature of your PDF document, I suggest you contact this online tool specially designed for this purpose, free and very easy to use.

All you have to do to use it is to click on the Select file to validate … button at the bottom, select the PDF file from your computer that you intend to check if it is really a PDF / A and wait a few moments for it to come uploaded and for the response to be shown to you.

If it is really a PDF / A in correspondence with the wording Compliance present in the new screen that is shown you will find written pdf-1a and next to the wording Result the entry Document validated successfully.