How to turn PDF to PDF / A

A work colleague has just asked you to send him some PDF files but first convert them to PDF / A format. But you don’t have the faintest idea what he meant, do you? Well, given the circumstances, I’ll help you out: in the following lines, in fact, I’ll go and explain to you which resources it is good to turn to be able, in fact, to transform PDF into PDF / A and what needs to be done to make the most of them.

Before getting to the heart of the matter, however, it seems only right to clarify your ideas regarding the type of file in question. The PDF / A format represents a specific variant of the “classic” PDFs designed primarily for long-term archiving of electronic documents. The format in question therefore provides the guarantee that the reference document will always be displayed and reproduced in the same way even after some time and with different programs and devices, both for those who receive it and for those who keep it.

Made clear about it, if you are actually interested in learning more, I suggest you take a few minutes of free time, get comfortable and concentrate on reading everything listed below. I’m sure you’ll eventually be ready to say it was actually a no-brainer. Are you ready?

Index

• Programs to transform PDF to PDF / A
  • OpenOffice (Windows / macOS / Linux)
  • LibreOffice (Windows / macOS / Linux)
  • PDFelement (Windows / macOS)
  • PDFCreator (Windows)
• Online services to transform PDF to PDF / A

Programs to transform PDF to PDF / A

Do you need to transform PDF to PDF / A and would like to know which are the best programs on the market suitable for the purpose? Then immediately put to the test the ad hoc tools that I have reported to you below. There are both for Windows and for macOS and Linux and they are all free.

OpenOffice (Windows / macOS / Linux)

The first of the programs that can be used to convert PDF to PDF / A is OpenOffice. Haven’t you ever heard of it? Strange, he is very famous. In any case, no problem, let’s fix it instantly: it is an open-source productivity suite that can be downloaded and used for free and is one of the best free alternatives to Microsoft Office. It is compatible with Windows and macOS (as well as with Linux) and allows you to do almost everything you can do with the famous Redmond software as well as, of course, convert PDF files to PDF / A.

To download OpenOffice on your computer, connected to the official website of the suite and first click on the download link and on the Download full version button (recommended), first making sure that in the drop-down menus below the item Select operating system, language and version: the operating system in use on your computer, your language (presumably Italian) and the latest version of the suite are selected (otherwise you can choose the correct options).

Once the OpenOffice download procedure has been started and completed on your computer, if you are using Windows, open the .exe file obtained and click on the Yes button in the window that opens on the desktop. Then click on the Next and Install buttons and wait for all the files necessary to install the program on your computer to be extracted. Complete the setup by pressing the Next (three times in a row), Install and Finish buttons.

Therefore, start the program by double-clicking on the shortcut that has been added to the desktop or on the one you find in the Start menu and skip the welcome screen by clicking on the Next button. If you want your name to be included in the properties of the documents you are going to generate, fill in the form that is proposed to you by typing your personal data, then click on the Finish button.

If, on the other hand, you are using macOS, open the .dmg package obtained and drag the OpenOffice icon into the Mac Applications folder. Then, right-click on it and select the Open item from the menu that opens (operation required only the first time you start the software due to the protection system present in macOS, which blocks the execution of applications that are not downloaded from the Mac App Store).

Once the OpenOffice configuration window is displayed, click on the Next button, fill in the form with your personal data (if you want your name to be included in the metadata of the documents you are going to generate) and click on the Finish button.

Now, regardless of the operating system used, click on the Open button located in the lower-left part of the main window of the program and select the PDF file you want to transform into PDF / A. Then, click on the File item which is located at the top left and select the Export to PDF option from the menu displayed.

In the new window that opens, select the General tab, locate the General section and check the box next to the PDF / A-1a archive item, then press the Export button. Finally, indicate the location where you want to save the final file and the name you want to assign it and click on the Save button. Done!

LibreOffice (Windows / macOS / Linux)

LibreOffice represents another excellent alternative, free and open-source solution to the Microsoft Office office suite: it is a project born from a “rib” of the aforementioned OpenOffice and is found pre-installed on many Linux distros. It also works on Windows and macOS and I have chosen to demonstrate this in my tutorial as it integrates a useful function for the purpose in question.

To use it, connect to the program’s website and click on the Download version xxx button, in order to start downloading the software to your computer. If you are using a Mac, also press the Translated user interface button, in order to download both the installation package of the program and the package through which to translate the interface into Italian.

At the end of the download, if you are using Windows, open the .msi file you obtained and follow the guided procedure that is proposed to you: click on the Next button twice in a row, on the  Install button and then on the Yes and Finish buttons.

If, on the other hand, you are using macOS, open the first .dmg package obtained, drag the LibreOffice icon into the Applications folder on your computer, right click on it and select the Open item from the menu that opens, in order to go to circumvent the restrictions applied by Apple to software from non-certified developers (an operation that must be performed only at the first start).

Now, close the program window that in the meantime has appeared on the screen, open the .dmg package for the Italian translation of the previously downloaded interface, right-click on the LibreOffice Language Pack icon, select the Open item from the menu that is open and click the Open and Install and OK buttons. Done! Now you can finally restart LibreOffice by clicking on its icon that you find in the Launchpad.

Now that, regardless of the operating system, you see the LibreOffice window on the screen, click on the Open file item at the top left and select the PDF file you want to act on. Then call up the File menu, select the Export to PDF option and, in the window that opens, make sure the General tab is selected (otherwise you can do it yourself) and check the PDF / A-1a archive (ISO 19005-1 option) ) on the right.

Finally, press the Export button located at the bottom right, indicate the name you want to assign to the final file and the location on your computer where you want to save it and press the Save button.

PDFelement (Windows / macOS)

Another tool you have on your side to be able to transform “classic” PDF files into PDF / A documents is  PDFelement. This is a software that can be used both on Windows and on macOS that allows you to view files in PDF format and make changes of various kinds, including conversion, thanks to the many tools and many integrated functions. It is free but applies a watermark to saved documents and imposes other small limitations that can be circumvented by switching to the paid version (with a base price of $ 99.95).

To download the program on your computer, connected to the official website of the same, click on the Try Free button. Fill out the form that is proposed to you providing the required data and click on the Try PDFelement Free button.

When the download is complete, if you are using Windows, open the .exe file you just obtained and, in the window you see appear on the desktop, click on the Yes,  Install and Start Now buttons.

If, on the other hand, you are using macOS, open the .dmg package obtained, press the Accept button in the window that opens and drag the program icon to the Applications folder on your computer. Then right-click on it and select the Open option twice in a row, in order to go and open the program, bypassing Apple’s limitations towards unauthorized developers (operation that must be carried out only at the first start).

Now that the program window is displayed on the screen, click the Open File button on the left and select the PDF you want to work on. Then, click on the File menu at the top left, select the Convert item (always on the left) and the Other PDF formats (on the right).

Finally, click on the wording PDF / A-2b on the right, press the Convert button, indicate the name you want to assign to the final file and the location on your computer where you want to save it and press the Save button. Done!

PDFCreator (Windows)

Another great tool you can turn to convert PDF documents to PDF / A format is PDFCreator. It is a software for Windows operating systems only that acts as a virtual printer for PDFs and which, among the various functions offered, also integrates one that allows you to create PDF / A files starting from PDF documents, using any other program which offers the print function. In its basic version it is free, but possibly it is available in some paid variants (with prices starting from 8.36 / euro per year) including extra features.

To use it, first connect to the program’s website and click the Download button in the center. In the new page that opens, click on the Download button that you find under the heading PDFCreator Free.

Next, open the resulting .exe file and click on the Yes button in the window that appears on the desktop. Then press the OK  button to confirm the use of the Italian language and the Next and Install buttons. Finally, click on the Skip button to refuse the installation of any unnecessary extra programs and on the Finish button.

At this point, open the PDF document in relation to which you are interested in going to act using the viewer you usually use on your PC and call up the command for printing (usually just access the File> Print menu or click on the button with the printer but menus, items and commands may differ depending on the program used)

In the new window that opens, select  PDFCreator from the list of available printers and click on the button to proceed with printing. Using the additional window that opens, type a title for your document by filling in the Filename field   (you can also leave the one already set), press the Profile item on the menu below   and select the PDF / A option  (long-term storage) .

If you deem it appropriate, fill in the Subject,  Keyword and  Author fields with the relevant information, then press the Save button, specify the location where you want to save the converted document and click the Save button again to finalize the operation.

Online services to transform PDF to PDF / A

Don’t want or can’t download new programs on your computer and would you like to understand if there is any online service to transform PDF to PDF / A by acting directly from the browser? Then I can not help but advise you to put DocuPUB to the test: it is a simple and totally free web service that allows you to convert PDF documents (as well as Word, Excel files, etc.) in various different formats and directly and comfortably from any browser and operating system. Note that all uploaded files are completely deleted from the service servers within a short time.

To use PDF Converter, the first fundamental step you need to take is to visit the main web page of the service and select the PDF / A option from the Output format drop-down menu . At this point, click on the Choose file / Open file button and select the PDF document on your computer in relation to which you are interested in going to act. Finally, press the Upload & Convert button.

Once the document upload and conversion procedure has been completed, you can download the file to your PC by clicking on its title. If you haven’t changed your browser’s default settings, the file will be saved in your computer’s Downloads folder.

If, on the other hand, you prefer to receive an email with the download link directly, before clicking on the conversion button, select the Email me a link to the document option from the Delivery Method drop-down menu and proceed in the same way as I have just indicated.