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PDF/A is a family of ISO standards (ISO 19005) that restricts PDF for long-term archiving: the file must contain everything needed to display the same way in the future. It requires embedded fonts and forbids, among other things, encryption, JavaScript and external content. There are several parts (PDF/A-1, -2, -3 and -4) and conformance levels such as b (visual appearance) or a (also tagged, accessible structure).

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Why it matters when generating documents with AI

  • Public bodies, courts and archives often require PDF/A to store or file documents.
  • A PDF without embedded fonts can look different on another machine; PDF/A prevents that.
  • A PDF that “looks” right isn’t PDF/A by that alone: conformance is checked with a validator (for example, veraPDF).
  • Metadata (title, language) and structure tags also matter for accessibility.

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With Doconda

Doconda delivers a PDF alongside every Word, PowerPoint or Excel file, with the font embedded so it looks the same everywhere (Style). When reviewing a PDF, it warns about fonts that aren’t embedded and untagged PDFs, and sets the title and language if they are missing. If you need certified PDF/A conformance, check it with a validator.