API Tools
Convert to PDF/A

Convert to PDF/A

Convert to PDF/A is a REST API tool that converts a standard PDF file to one of several target PDF/A formats to meet regulatory compliance requirements and ensure long-term preservation of the document.

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Parameters

Api-Key

Required Parameters

POST

/pdfa

curl -X POST "https://api.pdfrest.com/pdfa" \ 
  -H "Accept: application/json" \ 
  -H "Content-Type: multipart/form-data" \
  -H "Api-Key: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx" \
  curl -X POST "https://api.pdfrest.com/pdfa" \ 
  -H "Accept: application/json" \ 
  -H "Content-Type: multipart/form-data" \
  -H "Api-Key: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx" \
  

Response

The response for your API Call will display here.The response for your API Call will display here.

Once you've sent your POST request and received a valid response, you can download your output file using the output URL.

Build Your Solution

You have document processing problems, we have Solutions. Explore the many ways pdfRest can align your documents with your business objectives.

Browse all Solutions

Microsoft Work, Powerpoint, and XLS icons corkscrew towards a PDF/A labelled document icon.

Optimize Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Files for Long-Term Preservation

Convert Documents into Encrypted PDFs for Archiving

Integrate pdfRest with Microsoft Power Automate

Detect and Repair Non-Conformant PDF/A Documents

Create an e-Invoicing PDF Workflow for Regulatory Compliance

Integrate PDF API Tools with Salesforce Apex Code

Why is pdfRest the best API to convert PDF to PDF/A?

pdfRest offers the best solution for converting PDF documents to PDF/A specifications, because it supports top PDF/A conformance, robust versions, and problemetic input files.

Top PDF/A Conformance

Extensive research and comparative testing have demonstrated that pdfRest’s technology generates PDF/A documents with the highest success rate among leading PDF technology solutions.

pdfRest’s conversion technology produced perfect conformance to the ISO 19005-2 specifications over 95% of the time, compared to an average of 84% for leading competitors.

Robust Version/Level Support

pdfRest’s Convert to PDF/A supports a wide range of PDF/A conformance versions and levels, including:

PDF/A-1b
PDF/A-2b
PDF/A-2u
PDF/A-3b
PDF/A-3u

Convert Problem Files

Occasionally a PDF will contain a mix of conditions that make it incompatible with conversion to PDF/A. Most tools will return an error in this situation, but pdfRest offers a fallback plan you can turn on that will rasterize any problematic pages in the document to ensure the file converts successfully and conforms to PDF/A standards.

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Start from Code Examples

First, you'll need an API Key - to:
- Stay anonymous with a Guest API Key for 10 free API Calls
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Choose your programming language
Copy and paste the code to your project
Update Api-Key field with your unique API Key
Update file with the local path to your input
Run this code to send an API Call

See more code examples in our
GitHub repository

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Need more help?

Start with a Tutorial for step-by-step guidance

How to Convert PDF to PDF/A in .NET with C#

How to Convert PDF to PDF/A with cURL

How to Convert PDF to PDF/A with JavaScript in NodeJS

How to Convert PDF to PDF/A with PHP

How to Convert PDF to PDF/A with Python

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Customize Your Solution

File

The file parameter allows you to select a local PDF file to be uploaded to pdfRest’s processing server for conversion.

The id parameter allows you to submit a resource ID for a file already on the processing server. Each of our API Tools assigns a unique resource ID to all uploaded input files and generated output files and returns these IDs in the response to each API Call. This allows you to store the IDs from one call and submit them to the next, chaining requests together without having to download intermediate files between requests.

For example, you can upload a Word doc to Convert to PDF then pass the output ID you receive to Convert to PDF/A (Word > PDF > PDF/A).

Output

The output parameter lets you set a filename (without extension) for your archived PDF.

Output Type

The output_type parameter lets you choose from several conformance levels and versions of PDF/A:

PDF/A-1b: Ensures basic visual integrity over the long term. It's the most widely accepted version for simple archival needs, guaranteeing that documents will look the same when accessed in the future.
PDF/A-2b: Supports more modern features like JPEG2000 compression and transparency, making it suitable for documents that require better image quality and more complex visual elements while maintaining compliance with archival standards.
PDF/A-2u: Includes Unicode support for enhanced text searchability and accessibility, making it ideal for documents that need to be both visually consistent and easily searchable across different languages and character sets.
PDF/A-3b: Allows embedding of additional file formats (e.g., XML, CSV) within the PDF, making it perfect for archiving documents that need to include supplementary data files alongside the main document content.
PDF/A-3u: Combines the benefits of PDF/A-3b with Unicode support, offering a comprehensive solution for archiving documents that require both embedded files and enhanced text searchability and accessibility.

Rasterize If Errors Encountered

The rasterize_if_errors_encountered parameter lets you opt to rasterize any problematic pages as images instead of receiving an error response.

See Documentation

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