Key Facts
- Category
- Documents & PDF
- Input Types
- file
- Output Type
- json
- Sample Coverage
- 4
- API Ready
- Yes
Overview
The PDF/A Validate tool performs a structural pre-flight check on your PDF documents to ensure they comply with ISO 19005 long-term archival standards. It scans for critical compliance issues including missing XMP metadata, active encryption, non-embedded fonts, and forbidden interactive features like JavaScript.
When to Use
- •Before submitting digital documents to government, legal, or institutional archives that mandate PDF/A compliance.
- •When verifying if a generated PDF contains forbidden elements like JavaScript, external references, or encryption that prevent long-term preservation.
- •To check if all fonts are fully embedded and XMP metadata is correctly structured within your PDF files.
How It Works
- •Upload the PDF document you want to verify for archival compliance.
- •The tool parses the file structure, checking the XMP metadata, font tables, encryption status, and interactive elements.
- •It evaluates these properties against PDF/A (ISO 19005) specifications.
- •The tool outputs a JSON report detailing the compliance verdict, claimed profile, and counts of critical errors, warnings, and passed checks.
Use Cases
Examples
1. Verifying Legal Documents for Court Archiving
Legal Assistant- Background
- A law firm needs to submit a series of case files to a state court archive that strictly requires PDF/A compliance.
- Problem
- The assistant needs to verify if the generated PDFs contain non-embedded fonts or restricted features before submission.
- How to Use
- Upload the legal document PDF to the validator tool and run the pre-flight check.
- Outcome
- The tool returns a JSON report indicating a 'non-compliant' status due to 2 missing embedded fonts, allowing the assistant to fix the document before submission.
2. Checking Academic Dissertations for University Library
Academic Publisher- Background
- A university library requires all digital thesis submissions to be compliant with PDF/A for long-term preservation.
- Problem
- A student's submission might contain interactive elements or JavaScript that violate archival rules.
- How to Use
- Select the thesis PDF file and run the validation check.
- Outcome
- The tool confirms compliance with a 'pass' verdict and zero critical errors, confirming the file is ready for the digital repository.
Try with Samples
pdf, fileRelated Hubs
FAQ
What does this tool check for PDF/A compliance?
It checks for embedded fonts, XMP metadata claims, encryption, JavaScript, external device-dependent colors, and other features restricted by ISO 19005.
Does this tool modify my PDF file?
No, this is a read-only validation tool that analyzes the structure of your PDF and returns a compliance report without altering the file.
What does a 'non-compliant' verdict mean?
It means the PDF contains elements (like missing fonts or active encryption) that violate PDF/A standards, making it unsuitable for long-term digital archiving.
Can I validate password-protected or encrypted PDFs?
Encrypted PDFs are automatically flagged as non-compliant because PDF/A standards prohibit encryption to ensure future readability.
What PDF/A profiles are supported for validation?
The tool checks general structural requirements across common PDF/A profiles (such as PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, and PDF/A-3) by identifying forbidden features and missing metadata.