Portable Document Format, or PDF, became the choice for many computer users because of its versatility and universality. You can use it on different devices and programs and even on mobile phones, thereby providing an excellent experience for its users.

With the ever-changing forms of technology these days, did you know that there’s a better way to preserve your PDF file? By converting your PDF into a PDFA, you can guarantee that your PDF will look exactly as it should be for many years from now. This can give you peace of mind if you want to preserve the integrity of your PDF files.

What is a PDFA?

You may be wondering about how the PDF to PDFA conversion works. PDFA is an ISO-standardized type of PDF intended for archiving PDFs. With PDFA, you can save and preserve the content of your PDF files to ensure it stays the same despite storing it for a very long time. This is possible by setting stricter standards and restrictions on the file.

The main purpose of a PDFA is to be used for digital preservation and archiving, which a normal PDF file cannot do. Aside from archiving, you can also use PDFA if you need to do embedding.

A PDF is usually used for digital books that allow readers to access the file on any device worldwide. PDF is currently the most used and accessed file type by computer users.

PDFA Does Not Allow Embedded Executable Files, Audios, or Videos

PDF allows you to insert executable files, videos, or audio in the file itself, while PDFA does not permit this. PDFA is meant to be stored for a long time, and it might not be possible to access these files in the future due to the compatibility of software or programs.

PDFA is Self-Contained

PDFA files are self-contained so that images, texts, and other components of the PDFA are already there. Unlike PDF, PDFA allows graphics and fonts as long as these are embedded in the file.

PDFA requires pictures to be embedded instead of providing external resources. This is because first, we never know whether these resources will be available in the future. PDFA does not allow active files, like pictures or texts, to avoid any interference of any kind. Second, if the resources are not found, it could compromise the entire file.

You Can Easily Reproduce PDFA

In connection with PDFA files being self-contained, it will appear the same when you copy a PDFA file. This is because PDFA does not permit any means of alteration in its content. A PDF file when copied, however, might have some elements in it that are altered because of some factors like external resources.

So, let’s say you have a PDF file that you intend to keep for the next 25 years or more. It would help if you converted it to PDFA so that it will remain the same as it should, and the future user of the file can quickly reproduce it accurately. Therefore, this feature guarantees the originality of the file.

There’s No Encryption in PDFA

Almost similar to the reasons for embedding pictures, you might not be able to open the PDFA if the password or encryption key is not kept after several years. Encrypting is an excellent method to limit access to PDFs, but it can also be a barrier to the long-term archiving of PDFAs. For one thing, the persons storing the files might not know or have the password sometime in the future.

A PDFA is a great method to archive files. However, it has its disadvantages. Having no encryption makes it an insecure file. PDF is more secure and protected in this aspect, but let’s also take note that the main purpose of a PDFA is for archiving and preserving. Since technology is quickly evolving, there is a possibility of adding or removing some features in a PDFA.

Conclusion

PDF and PDFA might sound or look the same, but they’re completely not. PDFA ensures that your file has zero content loss and similar formatting, even after retrieving the file years from now. In addition, PDFA does a better job in preserving digital files by preventing features that could hinder the maintenance of these files. Examples of these features are encryption and embedding external resources.

PDF has been the file choice of many, may it be in the business or education sector. But if your goal is to archive your file, a regular PDF file cannot assure you to preserve the file as accurately as a PDFA can. With the advent of PDFA, it has never been easier to protect PDF files. If you are looking forward to converting your PDF for archiving purposes, check out PDFBear.com. It’s fast, simple, and reliable.