Create a PDF/A file
Nitro Pro 7 enables you to create PDF/A compliant files. This means you can create PDF/A compliant files by simply printing to Nitro PDF Creator, as well as using the Office add-ins or Scan to PDF functionality.
About PDF/A
Intended to support long-term archiving of electronic documents, PDF/A is a archival standard approved by ISO. Compliance with the standard guarantees that PDF/A documents can be viewed and reproduced in exactly the same way for years to come, regardless of future changes to the PDF format.
In order to achieve this, all PDF/A documents are required to be 100% self-contained. This means that all of the information necessary for displaying the document must be embedded in the file, including all content (text, images and graphics), as well as fonts and color information.
PDF/A prohibits certain PDF features that prevent long-term archiving of the PDF file, such as hyperlinks to external sources, embedded audio and video content, and inclusion of Java Scripts and executable files. Additionally, PDF/A compliant documents cannot be encrypted, while the use of standards-based metadata and device-independent colorspaces are required.
PDF/A-1a and PDF/A-1b
The PDF/A standard includes two levels of compliance for PDF files: PDF/A-1a and PDF/A-1b. PDF/A-1b conformance ensures the document’s visual appearance will be reliably reproduced over the long term, while PDF/A-1a inserts an additional requirement that the document structure be included, to guarantee content re-purposing (for example, in displaying PDFs on portable devices such as PDAs) as well as to make certain the document will be accessible to impaired users.
Nitro Pro 7 can create PDF files which are compliant with the PDF/A-1b standard.
To create PDF/A using the Nitro PDF Creator printer:
- Open the file in the authoring program, and click the Print option
- From the Printer list, choose Nitro PDF Creator, and then click OK. The Create PDF window appears
- Under Save As Type, choose PDF/A
- Click Create to create your PDF/A-1b compliant PDF file
To create PDF/A using the Create from File tool:
- On the Home tab, in the Create group, click the PDF button, then From File
- On the Create PDF Files dialog, click the Add Files button, and then select the files to convert.
- In the Make PDF files list, select the creation quality that best meets your needs
- Select the PDF/A1-b compatibility checkbox
- In the Save PDF to list, select one of the following:
- If you would like to specify a location for each file as it is converted, click Ask when creating PDFs
- If you would like to specify a single folder in which to place the created PDF(s), click Specific folder. Click the Browse button to select a folder
- If you would like the created PDF(s) to be placed in the same folder as the original file, click Same folder as original
- Click Create
To create PDF/A from Microsoft Office 2007/2010 programs:
- In the Nitro PDF tab, from the Creation group, select the PDF/A-1b compliance checkbox
- Click Convert to PDF or Convert to PDF and Email
To create PDF/A from Microsoft Office 2003 programs:
- Click Convert to PDF or Convert to PDF and Email
- The Save As window appears. From the Save As Type list choose PDF/A files (*.pdf), then click OK
To create PDF/A from a scanner:
- On the Home tab in Nitro Pro 7 click the PDF button, then From Scanner
- In the Create PDF From Scanner dialog, select your scanner, the sheets to scan, image compression, and then specify the destination
- Select the PDF/A1-b compatibility checkbox.
- Click Scan to open your default scanning software
- Select the mode of scanning—color, grayscale, or monochrome/black-and-white
- Select the menu command to return to Nitro Pro 7
- Select the Finish option to end your scanning job, or select Scan front of sheet two to continue scanning