Converting Documents to PDF/A Documents

You can use the DocConverter service to convert a PDF document to a PDF/A document. Because PDF/A is an archival format for long-term preservation of the document’s content, all fonts are embedded and the file is uncompressed. As a result, a PDF/A document is typically larger than a standard PDF document. Also, a PDF/A document does not contain audio and video content. Before you convert a PDF document to a PDF/A document, ensure that the PDF document is not a PDF/A document.

The PDF/A-1 specification consists of two levels of conformance, namely A and B. The major difference between the two is regarding the logical structure (accessibility) support, which is not required for conformance level B. Regardless of the conformance level, PDF/A-1 dictates that all fonts are embedded within the generated PDF/A document. At this time, only PDF/A-1b is supported in validation (and conversion).

While PDF/A is the standard for archiving PDF documents, it is not mandatory that PDF/A be used for archiving if a standard PDF document meets your company’s requirements. The purpose of the PDF/A standard is to establish a PDF file meant for long-term archiving and document-preservation needs.

Summary of steps

To convert a PDF document to a PDF/A document, perform the following steps:

1. Include project files.
2. Create a DocConvert client
3. Reference a PDF document to convert to a PDF/A document.
4. Set tracking information.
5. Convert the document.
6. Save the PDF/A document.

Include project files

Include the necessary files in your development project. If you are creating a client application by using Java, include the necessary JAR files. If you are using web services, make sure that you include the proxy files.

The following JAR files must be added to your project’s class path:

• adobe-livecycle-client.jar
• adobe-usermanager-client.jar
• adobe-docconverter-client.jar
• adobe-utilities.jar (required if LiveCycle is deployed on JBoss Application Server)
• jbossall-client.jar (required if LiveCycle is deployed on JBoss Application Server)

For information about the location of these JAR files, see Including LiveCycle Java library files.

Create a DocConvert client

Before you can programmatically perform an DocConverter operation, you must create a DocConverter client. If you are using the Java API, create a DocConverterServiceClient object. If you are using the DocConverter web service API, create a DocConverterServiceService object.

Reference a PDF document to convert to a PDF/A document

Retrieve a PDF document to convert to a PDF/A document. If you attempt to convert a PDF document, such as an Acrobat form, to a PDF/A document, you will cause an exception.

Set tracking information

You can set a run-time option that determines how much information is tracked during the conversion process. That is, you can set nine different levels that specify how much information the DocConverter service tracks when it converts a PDF document to a PDF/A document.

Convert the document

After you create the DocConverter service client, reference the PDF document to convert and set the run-time option that specifies how much information is tracked, you can convert the PDF document to a PDF/A document.

Save the PDF/A document

You can save the PDF/A document as a PDF file.

See also

Convert documents to PDF/A documents using the Java API

Convert a PDF document to a PDF/A document by using the Java API:

1. Include project files Include client JAR files, such as adobe-docconverter-client.jar, in your Java project’s class path.
2. Create a DocConvert client
   • Create a ServiceClientFactory object that contains connection properties.
   • Create a DocConverterServiceClient object by using its constructor and passing the ServiceClientFactory object.
3. Reference a PDF document to convert to a PDF/A document
   • Create a java.io.FileInputStream object that represents the PDF document to convert by using its constructor and passing a string value that specifies the location of the PDF file.
   • Create a com.adobe.idp.Document object by using its constructor and passing the java.io.FileInputStream object.
4. Set tracking information
   • Create a PDFAConversionOptionSpec object by using its constructor.
   • Set the information tracking level by invoking the PDFAConversionOptionSpec object’s setLogLevel method and passing a string value that specifies the tracking level. For example, pass the value FINE . For information about the different values, see the setLogLevel method in the LiveCycle API Reference.
5. Convert the document Convert the PDF document to a PDF/A document by invoking the DocConverterServiceClient object’s toPDFA method and passing the following values:
   • The com.adobe.idp.Document object that contains the PDF document to convert
   • The PDFAConversionOptionSpec object that specifies tracking information

The toPDFA method returns a PDFAConversionResult object that contains the PDF/A document.

• Retrieve the PDF/A document by invoking the PDFAConversionResult object’s getPDFA method. This method returns a com.adobe.idp.Document object that represents the PDF/A document.
• Create a java.io.File object that represents the PDF/A file. Ensure that the file name extension is .pdf.
• Populate the file with PDF/A data by invoking the com.adobe.idp.Document object’s copyToFile method and passing the java.io.File object.

See also

Convert documents to PDF/A documents using the web service API

Convert a PDF document to a PDF/A document by using the DocConverter API (web service):

1. Include project files
   • Create a Microsoft .NET client assembly that consumes the DocConverter WSDL.
   • Reference the Microsoft .NET client assembly.
2. Create a DocConvert client
   • Using the Microsoft .NET client assembly, create a DocConverterServiceService object by invoking its default constructor.
   • Set the DocConverterServiceService object’s Credentials data member with a System.Net.NetworkCredential value that specifies the user name and password value.
3. Reference a PDF document to convert to a PDF/A document
   • Create a BLOB object by using its constructor. The BLOB object is used to store the PDF document that is converted to a PDF/A document.
   • Create a System.IO.FileStream object by invoking its constructor and passing a string value that represents the file location of the PDF document and the mode to open the file in.
   • Create a byte array that stores the content of the System.IO.FileStream object. You can determine the size of the byte array by getting the System.IO.FileStream object’s Length property.
   • Populate the byte array with stream data by invoking the System.IO.FileStream object’s Read method and passing the byte array, the starting position, and the stream length to read.
   • Populate the BLOB object by assigning its binaryData property with the contents of the byte array.
4. Set tracking information
   • Create a PDFAConversionOptionSpec object by using its constructor.
   • Set the information tracking level by assigning a value that specifies the tracking level to the PDFAConversionOptionSpec object’s logLevel data member. For example, assign the value FINE to this data member.
5. Convert the document Convert the PDF document to a PDF/A document by invoking the DocConverterServiceService object’s toPDFA method and passing the following values:
   • The BLOB object that contains the PDF document to convert
   • The PDFAConversionOptionSpec object that specifies tracking information

The toPDFA method returns a PDFAConversionResult object that contains the PDF/A document.

• Create a BLOB object that stores the PDF/A document by getting the value of the PDFAConversionResult object’s PDFADocument data member.
• Create a byte array that stores the content of the BLOB object that was returned by using the PDFAConversionResult object. Populate the byte array by getting the value of the BLOB object’s binaryData data member.
• Create a System.IO.FileStream object by invoking its constructor and passing a string value that represents the file location of the PDF/A document.
• Create a System.IO.BinaryWriter object by invoking its constructor and passing the System.IO.FileStream object.
• Write the contents of the byte array to a PDF file by invoking the System.IO.BinaryWriter object’s Write method and passing the byte array.