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How to create a PDF/A file

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Instructions on how to create a PDF/A file for long-term preservation (for EDIS / EDOK)

Adhering to the PDF/A standard is mandatory for all dissertations written at HSG and recommended for bachelor's and master's thesis.

  • The PDF file must not be protected by a password or otherwise.
  • All fonts must be embedded (including standard fonts).
  • The PDF version must be 1.4 (PDF/A-1b) or 1.7 (PDF/A-2b)
  • These requirements comply with the standard PDF/A-1b or the newer PDF/A-2b standard.
  • More information about PDF/A standards.

Instructions for Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Pro DC on Windows 10 (works the same on Windows 7)

Note: Adobe Acrobat Pro is installed on all university workstations. Students can download this software for a reasonable price for their personal computers via Adobe Creative Cloud (test version available).

Download instructions [PDF]

Other PDF converters

There are multiple free PDF creator tools. Here is a selection of free software (Windows only):

You can find a list of other converters (all operating systems) here: List of PDF software (Wikipedia) or use an Online converter (max. upload 10 MB).

Unfortunately, we cannot offer instructions for freeware. Please consult their help pages.

Check (and convert) your PDF file with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Windows 10)

With Acrobat Pro, you can check whether your PDF file is PDF/A compliant and / or transform it into a valid PDF/A file.

Note: Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is installed on all university workstations. Students can download this software for a reasonable price for their personal computers via Adobe Creative Cloud (test version available).

Download instructions [PDF]

Check your PDF file with verapdf (beta)

This is an online PDF validator where you can validate your PDF file: demo.verapdf.org/

 

Unfortunately, Word for Mac (2011/2016) does no longer include a feature to save as a PDF/A. You have several options:

  • You can save your file as a regular PDF, then convert your PDF into PDF/A with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC on any HSG workstation. Click on the Windows / MS Word tab for instructions.
  • If you installed the software Acrobat Pro on your Mac, you may save your file directly as a PDF/A file: download instructions [PDF]
    Note: Adobe Acrobat Pro is installed on all university workstations. Students can download this software for a reasonable price for their personal computers via Adobe Creative Cloud (test version available).

There are multiple free PDF creator tools. The following PDF Converter offers a MacOS version:

Unfortunately, we cannot offer instructions for freeware. Please consult their help pages.

Prerequisites: you must have pdflatex installed, as well as the hyperref and xmpincl packages. Most modern TeX distributions have these things preinstalled.

Other possibility: create a PDF document using the tool pdflatex which is generally included with the development suite and then use Adobe Acrobat Pro to convert to PDF/A.

Several TeX online forums can help you with PDF/A conversion. Here are some links in German:

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