Prepare and validate a PDF/A file
Prepare PDF/A creates a PDF/A-2b candidate from a supported PDF in your browser. The browser does not check PDF/A conformance itself, so validate the candidate with an independent PDF/A validator, such as veraPDF, before you rely on it for archiving. Files are processed in the browser on your device and are not uploaded.
Prepare a candidate
- Select Prepare PDF/A and choose the PDF. The original file and the document open in the editor do not change.
- Tick the confirmation that the source colours are suitable for an sRGB output intent, only if that is true for your document.
- Select Prepare candidate. The tool checks that the candidate's pages and text match the source before it offers the download. Preview candidate pages is optional.
- Select Download candidate for validation. This file has not been validated yet.
- Validate the downloaded file with your PDF/A validator, using the PDF/A-2b profile.
Changing the source file or the sRGB confirmation clears the candidate.
What changes in the candidate
The candidate is given an sRGB output intent and new PDF/A metadata, and the old document information entry is no longer referenced. It also receives a new file identifier. Page content is kept as it was. Old metadata may remain in unreferenced parts of the file, so this is not metadata removal; use Document metadata or Flatten PDF if you need that.
PDFs that cannot be prepared
The tool refuses a PDF rather than changing it silently when it has:
- encryption or a password
- a digital signature, which preparation would invalidate
- an existing output intent
- interactive form fields or embedded files
- scripts or other active content
- fonts that are not embedded
It also refuses files larger than 100 MiB or longer than 500 pages. Preparation stops after 90 seconds; try fewer pages if this happens. Colour is assigned, not converted: the sRGB setting assumes the source colours are already suitable.
Validate an original without converting it
Validate original without conversion keeps the selected PDF exactly as it is, so that you can validate a file that may already be PDF/A without any change to its bytes, output intent or signature.
Match a validation summary to the file
Under Independent validation summary, you can select a JSON summary to match a validation result to the exact file you downloaded. The editor accepts only a summary in RedactNinja's own format, which records the validator, the PDF/A-2b profile, a successful result with no failed checks and the SHA-256 fingerprint of the file. A standard veraPDF report cannot be imported directly. When the summary matches, Download report-matched PDF downloads the same file.
The editor checks that the fingerprint in the summary matches the file. It does not confirm who produced the summary or that the validator was genuine. Keep the full validation report with the PDF if your records process requires it.