What is the purpose of a PDF/A file?

The purpose of a PDF/A file is to preserve the long-term readability and integrity of a document.

PDF/A is a subset of PDF that follows strict standards for archiving and preserving digital documents.

PDF/A files are self-contained, meaning they embed all the fonts, images, and metadata needed to display the document correctly. PDF/A files also prohibit features that may compromise the document’s appearance, such as encryption, compression, and multimedia elements.