Using Autobahn DX to make any PDF file PDF/A compliant
Neil Pitman
Autobahn can perform a great many functions. One that is often asked about is PDF/A compliance.
In this use case, I will be using Autobahn to take files that have been scanned into a input folder that need OCRing and converted to a PDF/A compliant document. You will also find a video at the bottom of this post demonstrating the process.
To start, I will setup an OCR step with my desired settings, however, this is entirely optional and the PDF/A conversion step can work on any PDF file needed, born digital or otherwise:
I can perform any number of steps that I wish here, but once I am happy the document will be processed in a way that suits my needs, I will now add the conversion step to make it PDF/A complaint.
In the “Convert” tab, you will find the step in question:
Now that I have added the step, I will now select what level of compliance I wish:
Once I run the file, I will then use a PDF Validator, a free online tool produced by Orpalis, https://avepdf.com/pdfa-validation to check to see if it is compliant.
And here we can see that it is exactly when I had specified in Autobahn DX.
You can also download and try a demo of Autobahn for free here: Document Automation Server
Neil established Aquaforest (later acquired by Nutrient) in 2001 to provide high-performance PDF, OCR, and SharePoint products to a worldwide market.
