Question 1

Is my data sent anywhere?

Accepted Answer

No. Version conversion runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript and pdf-lib. Your PDF never leaves your device, and the tool works offline.

Question 2

What extra features does this tool include?

Accepted Answer

9 target version presets (PDF 1.4 / 1.5 / 1.6 / 1.7 / 2.0 / PDF/A-1b / PDF/A-2b / PDF/A-3b / PDF/X-1a), version detector (reads the PDF header), version setter (rewrites the header), PDF/A requirements checker (font embedding, XMP, color profile), PDF/X requirements checker (output intent, trim box, bleed), feature compatibility checker, unsupported-feature remover, XMP metadata generator (for PDF/A), color profile embedder (sRGB), output intent generator (for PDF/X), compliance checker, feature-loss reporter, font-embedding verifier, RGB-to-CMYK color space converter, multi-format reports (text/CSV/JSON), 20-entry history with shareable URLs.

Question 3

What's the difference between PDF/A and PDF/X?

Accepted Answer

PDF/A is an ISO-standardized subset of PDF for long-term archival — it requires fonts to be embedded, disallows JavaScript and external references, and mandates XMP metadata. PDF/X is a standard for print production exchange — it requires an output intent (color profile), trim and bleed boxes, and disallows RGB-only color. This tool can convert to PDF/A-1b, A-2b, A-3b, and PDF/X-1a.

Question 4

Does conversion lose any features?

Accepted Answer

Possibly, yes. Older targets (PDF 1.4) don't support features introduced in 1.7+ (e.g., AES-256 encryption, some compression filters). PDF/A disables encryption, JavaScript, and external references. The feature-loss reporter in the output tells you exactly what was removed or modified.

Question 5

Is this a full ISO-compliant PDF/A or PDF/X generator?

Accepted Answer

This tool implements the most important requirements (font embedding, XMP metadata, color profile embedding, output intent, trim/bleed boxes) using pdf-lib. For mission-critical archiving or pre-press workflows, we recommend validating the output with a dedicated ISO-compliant validator such as veraPDF or callas pdfToolbox.

PDF Version Converter

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