Easy Conversion for Long-Term Archiving

Long-term archiving

Digital long-term archiving is becoming increasingly important for companies. The reasons are not limited to legal regulations and retention periods. Data and documents are more critical than ever. Secure storage is therefore essential to remain future-ready. In Germany, for example, business documents such as invoices and contracts must be archived for up to ten years. In addition, there are industry-specific retention requirements for documents in public administration, hospitals, construction, and other sectors.

Criteria for digital long-term archiving​

Companies must think carefully about how to store their business documents over the long term. At the same time, data archiving must meet high standards, because content must remain exactly reproducible at any time and satisfy archiving criteria.

  • openly standardized (or at least openly specified); no proprietary format
  • widely used
  • low complexity
  • no access protection mechanisms such as copy protection or encryption
  • self-documenting
  • robust
  • no dependencies on other file formats
  • license-free
  • validatable

PDF/A as the archiving standard​

Since 2005, when ISO published PDF/A under the designation “ISO 19005-1:2005” as the first file format standard for electronic long-term archiving, it has become an established archiving standard.

For long-term archiving, “regular” PDF files are not sufficient because they can be modified afterward. PDF/A, in contrast, ensures that specific requirements are met. For example, documents intended for long-term retention must not be encrypted with a password, so content remains accessible at any time. Also, video and audio files may not be embedded, as archiving intentionally avoids dependencies on external software for rendering or playback. JavaScript is likewise not permitted in documents intended for archiving.

Where PDF/A is used in long-term archiving​

The paperless office is still not everyday reality in every company. For fully digital archiving, paper files and records must be scanned and digitized.

Incoming email with attachments and other incoming mail received as physical letters, as well as Office documents (text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.), must be retained for ten years. Brochures or magazines created in layout programs or editorial systems must also be converted to PDF/A for archiving.

Since PDF/A-3, image files and complex CAD drawings can be embedded in their original formats within a PDF/A file. This means hybrid archiving (PDF plus source file) is no longer necessary.

Converting to PDF/A made easy with webPDF​

The need for long-term archiving is clear, and PDF/A is a globally established archiving standard. Many companies face the challenge of making the path to PDF/A as efficient as possible. Different source formats should be converted directly to PDF/A for archiving with minimal effort.

Converting formats such as doc, xls, ppt, docx, xlsx, pptx, odt, ods, or odp to PDF/A is easier than many expect, especially with the right tool. With webPDF, it is straightforward.

PDF documents can be quickly and easily transferred to an archive system using webPDF through PDF/A conversion. The automated conversion is performed server-side and without access to the original authoring software: highly configurable and very efficient.

The key benefits of webPDF for PDF/A conversion at a glance:

  • webPDF converts documents from more than 100 file formats directly into PDF/A and performs all required corrections and additions.
  • All conformance levels are supported (A Accessible, B Basic, and U Unicode).
  • On request, the PDF engine checks compliance with common standards: PDF/A-1 (ISO 19005-1:2005), PDF/A-2 (ISO 19005-2:2011), and PDF/A-3 (ISO 19005-2:2012).
  • webPDF can generate detailed reports in XML format.

Learn more about webPDF >

PDF/A remains a future-proof archiving standard​

Companies benefit from the ISO standard because it helps preserve digital records in accordance with legal requirements. PDF/A is widely preferred for long-term archiving, and for good reason. Over more than a decade, experts have continuously developed PDF/A and its conformance levels. Once a format becomes a de facto standard, it does not disappear quickly. Experts, including those at pdfa.org, agree that PDF/A will remain a future-proof format that companies and public institutions can rely on. The fact that Microsoft enables direct creation of PDF/A documents from Office is another indication that PDF/A is far more than a temporary trend.