Actions80
- Add Attachment To PDF
- Add Barcode To PDF
- Add Form Fields To PDF
- Add HTML Header Footer
- Add Image Stamp To PDF
- Add Image Watermark To Image
- Add Margin To PDF
- Add Page Number To PDF
- Add Text Stamp To PDF
- Add Text Watermark To Image
- AI-Invoice Parser
- AI-Process Contract
- AI-Process HealthCard
- Classify Document
- Compress Image
- Compress PDF
- Convert HTML To PDF
- Convert Image Format
- Convert JSON To Excel
- Convert Markdown To PDF
- Convert PDF To Editable PDF Using OCR
- Convert PDF To Excel
- Convert PDF To PowerPoint
- Convert PDF To Word
- Convert To PDF
- Convert URL to PDF
- Convert VISIO
- Convert Word to PDF Form
- Create Images From PDF
- Create PDF/A
- Create Swiss QR Bill
- Crop Image
- Delete Blank Pages From PDF
- Delete Unwanted Pages From PDF
- Split PDF By Barcode
- Disable Tracking Changes In Word
- Enable Tracking Changes In Word
- Extract Attachment From PDF
- Extract Form Data From PDF
- Extract Pages From PDF
- Extract Resources
- Extract Table From PDF
- Extract Text By Expression
- Extract Text From Word
- Fill PDF Form
- Find And Replace Text
- Flip Image
- Flatten PDF
- Generate Barcode
- Generate Document Single
- Generate Documents Multiple
- Get Document From Pdf4me
- Get Image Metadata
- Get PDF Metadata
- Split PDF By Swiss QR
- Get Tracking Changes In Word
- Image Extract Text
- Linearize PDF
- Merge Multiple PDFs
- Overlay PDFs
- Parse Document
- Protect PDF
- Read Barcode From Image
- Read Barcode From PDF
- Read SwissQR Code
- Remove EXIF Tags From Image
- Repair PDF Document
- Replace Text With Image
- Replace Text With Image In Word
- Resize Image
- Rotate Document
- Rotate Image
- Rotate Image By EXIF Data
- Rotate PDF Page
- Sign PDF
- Split PDF By Text
- Split PDF Regular
- Unlock PDF
- Update Hyperlinks Annotation
- Upload File To PDF4me
Overview
This node operation "Create PDF/A" converts a given PDF file into a PDF/A format, which is a standardized version of PDF designed for long-term archiving and preservation. The PDF/A format ensures that the document can be reliably reproduced in the future by embedding all necessary information such as fonts and color profiles.
Common scenarios where this node is beneficial include:
- Archiving important documents to comply with legal or regulatory requirements.
- Preparing PDFs for digital libraries or repositories where long-term accessibility is critical.
- Converting legacy PDFs to a more stable and standardized format for future-proof storage.
Practical example:
- A user uploads a PDF invoice and wants to convert it to PDF/A-1b compliance before storing it in an archival system to ensure it remains accessible and visually consistent over time.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Input Data Type | Method to provide the source PDF: - Binary Data (from previous node) - Base64 String (encoded PDF content) - URL (link to the PDF file) |
| Input Binary Field | Name of the binary property containing the PDF file when using Binary Data input type (usually "data") |
| Base64 PDF Content | Base64 encoded string of the PDF document content when using Base64 input type |
| PDF URL | URL pointing to the PDF file to convert when using URL input type |
| Output File Name | Desired filename for the output PDF/A file (e.g., "converted_pdfa.pdf") |
| Binary Output Property Name | Name of the binary property where the converted PDF/A file will be stored (default "data") |
| Document Name | Reference name of the source PDF file (for metadata or logging purposes) |
| PDF/A Compliance | Level of PDF/A compliance to apply: - PDF/A-1b (Level B Basic) - PDF/A-1a (Level A Accessible) - PDF/A-2b (Basic Compliance) - PDF/A-2u (Basic with Unicode) - PDF/A-2a (Accessible Compliance) - PDF/A-3b (Basic Compliance) - PDF/A-3u (Basic with Unicode) - PDF/A-3a (Accessible Compliance) |
| Advanced Options | Additional settings: - Allow Upgrade (boolean): allow upgrading to higher PDF/A version if needed - Allow Downgrade (boolean): allow downgrading to lower PDF/A version if needed - Custom Profiles (JSON string): custom API options |
Output
The node outputs the converted PDF/A file as binary data under the specified binary output property name (default "data"). The output binary contains the PDF/A compliant document ready for download, storage, or further processing.
The JSON output includes metadata about the conversion process and references the binary data property holding the actual PDF/A file.
Dependencies
- Requires access to an external PDF processing API service capable of converting PDFs to PDF/A format.
- Needs an API key or authentication token configured in n8n credentials to authorize requests to the PDF processing service.
- Network access to fetch PDF files if the input is provided via URL.
Troubleshooting
Common issues:
- Invalid or inaccessible PDF URL: Ensure the URL is publicly accessible or reachable from the n8n environment.
- Incorrect binary property name: Verify the binary field name matches the incoming data property.
- Unsupported PDF format or corrupted PDF input: Confirm the source PDF is valid and not damaged.
- API authentication errors: Check that the API key or credentials are correctly set up and have sufficient permissions.
Error messages:
- "Failed to fetch PDF from URL": Indicates network or permission issues accessing the PDF URL.
- "Invalid PDF content": The input PDF is malformed or unreadable.
- "Conversion to PDF/A failed": Could be due to unsupported features in the source PDF or API limitations; try adjusting compliance level or advanced options.
- "Authentication failed": Verify API credentials and update if expired or revoked.