Actions80
- Extract Text From Word
- Find And Replace Text
- Convert PDF To Editable PDF Using OCR
- Create Swiss QR Bill
- Split PDF By Barcode
- Split PDF By Swiss QR
- Split PDF By Text
- Split PDF Regular
- Create PDF/A
- Convert HTML To PDF
- Convert Markdown To PDF
- Upload File To PDF4me
- Add Attachment To PDF
- Add Barcode To PDF
- Add Form Fields To PDF
- Fill PDF Form
- Add HTML Header Footer
- Add Image Stamp To PDF
- Add Margin To PDF
- Add Page Number To PDF
- Add Text Stamp To PDF
- AI-Invoice Parser
- AI-Process HealthCard
- AI-Process Contract
- Generate Barcode
- Classify Document
- Parse Document
- Linearize PDF
- Flatten PDF
- Convert To PDF
- Json To Excel
- Convert PDF To Excel
- Convert PDF To Word
- Convert PDF To PowerPoint
- Convert VISIO
- Crop Image
- Delete Blank Pages From PDF
- Delete Unwanted Pages From PDF
- Extract Pages
- Merge Multiple PDFs
- Overlay PDFs
- Rotate Document
- Rotate Page
- Sign PDF
- URL to PDF
- Add Image Watermark To Image
- Add Text Watermark To Image
- Compress Image
- Convert Image Format
- Create Images From PDF
- Flip Image
- Get Image Metadata
- Image Extract Text
- Remove EXIF Tags From Image
- Replace Text With Image
- Replace Text With Image In Word
- Resize Image
- Rotate Image
- Rotate Image By EXIF Data
- Compress PDF
- Get PDF Metadata
- Repair PDF Document
- Get Document From Pdf4me
- Update Hyperlinks Annotation
- Protect Document
- Unlock PDF
- Disable Tracking Changes In Word
- Enable Tracking Changes In Word
- Generate Document Single
- Generate Documents Multiple
- Get Tracking Changes In Word
- Read Barcode From Image
- Read Barcode From PDF
- Read SwissQR Code
- Extract Form Data From PDF
- Extract Pages From PDF
- Extract Attachment From PDF
- Extract Text By Expression
- Extract Table From PDF
- Extract Resources
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 node supports multiple input methods to provide the source PDF: binary data from a previous node, a base64 encoded string, or a URL pointing to the PDF file.
Common scenarios where this node is beneficial include:
- Archiving important documents in a compliant format that ensures future accessibility.
- Preparing PDFs for legal, governmental, or compliance requirements where PDF/A is mandated.
- Converting dynamically generated or received PDFs into a standardized archival format.
Practical example:
- A user receives invoices as PDFs via email (binary data) and wants to archive them in PDF/A-1b format for regulatory compliance.
- A workflow downloads a PDF report from a URL and converts it to PDF/A-2b with enhanced features before storing it in a document management system.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Input Data Type | Choose how to provide the PDF file to convert to PDF/A. Options: Binary Data (from previous node), Base64 String (direct content), URL (link to 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 to the PDF file to convert when using URL input type. |
| Output File Name | Desired name for the output PDF/A file. Defaults to "converted_pdfa.pdf". |
| Document Name | Name of the source PDF file for reference purposes. Defaults to "document.pdf". |
| PDF/A Compliance | Select the PDF/A compliance level for long-term archiving. Options include: - PDF/A-1a (full compliance with accessibility) - PDF/A-1b (basic compliance) - PDF/A-2a, 2b (enhanced compliance) - PDF/A-3a, 3b (latest compliance with embedded files support) |
| Advanced Options | Collection of additional settings: - Allow Upgrade: Whether to allow upgrading to a higher PDF/A version if needed (boolean). - Allow Downgrade: Whether to allow downgrading to a lower PDF/A version if needed (boolean). - Custom Profiles: JSON string to adjust custom properties for API calls. |
Output
The node outputs the converted PDF/A file in the json output field along with its binary data:
- The main output contains the PDF/A file content, typically as binary data under a specified binary property.
- The output file will have the name specified by the "Output File Name" property.
- If applicable, metadata about the conversion or the original document name may be included.
- Binary data represents the actual PDF/A file ready for download, storage, or further processing.
Dependencies
- Requires access to an external PDF processing service or API capable of converting PDFs to PDF/A format.
- Needs proper authentication credentials (e.g., an API key or token) configured in n8n to authorize requests to the PDF conversion service.
- Network access to fetch PDFs from URLs if the URL input method is used.
Troubleshooting
Common issues:
- Invalid or inaccessible PDF URL leading to failure in fetching the source PDF.
- Incorrect base64 string format causing decoding errors.
- Unsupported PDF versions or corrupted PDF files that cannot be converted.
- Missing or invalid API credentials resulting in authorization errors.
Error messages and resolutions:
- "Failed to fetch PDF from URL": Check the URL validity and network connectivity.
- "Invalid base64 content": Verify the base64 string is correctly encoded without extra characters.
- "Conversion failed due to unsupported PDF format": Ensure the input PDF is not corrupted and is supported by the service.
- "Authentication error": Confirm API credentials are correctly set up in n8n and have necessary permissions.