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IEEE PDF/A Required: Complete Fixing Guide

What This Page Covers

Use this page when the submission report points to PDF/A, archival compliance, or PDF profile requirements rather than only a single layout or font issue.

When to Use This Page

Use this page if you need to understand:

  • what PDF/A actually means in IEEE submission workflows
  • why PDF/A is not the same as font embedding or page size correction
  • which adjacent checks to run after fixing PDF profile compliance

The "PDF/A Required" error is a common rejection reason for IEEE conference and journal submissions. PDF/A is an ISO-standardized version of the Portable Document Format (PDF) specialized for use in the archiving and long-term preservation of electronic documents.

Common Failure Pattern

This error often appears when:

  • the PDF exports visually correctly but lacks the required archival metadata or embedded resources
  • transparency, scripts, or unsupported interactive elements remain in the document
  • a font or image issue is actually one part of a broader profile-compliance failure

Why IEEE Requires PDF/A Compliance

IEEE aims to ensure that your research is accessible and readable for decades. Standard PDFs may depend on external fonts, scripts, or color profiles that might not exist in the future. PDF/A guarantees: - Self-Containment: All information (fonts, colors, text) is embedded in the file. - No External Dependencies: No links to external fonts or scripts. - Device Independence: The document looks the same on any device or software. - No Encryption: Archival formats must be unencrypted to remain accessible.

Common PDF/A Compliance Failures

  1. Non-Embedded Fonts: PDF/A strictly forbids missing fonts.
  2. Transparent Objects: Early PDF/A standards (like PDF/A-1) do not allow transparency (e.g., in PNG figures).
  3. Missing Metadata: The file must contain specific XMP metadata identifying it as PDF/A.
  4. Embedded Files: You cannot embed other files (like source code) within a PDF/A.
  5. Interactive Elements: JavaScript, forms, and audio/video are prohibited.

How to Fix PDF/A Compliance in LaTeX

LaTeX users can achieve PDF/A compliance using specific packages and compilers.

1. Use the pdfx Package

The pdfx package is designed specifically for generating PDF/A, PDF/X, and other standards.

\usepackage[a-1b]{pdfx}

You will also need to create a metadata file named yourfilename.xmpdata containing:

\Title{Your Paper Title}
\Author{Author Name}
\Keywords{Keyword1, Keyword2}
\Publisher{IEEE}

2. Post-Processing with Ghostscript

If your compiled PDF is not compliant, you can convert it using Ghostscript:

gs -dPDFA -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -sProcessColorModel=DeviceCMYK -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sPDFACompatibilityPolicy=1 -sOutputFile=output_pdfa.pdf Input_File.pdf

3. Identify Problematic Figures

If the conversion fails, it is often due to a figure with transparency. Convert transparent PNGs to non-transparent PDFs or JPEGs before including them in LaTeX.

How to Fix PDF/A Compliance in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word makes PDF/A export relatively simple:

  1. Save As / Export: Go to File > Export > Create PDF/XPS.
  2. Options: Click the Options... button.
  3. Compliance: Check the box ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A).
  4. Optimize: Ensure "Standard (publishing online and printing)" is selected.
  5. Publish: Save the file and verify it with PDF eXpress.

Technical Validation with PDF eXpress

IEEE PDF eXpress is the ultimate judge of PDF/A compliance.

  1. Validation Report: If your PDF fails, PDF eXpress will provide a detailed report listing the specific PDF/A rules that were violated.
  2. Auto-Fix: Often, the easiest way to get a PDF/A compliant file is to upload your Source Files (LaTeX ZIP or Word docx) to PDF eXpress. The server will generate a compliant PDF/A-1b file for you.
  3. Acrobat Preflight: If you have Adobe Acrobat Pro, use the Preflight tool (Edit > Preflight) and run the "Convert to PDF/A-1b" fixup.

Why This Is Not the Same as Other IEEE Errors

  • PDF/A required is about archival and profile compliance for the whole PDF.
  • Font not embedded is one possible sub-problem inside that profile requirement.
  • Page size incorrect is a geometry issue, not a PDF profile issue.
  • Template mismatch is a source-structure issue that can contribute to compliance failures but is not itself PDF/A.

What to Check Next

  • Check IEEE font not embedded if the profile failure mentions missing resources or embedded fonts.
  • Check IEEE template mismatch if the export workflow or source template may be producing noncompliant PDFs.
  • Check IEEE file too large if profile conversion increased file size or changed image handling.
  • Return to the IEEE hub if you need to compare multiple validation failures before resubmitting.

Back to: IEEE Submission Hub