Viewing and Editing PDF/A Archives

Revu can open, edit, and verify PDF/A archives. Revu can also create PDF/A archives; for information see Creating PDF/A Archives.

ClosedIdentifying a PDF/A Document

Revu shows that a document is a PDF/A archive in the following locations:

ClosedOn the Document Tab

The document tab shows an icon to the left of the document name. Click the icon to reveal a context menu that allows you to verify or unlock the file (if it is currently locked).

ClosedOn the Properties Tab

The Standards section of the Properties tab shows the PDF/A icon, the format of the PDF document, and if the file is locked or unlocked for editing.

Click the icon to open the PDF/A dialog box. If the PDF/A file is locked, click Unlock to unlock the file for editing (if it is not currently locked, the Unlock button does not appear).

ClosedOn the Navigation Bar

If the PDF/A file is currently locked, the Security icon in the Navigation bar changes to the PDF/A icon.

Click the icon to open the Document Properties dialog box to the Security tab. Click Unlock to unlock the file for editing.

If the PDF/A file is not currently locked, the Security icon is not changed.

ClosedVerifying a PDF/A Document

Verify checks the document and reports on its PDF/A-1b compliance without changing or saving the file. This allows you to see what changes will be required to convert the document to PDF/A-1b.

Some PDF editors are not PDF/A aware and might allow a PDF to be changed and saved – resulting in a PDF that reports it is PDF/A, but is not actually compliant. Verify ensures you that your document is PDF/A-1b compliant.

To verify any PDF or PDF/A file:

  1. Go to Document > Process > PDF/A. The PDF/A dialog box appears.

    • Alternatively, click the icon on the document tab and select Verify from the menu that appears.

  2. Click Verify. Revu checks the document for PDF/A compliance and returns a report.
ClosedUnlocking a PDF/A Archive for Editing

Because PDF/A is a long term archival format. Revu opens the these files as locked for editing by default (this can be changed in the PDF/A Preferences if desired). This safety measure is meant to prevent accidental changes to the document that might invalidate the PDF/A compliancy.

Locked PDF archives can be unlocked, enabling them to be edited. They will be saved as normal PDFs, however, not as PDF/A. You will need to convert them to PDF/A again if you wish to archive them again. See Creating a PDF/A-1b Archive.

While the file is locked for editing, the command buttons and tools that will change the PDF are dimmed/unavailable.

There are several ways to unlock a PDF/A file:

As soon as the file is unlocked, the Properties tab will report that the PDF is "unlocked for editing" and the command buttons and tools will become active so you can edit or mark up the PDF.

Revu can be configured to automatically open PDF/A files unlocked in PDF/A Preferences.

Related topics

PDF/A

Exporting Documents

PDF/A Preferences