PDF Standards
Not all PDFs are created equal. Depending on your use case — archiving, e-invoicing, printing — different ISO standards exist to guarantee specific properties. TemplateFox lets you generate standard-compliant PDFs via a single API parameter, so you don’t have to worry about the technical details.
What TemplateFox Supports
TemplateFox generates PDFs in PDF/A — the ISO standard for long-term archival and compliance. Three variants are available:
| Variant | Transparency | File Attachments | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF/A-1b | No | No | Legacy systems requiring PDF/A-1 specifically |
| PDF/A-2b | Yes | PDF/A only | Archival, regulatory compliance |
| PDF/A-3b | Yes | Any file type | E-invoicing (Factur-X, ZUGFeRD), archival with attachments |
All three guarantee that fonts are embedded, no external dependencies exist, and the document will render identically on any system — now or decades from now.
Recommendation: use PDF/A-3b unless you have a specific reason not to. It’s the most capable variant and the one required for e-invoicing.
How to Use
Pass the pdf_variant parameter when creating a PDF. No changes to your templates are needed.
curl -X POST https://api.templatefox.com/v1/pdf/create \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"template_id": "HMQywVpZxqAM",
"data": { "invoice_number": "INV-001" },
"pdf_variant": "pdf/a-3b"
}'Accepted values: pdf/a-1b, pdf/a-2b, pdf/a-3b. If omitted, a standard PDF is generated.
When Do You Need PDF/A?
Here are the most common scenarios where PDF/A is required or recommended:
Archival & compliance — Government agencies, financial institutions, and legal departments often require PDF/A for long-term document storage. PDF/A-2b or PDF/A-3b are the standard choices.
E-invoicing (Factur-X / ZUGFeRD) — Factur-X (France) and ZUGFeRD (Germany) are hybrid invoice formats: a PDF/A-3 document with structured XML embedded inside. The invoice is both human-readable and machine-parseable by accounting software. This is becoming mandatory for B2B invoicing across the EU (France from September 2026, Germany from 2027). PDF/A-3b is required.
Regulatory submissions — Many industries (pharma, insurance, public sector) require PDF/A for official document submissions.
If none of these apply to you, a standard PDF (the default) is perfectly fine.
Conformance Levels (a, b, u)
Each PDF/A version defines three conformance levels. TemplateFox generates level b (basic), which is the most widely used and sufficient for the vast majority of use cases.
| Level | What it guarantees |
|---|---|
| b (basic) | Visual appearance is preserved |
| u (unicode) | Basic + all text has Unicode mapping (searchable, extractable) |
| a (accessible) | Unicode + full tagged document structure |
Other PDF Standards
PDF/A is one of several ISO standard families for PDF. Here’s how they compare:
| Standard | What it solves | Who uses it | TemplateFox |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF/A | Long-term archival, compliance | Finance, legal, government, e-invoicing | PDF/A-1b, 2b, 3b |
| PDF/X | Print color accuracy | Print shops, publishers, packaging | Not supported |
| PDF/UA | Accessibility (screen readers) | Government, education, healthcare | Not supported |
| PDF/E | Engineering documents | CAD, aerospace, manufacturing | Not supported |
FAQ
Does PDF/A increase file size?
Slightly. Embedding all fonts adds 10-50% depending on the number of fonts used.
Can I convert an existing PDF to PDF/A?
Converting after the fact is unreliable — missing fonts can’t be recovered. It’s better to generate PDF/A from the source, which is what TemplateFox does.
Do I need to change my template for PDF/A?
No. The same template works for both standard PDF and PDF/A output. Just pass the pdf_variant parameter in your API call.