Formate eVo NOW supports PDF/A
Formate eVo - Working Smart with PDF/A Documents
Business documents are among an organisation's most valuable assets. Whether it's an invoice, contract, engineering drawing or employee record, many documents need to remain accurate, accessible and legally compliant for years – sometimes decades.
That's why Formate eVo now supports the creation of PDF/A documents, giving organisations a reliable way to preserve critical business information for the long term.
Transforming Business Documents with Formate eVo
Formate eVo gives organisations complete control over their business documents and data, regardless of the ERP or business system they use.
From invoices and purchase orders to shipping manifests, tickets, Excel spreadsheets, PDF documents and barcode labels, Formate eVo transforms raw business data into professional, branded, customer-ready documents.
It can also generate structured data formats such as JSON, XML, EDI, CSV and ZIP, making it easy to automate workflows, exchange information with customers and suppliers, and integrate with other business systems.
Why Long-Term Document Preservation Matters
Storing electronic documents for the long term presents several challenges.
Storage media and technology evolve rapidly. Few people today can play a VHS cassette or read data from an old floppy disk, and the same principle applies to digital documents. Even if the file survives, there's no guarantee that future software will display it exactly as it was originally created.
For organisations operating in regulated industries, preserving the integrity and authenticity of documents isn't simply good practice, it's often a legal requirement.
This is where PDF/A provides the solution.
What is PDF/A?
PDF/A is an ISO-standardised version of the Portable Document Format (ISO 19005) designed specifically for long-term archiving and preservation.
Unlike a standard PDF, a PDF/A document is completely self-contained. Everything required to display the document correctly is embedded within the file; this includes fonts, colour profiles and other resources. Features that could compromise long-term accessibility, such as external font links and encryption, are excluded.
The result is a document that can be viewed consistently for many years, regardless of future software or hardware changes.
Benefits of PDF/A
Using PDF/A offers several important advantages:
Long-term readability – All required resources are embedded within the document.
Consistent appearance – Documents display exactly as intended across different devices and software.
International standard – PDF/A complies with ISO 19005, making it widely accepted for archival purposes.
Supports regulatory compliance – Ideal for organisations required to retain documents for 7, 10, 30 years or more.
Future-proof archiving – Reduces dependence on specific software versions or technologies.
Typical Documents Suitable for PDF/A
PDF/A is ideal whenever documents must remain accessible and unaltered over long retention periods.
Typical examples include:
Financial records including invoices, statements and audit reports
Legal documents such as contracts, deeds and wills
Engineering documentation including technical manuals, inspection reports and certifications
Healthcare records such as patient files, consent forms and clinical documentation
Human Resources documents including employment contracts, payroll records and pension information
Introducing PDF/A-3
In addition to standard PDF/A support, Formate eVo also supports PDF/A-3.
PDF/A-3 extends the archival standard by allowing any file type to be embedded within the PDF while maintaining full PDF/A compliance.
This means a single archive document can contain both a human-readable PDF and the original machine-readable source files.
Examples of embedded files include:
XML
CSV
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Word
CAD drawings
Images
ZIP archives
JSON files
This creates a complete archive package that preserves both the document and its supporting data.
Real-World Applications of PDF/A-3
Real world applications of the PDF/A format include:
Electronic Invoicing
PDF/A-3 is widely used by modern electronic invoicing standards such as ZUGFeRD in Germany and Factur-X in France.
The PDF provides a readable invoice for people, while an embedded XML file contains structured invoice data that finance and ERP systems can process automatically.
Financial Reporting
A single PDF/A-3 document can contain:
A professionally formatted financial report
The original Excel workbook
Supporting XML or CSV data
Everything required for future reference is stored together in one secure archive.
Engineering Documentation
Engineering organisations can archive:
Approved drawings
Original CAD files
Inspection reports
Product certifications
Supporting documentation
Keeping every related file together simplifies compliance, auditing and future retrieval.
Formate eVo Makes Long-Term Archiving Easy
Whether you're producing invoices, contracts, reports, labels or engineering documentation, Formate eVo captures data from virtually any source and automatically creates the output formats your business requires.
With support for both PDF/A and PDF/A-3, organisations can build reliable, compliant archive documents that preserve not only the final document but also the supporting data behind it.
Whatever your document retention or preservation policy, Formate eVo provides the flexibility to create future-proof archive records that remain accessible for years to come.
Find Out More
If you'd like to learn more about Formate eVo's PDF/A capabilities or discuss your document archiving requirements, our technical team will be happy to help. Contact Document Genetics to discover how Formate eVo can simplify long-term document preservation while integrating seamlessly with your existing business systems.
