How to Ensure Full Font Embedding and PDF/A-3 Compliance When Converting PCL to PDF

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Introduction

When converting PCL files to PDF format, ensuring full compliance with long-term archiving standards such as PDF/A-3 (especially for use cases like ZUGFeRD electronic invoicing) is essential. A key requirement of the PDF/A family is font embedding, which ensures that documents can be reliably viewed and reproduced in the future—regardless of the platform or software used.

This article addresses a common question from enterprise customers:

Why are some fonts like Arial or Calibri not embedded in the output PDF, and how can full PDF/A-3 compliance be achieved using VeryPDF tools?

We'll walk through the technical background, explain the differences between PDF/A levels, and offer practical solutions using VeryPDF software.

Why Font Embedding Matters in PDF/A

According to the PDF/A standard (ISO 19005), all fonts used in a document must be embedded. This rule ensures:

  • The document’s visual appearance remains identical on any system.
  • Future viewing software can render text correctly, even if the original fonts are no longer available.
  • Unicode and accessibility features are preserved (in certain PDF/A levels).

Missing font embedding can cause your document to be rejected in workflows that require strict PDF/A validation—such as ZUGFeRD in Germany or similar e-invoicing regulations across the EU.

How to Ensure Full Font Embedding and PDF/A-3 Compliance When Converting PCL to PDF

Common Scenario: Fonts Not Embedded from PCL

When using the VeryPDF PCL to PDF Converter, fonts are embedded by default—but only non-system fonts. System fonts like Arial or Calibri, which are typically installed on Windows machines, may not be embedded to reduce file size or under the assumption that the viewer has those fonts.

However, this breaks PDF/A compliance, since system availability cannot be assumed in the long term.

Ensuring Full Font Embedding and PDF/A-3 Compliance

To guarantee that all fonts (including Arial, Calibri, etc.) are embedded and that the PDF file is compliant with PDF/A-3 (or ZUGFeRD), we recommend a two-step approach:

Step 1: Convert PCL to PDF Normally

Use the VeryPDF PCL to PDF Converter to generate an initial PDF: 

pcltool.exe input.pcl output.pdf

This creates a visually accurate PDF but may lack full font embedding and PDF/A compliance.

Step 2: Convert PDF to PDF/A-3 with Full Compliance

Use the VeryDOC PDF to PDF/A Converter Command Line tool to post-process the generated PDF into a fully compliant PDF/A-3 version:

Download:
https://www.verydoc.com/pdf-to-pdfa.html

Command Syntax Example:

pdf2pdfa.exe -mode 3 -pdfcompliance PDFA3b input.pdf output_pdfa3b.pdf

You may also specify PDFA3u or PDFA3a if your use case requires Unicode text mapping or accessibility features.

Understanding PDF/A Compliance Levels

There are several levels of PDF/A compliance. Choosing the right one depends on your needs (e.g., long-term storage, machine readability, accessibility, or hybrid archiving with attachments).

PDF/A-1 (Based on PDF 1.4)

  • PDFA1b: Ensures visual reproducibility. Fonts must be embedded. No transparency, no attachments.
  • PDFA1a: Adds accessibility, logical reading order, and Unicode.

PDF/A-2 (Based on PDF 1.7)

  • PDFA2b: Like 1b but supports newer features such as transparency, layers, JPEG2000, and embedding PDF/A files.
  • PDFA2u: Adds Unicode text requirements for improved text extraction.
  • PDFA2a: Full accessibility + Unicode + all 2b features.

PDF/A-3 (Based on PDF 1.7)

  • PDFA3b: Same as 2b, but allows embedding of any file type (e.g., XML, CSV, Excel).
  • PDFA3u: 3b + Unicode mapping for all text.
  • PDFA3a: 3u + full accessibility and tagging.
Compliance Fonts Embedded Transparency File Attachments Unicode Accessibility
PDFA1b ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No ❌ No ❌ No
PDFA1a ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
PDFA2b ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No ❌ No
PDFA2u ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No ✅ Yes ❌ No
PDFA2a ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
PDFA3b ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No
PDFA3u ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
PDFA3a ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes

Special Note on ZUGFeRD

ZUGFeRD (Zentraler User Guide des Forums elektronische Rechnung Deutschland) is a PDF/A-3-based standard for electronic invoicing in Germany. It requires:

  • PDF/A-3b or higher
  • Embedded machine-readable XML file (as an attachment)
  • Fully embedded fonts
  • Metadata fields and proper structure

Using pdf2pdfa.exe with -pdfcompliance PDFA3b meets these conditions.

Conclusion

While VeryPDF’s PCL to PDF tool is robust for initial conversions, it does not embed system fonts like Arial or Calibri by default. For full PDF/A-3 and ZUGFeRD compliance:

  • ✅ Use VeryDOC PDF to PDF/A Converter with the PDFA3* options.
  • ✅ Ensure all fonts are embedded.
  • ✅ Choose the compliance level (b, u, a) based on whether you need Unicode, accessibility, or attachments.

Resources

If you have questions or need assistance with compliance validation, feel free to contact our support team at support@verypdf.com. We’re happy to help.

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