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FIU Digital Project Guidelines and Help Materials

The internal standard operating procedures for FIU Libraries' digital collections

Coverting a word document (.doc, .docx) to PDF

When converting to PDF doesn’t work with Adobe Reader. Try Print as PDF, change the properties setting:

Check compliance with PDF/A-1b

                  -Click: Analyze

Follow the rest of the steps as usual (if it works).

Removing PDF/A info (using Preflight)

Fixing ETDs: PDF -a.pdf

XMP -problem

  • Remove all PDFa info.
  • Under Profile type XMP in the search box
  • Make XMP  compliance with PDF-A-1b

Word Document

  • Find what is causing the problem on the report
  • Start from the PDF. If doesn’t work, go to the original document in the original folder.
  • Check embedded font.
  • Start the process all over again.

When certain characters can not be fixed (due to a space, symbol, or ‘-‘) in a single page or few pages one last resource could be:

  • Print the page(s)
  • Scan
  • Delete (remove the issue)

From Photoshop (after is fixed) Print as PDFa. DO NOT SAVE (in Photoshop PDF)*

  • Remove PDF info
  • Delete page
  • Insert new page
  • MAKE SURE YOU REMOVE PDFa from both: the file (entire document) and single(s) page(s).
  • Go to Acrobat Reader, open the file.
  • Go to Document on the Row Bar, click on Replace Page from original document.
  • Select from folder New Page

Note: This solution is applicable when the problem is related to characters embedded in a graph that are impossible to try isolate-fix them.

When submitted as a fulltext.pdf:

  • Save as a regular PDF
  • Convert to PDFa
  • Make sure you turn off the system font on printer properties.

ETDs submitted as fulltext.pdf that can’t convert in any other way (including music scores)

ETDs submitted as fulltext.pdf that can’t convert in any other way (including music score):

  • Open original pdf  in Acrobat,
  • Save the pdf as Postscript (.ps file)
  • Close the .ps and .pdf file and open the Acrobat Distiller program
  • Use Acrobat distiller to convert the .ps file to pdf-a.pdf
  • After you create the pdfa use the Pre-flight to verified PDF/A-1b compliance.
  • The rest of the steps remain the same.

Note: if you need to insert a page or more using Acrobat, go to Document on the row menu, click on Insert, select pages.

Note:  For music score, double check the original size. When is bigger than letter or legal size can prevent you to do any conversion.