Want Your PDFs to Last Decades? Compress and Archive in n8n. One Workflow Does It All!

Regular PDFs can age poorly. Fonts go missing, colors shift, links break. PDF/A (ISO 19005) fixes that: fonts, images, and color profiles are embedded so documents stay readable for decades. In n8n, you can automate the full chain: get a PDF (Dropbox Download a file, Read/Write Files from Disk, or—for a quick test—When clicking ‘Execute workflow’ with Base64 in Compress PDF), run Compress PDF, then Create PDF/A. Add Upload a file when you want the PDF/A back in cloud storage.

Why Compress First, Then Create PDF/A?​

Compressing shrinks the file before archiving—smaller files transfer and store faster. Create PDF/A embeds fonts, removes external dependencies, and locks the document for long-term preservation. Together they give you a compact, standards-compliant archive. If you prefer to skip compression, pass the PDF binary from your download or trigger straight into Create PDF/A.

Complete workflow overview​

Canvas: manual trigger → Compress PDF → Create PDF/A. Green checkmarks show a successful test run; swap the trigger for Dropbox or another app when you go to production.

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What You'll Get​

Input: A regular PDF (e.g. Sample PDF.pdf) in a Dropbox folder or from another trigger. Output: An archival PDF/A file—ready for compliance, audits, or long-term archives. Add an Upload node to save it to cloud storage.

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What You Need​

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The Workflow: Core Nodes (Plus Optional Upload)​

1. Trigger — When clicking ‘Execute workflow’ (screenshots below), or Dropbox – Download a file / When a file is created for production.
2. Compress PDF (PDF4me, resource Optimize Compress) — Shrinks the PDF before archiving.
3. Create PDF/A (PDF4me, resource Convert, operation Create PDF/A) — Produces an archival-compliant file.
4. (Optional) Upload a file (Dropbox, etc.) — Saves the PDF/A to an output folder.

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Step 1: Trigger and get PDF bytes​

Workflow so far: Trigger only (and any node that supplies the PDF).

1. For a quick test (matches the overview screenshot), add When clicking ‘Execute workflow’ and, in Compress PDF, use Input Data Type: Base64 String and paste or map Base64 PDF Content (as in step 2).
2. For Dropbox, add Download a file with File Path e.g. /Blog Data/PDFA/Sample PDF.pdf, or map the path from When a file is created. Then use Input Data Type: Binary Data in Compress PDF and map the binary field (often data) from the download node.
3. Execute the chain up to Compress PDF to confirm the PDF reaches PDF4me.

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Step 2: Compress PDF​

Workflow so far: Trigger → Compress PDF.

1. Add PDF4me → Compress PDF (Resource: Optimize Compress, Operation: Compress PDF).
2. Input Data Type — Binary Data if the previous node outputs a file binary; Base64 String if you are testing with encoded content (as in the screenshot).
3. Input Binary Field or Base64 PDF Content — Map from the previous node or paste base64 for a manual test.
4. Output File Name — e.g. compress_PDF_output.pdf.
5. Optimize Profile — Web, Print, Screen, or Default (example uses Web).
6. Async — On or off per your needs (example has it on).
7. Binary Data Output Name — e.g. data so Create PDF/A can read the same property name.
8. Connect your PDF4me credential and Execute step. On success, the OUTPUT panel shows the compressed PDF binary (e.g. compress_PDF_output.pdf, ~62.9 kB in the reference run).

Compress PDF: parameters and successful output​

Left: credential, Resource Optimize Compress, profile Web, binary output name data. Right: OUTPUT → Binary with the compressed file ready for Create PDF/A.

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Step 3: Create PDF/A​

Workflow so far: Trigger → Compress PDF → Create PDF/A.

1. Add PDF4me → set Resource to Convert and Convert Operations to Create PDF/A.
2. Input Data Type — Binary Data.
3. Input Binary Field — data (or the same name you set as Binary Data Output Name on Compress PDF).
4. Output File Name — e.g. converted_pdfa.pdf.
5. Binary Output Property Name — e.g. data.
6. Document Name — e.g. document.pdf (metadata reference).
7. PDF/A Compliance — e.g. PDF/A-1b (Level B Basic).
8. Under Advanced, set Allow Upgrade / Allow Downgrade and optional Custom Profiles as needed (example shows Allow Upgrade on).
9. Connect your PDF4me credential and execute.

Create PDF/A: input from Compress PDF (Binary tab)​

Open the Create PDF/A node and check INPUT → Binary: the item should show the file coming from Compress PDF (e.g. compress_PDF_output.pdf).

Input dropdown set to Compress PDF, Binary tab: confirms the compressed PDF is wired into Create PDF/A.

Create PDF/A: parameters​

Parameters tab: Resource Convert, operation Create PDF/A, binary field data, output converted_pdfa.pdf, compliance PDF/A-1b.

Create PDF/A: output binary​

Successful run: OUTPUT → Binary shows converted_pdfa.pdf (e.g. ~62 kB). Use Download to inspect locally or pass data to an Upload node.

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Who Uses "Compress Then Archive"? Real-World Examples​

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Quick Reference: Key Settings​

For full parameter details, see Compress PDF — n8n and Create PDF/A — n8n.

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Troubleshooting​

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What's Next?​

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