Converting a document from DOCX to PDF/UA format

Convert Word documents to PDF/UA when you need fixed output and accessibility compliance. PDF/UA (ISO 14289) defines requirements for accessible PDF files, including support for assistive technologies such as screen readers.

This workflow helps you:

  • Preserve document layout and styling
  • Avoid formatting differences across viewers
  • Generate accessible output for compliance use cases
  • Keep document conversion inside your app
Download sample

Use the Java SDK for conversion

Use the Java SDK to convert DOCX files to PDF/UA directly in your document workflow.

Preparing the project

Define a package and create a class for this conversion flow:

package io.nutrient.Sample;

Import Nutrient Java SDK classes. Prefer explicit imports for the classes you use:

import io.nutrient.sdk.Document;
import io.nutrient.sdk.editors.WordEditor;
import io.nutrient.sdk.enums.PdfConformance;
import io.nutrient.sdk.exceptions.NutrientException;
import io.nutrient.sdk.settings.PdfSettings;


import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Path;


public class WordDocumentToPDFUA {

Create a main method and declare NutrientException:

    public static void main(String[] args) throws NutrientException {

Then add the SDK-specific conversion logic.

Proceeding with the conversion

This guide uses the Document class. Initialize it with a try-with-resources statement(opens in a new tab) to close resources correctly.

Open source files by file path or stream. This example uses a file path:

        try (Document document = Document.open("input.docx")) {
            // Configure PDF settings for PDF/UA conformance.
            PdfSettings pdfSettings = document.getSettings().getPdfSettings();
            pdfSettings.setConformance(PdfConformance.PDF_UA_1);

After loading the file, set PDF conformance to PDF_UA_1, and then call SDK methods on the document instance. For the full API surface, refer to the API reference.

Export the document as PDF/UA. Write to a file path or stream. This example writes output.pdf to the working directory:

            document.exportAsPdf("output.pdf");
        }
    }
}

You now have a PDF/UA-compliant file.

Error handling

The SDK throws NutrientException when conversion fails. Handle this exception in your app for custom logging, retries, or fallback logic.

Conclusion

You now have a complete DOCX-to-PDF/UA conversion flow in Java. Download the sample package to run this example as-is.