> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vortexpdf.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Output format

> Choose between standard PDF and PDF/A formats for different compliance and archiving needs

The `output_format` parameter allows you to specify which PDF format variant to generate.

## Overview

When rendering a PDF, you can choose between standard PDF and PDF/A format. The `output_format` parameter lets you specify which format to use based on your compliance and archiving requirements.

## Parameter details

<ResponseField name="output_format" type="enum<string>" default="pdf/a">
  Specifies which PDF format variant to generate

  Available options: `pdf/a`, `pdf`
</ResponseField>

## Usage

```javascript theme={null}
{
  "parts": "https://example.com",
  "output_format": "pdf/a" // or "pdf"
}
```

## Behavior

* **`pdf/a`**: Generates a PDF/A-2b compliant document, which is optimized for long-term archiving and ensures the document can be reliably reproduced in the future.
* **`pdf`**: Generates a standard PDF document without the additional constraints of the PDF/A format.

## Use cases

This parameter is particularly useful for:

1. **Regulatory compliance**: Use `pdf/a` when you need to comply with archiving regulations or standards that require PDF/A format.

2. **Long-term archiving**: Use `pdf/a` for documents that need to be stored for extended periods and must remain accessible and reproducible.

3. **Optimized file size**: Use `pdf/a` when you need smaller file sizes, as the PDF/A format typically results in more compact documents.

4. **Lossless quality**: Use `pdf` when you need to preserve the highest possible quality of images and graphics without any compression artifacts that might be introduced in the PDF/A format.

## Example

### Creating an archival-quality document

```javascript theme={null}
fetch("https://vortexpdf.com/api/v1/renderers/pdf", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    parts: "https://example.com",
    output_format: "pdf/a",
  }),
})
```

### Creating a standard PDF document

```javascript theme={null}
fetch("https://vortexpdf.com/api/v1/renderers/pdf", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    parts: "https://example.com",
    output_format: "pdf",
  }),
})
```