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Thanks. Your post surprised me, I didn't think Distiller could possibly make PDF/A-1a. It doesn't: it offers a choice of two PDF/A-1b. Distiller can't make any PDF/A-2 standards or later because Distiller cannot handle the transparency used in those standards.
The thing about PDF/A-...a versions is this isn't just a badge to be added to a file. The -b versions can be converted simply from many files, but the -a versions must be tagged for accessibility. Tagging for accessibility can take months of work for a large file, and automating it would go against the aims of accessibility. (Some tools will do a basic job of automatic tagging, which then needs a detailed review, word by word, graphic by graphic).
You note that Acrobat will only convert to PDF/A-1b and PDF/A-2b. But that's not what I see. (See screen shot below). But there is a big catch; Acrobat doesn't automatically add useless tags and say the job is done (don't trust any app that does that!), it will only convert a PDF that is already tagged to PDF/A-2a or PDF/A-3a.
So, tagging. The best way is to set up tagging structures in the originating document (Word, InDesign, FrameMaker...) which should greatly reduce the tagging overhead. What is your original document?
Thank you very much. That was a lot of valuable information for me. My source document is MS Word with a quite clear document structure.
I tried a little: Save as ... including tags and the prefligt of Acrobat I get a valid PDF-A/2a document.
With PDFMaker and the right settings, I get a valid document directly.
Many thanks again
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