PDF/X Compliance Check

Free

Heuristic check whether a PDF meets PDF/X print-production standards. Flags unembedded fonts, missing output intent, no trim box.

What you'll get: a PDF/X compliance verdict — declared version, per-requirement pass/fail, and what we couldn't verify. For another use, try PDF/A Check.

Loading tool…

Stays in your browser

Free tools run fully on-device — nothing is uploaded to a server.

No watermarks

Clean output, no branding, no daily limits.

Free forever

No signup required. Seriously.

Why people check PDF/X compliance

PDF/X is the print-production standard. Print shops require it. Non-compliant files come back substituted, color-shifted, or rejected entirely.

Print shop submission

Most commercial print shops require PDF/X-1a, X-3, or X-4. Verify before sending — a rejected file means a delayed deadline and re-export work.

Brand / agency QA

Agencies producing customer-facing print collateral. Confirm every PDF is PDF/X compliant before client review or vendor handoff.

Re-export verification

InDesign, QuarkXPress, Affinity all export PDF/X — but settings matter. Confirm the output actually has the markers, embedded fonts, and output intent the standard requires.

Magazine / book production

Editorial workflows where every issue must meet PDF/X for the printer. Audit before deadline so issues don't surface at the final stage.

Spec compliance

Vendors specifying PDF/X-4 (with transparency) for modern print, or PDF/X-1a (no transparency) for legacy presses. Confirm the right version.

How PDF/X Check works

Three steps, no signup, no uploads.

STEP 1
Drop your PDF
Up to 100 MB. Byte parser reads XMP / trailer markers + composite checks (fonts, output intent, trim/bleed boxes).
STEP 2
Click Check PDF/X compliance
We surface the declared version (PDF/X-1a, X-3, X-4 or none) plus per-requirement pass/fail.
STEP 3
Review findings
Headline verdict + itemized checks. Failures include guidance — typically: embed all fonts, declare an Output Intent ICC profile, define TrimBox on every page.

What makes pdfcraft ai different

Same engine Chrome uses
PDFium is Google's PDF engine — the one that powers Chrome's built-in PDF viewer. We compile it to WebAssembly so it runs in your browser at near-native speed.
100% local processing
Most free PDF tools upload your file to a server, process it, and stream the result back. We don't. Your file lives in your browser tab and never touches our infrastructure. Verifiable in your browser's Network panel.
No watermark, no signup, no daily limit
Convert 1 PDF or 1,000. We don't gate on volume because there's nothing to gate on — the engine runs on your machine.
Honest about limitations
When something the tool can't do (encrypted PDFs, cross-reference streams), we tell you clearly instead of failing silently. Same for partial results: sampled vs exact, embedded vs not.
Open standards, free engines
PDFium is BSD/Apache licensed (free for any use). We don't pay vendor license fees and pass that savings on to you (and to ourselves) as a free, ad-supported tool with no upgrade-to-pro pressure.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a substitute for a real PDF/X validator?

No — heuristic only. Adobe Acrobat's Preflight or callas pdfaPilot run hundreds of additional checks (transparency rules per version, color-space restrictions, separation handling). We surface the major signals to give you a fast triage. For authoritative validation, run Preflight before sending to print.

Which version should I use?

PDF/X-1a (2001/2003) is legacy CMYK-only — wide press support but no transparency. PDF/X-3 added device-independent color (RGB+ICC). PDF/X-4 (2010) added transparency and is the modern default for most digital printing. Ask your print shop which they require — many spec PDF/X-4 today.

My PDF fails 'Output intent declared' — what's that?

PDF/X requires you to declare the target print conditions (paper, ink, press) via an ICC profile. Common ones: 'Coated FOGRA39' for European coated press, 'GRACoL 2013' for North American coated. Set it during PDF export or via Acrobat Pro's Output Preview.

Why does my PDF need a trim box?

PDF/X requires every page to have a /TrimBox or /ArtBox defining the final trimmed page edge — separate from the bleed area. Without it, the print shop doesn't know where to cut. Most print-prep apps set this automatically when 'PDF/X' export is selected.

Is anything uploaded?

No. Pure byte-stream parsing in your browser.

For archives instead of print?

PDF/A Compliance Check is the archive-standard counterpart — verifies fonts, no encryption, no JS, and the other PDF/A requirements.

Try PDF/A Check

Related PDF tools

Other tools in the Inspect category — built on the same private, in-browser pipeline.

PDF InspectorFree

See everything inside a PDF — pages, dimensions, word count, reading time + mixed-size warnings. Free, in-browser.

Visual DiffFree

Pixel-level visual diff between two PDFs — output a comparison PDF with red highlighting on regions that differ + per-page diff percentage. Pairs with AI Compare for content-level diffs.

Search in PDFFree

Find any word or phrase across every page of a PDF. Case-sensitive and whole-word options, with surrounding context. Free, in-browser.

PDF Outline ViewerFree

View the bookmark / table-of-contents tree of any PDF, with page references. Useful for previewing long docs before reading. Free, in-browser.

PDF Form InspectorFree

List every AcroForm field in a PDF — name, type, value, required/read-only flags. Export as CSV or JSON. Free, in-browser.

PDF Attachments ListerFree

List every embedded file in a PDF — filename, description, MIME type, size. Useful for compliance audits and security review. Free, in-browser.