pdfDocs offers four quick and easy ways to create PDFs ready for e-filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

1. Use the DocsCorp PDF Printer (recommended)
2. Save or export to PDF/A
3. Print as an image
4. Use the Flatten tool

1. Use the DocsCorp PDF Printer

Using the DocsCorp PDF Printer is the most efficient way to create USPTO-ready PDF files. It behaves like any other printer, showing in your Devices and Printers window, as well as a Printer option in pdfDocs. It optimizes your PDFs for submission to the USPTO by checking it for font validation, embedded fonts, and paper size.

1. Open your PDF in pdfDocs. Press File > Print to display the Print window with Preview pane

2. From the Printer dropdown, ensure the DocsCorp PDF Printer is selected

3. Under Options, select Optimize for USPTO Patent Standards

4. Press the Print icon, and the document will open as a PDF in Single Document Mode

5. Press File > Save

Your PDFs are now ready for submission to the USPTO. 

2. Save or export to PDF/A

The USPTO PDF Guidelines state that any PDF saved in PDF/A format will meet all their required guidelines. Easy PDF/A creation is available in pdfDocs from either Single Document Mode when working with one PDF at a time, or Organizer Project Mode, when working with several. The latter is especially useful to IP professionals who need to prepare multiple PDFs for one USPTO filing.

For a single PDF:

1. Open the PDF in pdfDocs and go:

a. File > Export > PDF/A

OR

b. Home > Export to > PDF/A

2. Select PDF/A-1b in the PDF/A Compliance dropdown, as this meets the requirements for a USPTO filing

3. Press Create PDF/A document to finish the process

Your PDF is now ready for submission to the USPTO.

For several PDFs:


1. Create a new Organizer Project via File > New > Organizer

2. Add the relevant documents to the Organizer Project via drag and drop, the import option in your document management system, or the import option in pdfDocs (under Home)

3. In the Navigation pane ensure you select all the document you want to optimize for filing

4. Go Home > Export to > PDF/A

5. The Export window will open. Then:

a. In the Page Range field, confirm the number of documents you want to process

b. From the Pages dropdown, select Individual Documents

c. Press Create PDF/A Document and select the location in which to save the new file

d. Press OK

Your PDFs are now ready for submission to the USPTO.

3. Print as an image

Printing the PDF as an image should be your go-to workflow if your PDF doesn’t validate successfully upon submission to the USPTO. It can be used for problem documents with complicated fonts, or elements that won’t render properly for successful validation. Essentially, this method creates an image-based rendering of the document – which is accepted by the USPTO. Image-based PDFs can be larger in size than text-based PDFs, so double-check the PDF size before you begin.

1. In pdfDocs, go File > Print

2. Under Options in the Print window, select the Print As Image checkbox

3. From the Print DPI dropdown, choose your preferred image resolution

Lower resolutions equal smaller PDF sizes. The USPTO requires a minimum of 300 DPI.

4. Press Print

Your PDF is now ready for submission to the USPTO.

4. Use the Flatten tool

If you annotate (add stamps, text, or drawing objects) a PDF that would otherwise be USPTO-ready, you are adding layers to that PDF. The USPTO Guidelines state all layers must be flattened before validation. Using the Flatten tool in pdfDocs is a quick way to flatten those layers.

1. In pdfDocs, press Edit > Flatten

A message prompts you to confirm you want to continue to flatten the annotations and form fields in the document – as objects cannot be edited once they are flattened.

2. Press Yes to proceed

Your PDF is now ready for submission to the USPTO.

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