Skip to main content
danp80169074
danp80169074
Known Participant
October 12, 2023
Question

Convert PDF in PDF/UA

  • October 12, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 2497 views

Hi,

need some help if possible.

I must convert a PDF that I already have (I don't have the source for the PDF) in a PDF/UA. I never made that before, I only generated PDF/UA from InDesign. I tried to do the conversion in Acrobat DC but after doing that (Acrobat/Wizzard/Make Accesible), checking the resulting PDF with PAC 2021 I received A LOT OF ERRORS.

Is there some software to do that, some documentation for how to do this and the steps that must be followed? The PDF has also Footnotes.

Thank you!

Sincerely yours,

Dan pampu

    2 replies

    Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
    Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
    Brainiac
    October 16, 2023

    Unfortunately, there is no software that can evaluate a PDF and make a perfectly tagged, fully accessible version of it. Too much of the accessibility requirements require a human to make a decision. The Tag and Architectural reading orders are 2 items that can't be assessed by software.

     

    You can purchase 3rd party software to retag the PDF or use an online service, but none are reliable because so much depends upon the features in your PDF and how it was construction. Footnotes are one area that are missed.

     

    Remediating, testing, and validating PDFs is not a task for those without the training to do it. If this is something you'll be expected to do regularly, I suggest taking a full class in how to do it.

     

    Some suggestions that can help with your current PDF:

    • Use the AutoTag utility in Acrobat's latest version, so make sure your Acrobat is up to date. The latest versions have improved the AI's ability to tag it correctly.
    • Correct the errors you find in the Tag tree. For reference, you can download this free guide for accessible PDFs from the PDF Association, https://pdfa.org/resource/tagged-pdf-best-practice-guide-syntax/   FYI, the PDF Association creates the PDF/UA ISO standards.
    • Fun Acrobat's accessibility checker, and either manually correct the errors it finds or use its "fix" utility on each error.
    • Afterwards, before running the PDF through PAC, use Acrobat's built-in Preflight tools to correct many of the underlying technical settings that are failing PAC.
    • Then run it through PAC.

     

    Remember, PAC isn't the end-all checker for accessibility. There are some things it "catches" that aren't errors. It takes experience to know what's right and what isn't.

     

    To run Acrobat's Preflight:

    1. Locate Acrobat's Preflight tool panel.
    2. Open the panel. Ensure that PDF Standards is selected from the drop down menu at the top.
    3. Select PDF/UA, select Fix problems in PDF tagging structure, and then the Analyze and Fix button in the lower right.

     

    4. If you want more detailed control over what it analyzes and fixes, then select the blue wrench in the upper right (yellow #4) and it will show an expanded view of the minute details of checking PDFs; however, without training, these might be confusing. 

     

    Hope this helps!

     

    |    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |
      danp80169074
      danp80169074Author
      Known Participant
      October 20, 2023

      Thank you very much for yor answer. I was afraid this is the situation since I find on the Net just generalities on the subject. I suppose it will not be a single project because if I am not wrong starting 2025 PDF-UA will be the norm according to UE. For PDFs generated by us, OK, not a big problem. Problems - like this one - are when our clients do send us an alredy generated PDF, whitout its source, and are asking for a conversion to PDF-UA.


      Sincerely yours,
      Dan Pampu

      Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
      Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
      Brainiac
      October 21, 2023

      If you think testing and remediating PDFs will become part of your job, then I recommend getting trained in making accessible documents and PDFs. That's a full class (not a quick conference presentation or online video) in various methods of examining, testing, remediating, and validating different types of PDFs. You should also learn how to use various tools to do this, too.

       

      Looks like with the upcoming new EU requirements, it would be worthwhile for your career!  Here in the states, PDF/UA has been required for our documents for a few years now.

       

      |    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |
      Abambo
      Abambo
      Community Expert
      October 16, 2023

      May be that @maxwithdax can help here?

      ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer
      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
      Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices