Best PDF settings from Illustrator for Accessibility

[MapgirlAJ1]

Hi,

I create map publications for print in Illustrator and have copies of these maps online. Each of my maps have a map side and a text side. I don't use InDesign for layout, since I can have two artboards in Illustrator and there is no point in having two files for every map (I deal with over 400 maps!)

All of our maps have to be accessible. The map side is considered to be complex enough to be a "graphic" which I export as a JPG and import as an image with alt text into the PDF but some of my elements on the text side disappear after tagging. I have tried moving them up in the content panel to no avail. Overprinting is not checked in the graphics in Illustrator when I save the PDF. Is there some setting in Illustrator when I export the text side as a PDF that I can save it as to prevent some of this from happening in the first place? There are so many options to choose from and I don't know how they all affect accessibility in the end.

Cheers!

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

You really might want to consider using InDesign. It's prepared for accessibilty. Illustrator is not.

If you want to change that, please use:

https://illustrator.uservoice.com

Maybe report the missing words and letters as a bug.

[MapgirlAJ1]

Sigh...yes. I have heard that before...it just seems asinine to me to have two files for over 400 two page documents when all the bells and whistles I need for accessibility are already in Illustrator (paragraph and character styles, etc.) I will submit as a suggestion. Accessibility for everyone is important to me, just wish it were easier. Thanks.

[JonathanArias]

I disagree with you. Paragraph and character styles are way better in Adobe indesign.

There is a reason why there are different programs, illustrator is for you vector illustrations and indesign is for layout. You will always find yourself fighting these "missing" capabilities since they are not meant for that program.

Start placing your vector art in adobe indesign, layout your text, and add what you want from adobe indesign. You package the files and it's all clean and organize.

you can have artboards on adobe indesign too, they are called pages. you can keep your illustrator file with art boards and in the import options setting place each art board in a different page, when you package, it will keep the one file you have now.

i know this all sound like extra work or redundancy. i rather like that illustrator is limited, otherwise you will have people try to layout books in illustrator 

[MapgirlAJ1]

Thank you, Jonathan.

Having worked extensively in both InDesign and Illustrator for varied projects for many years (even since FreeHand and PageMaker), I understand both the pros and limitations of both programs. Right now, everything works well coming out of Illustrator into an accessible PDF, carrying those paragraph and character styles through, minus a few text boxes disappearing when the document is tagged.

From further research on the topic, I am seeing this on other forums that this is something that is happening in many PDFs, even from InDesign. So, it appears to be an Acrobat issue and not one coming from the native program.

I agree, it would be ridiculous for people to layout actual books in Illustrator. My point is that these are two page documents, one page is a graphic, the other is a text side with blocks of informational text. It seems silly to have 2 files when one program does it all, with the exception of a few text boxes disappearing, which by all accounts sounds like an Acrobat issue.