Skip to main content
pbaliski13
pbaliski13
Participant
October 15, 2019
Question

Alt Tags in InDesign not being read by Acrobat Accessibility

  • October 15, 2019
  • 3 replies
  • 3561 views

I have an InDesign document that needs to be saved as a PDF that is ADA compliant.  There are multiple pie charts that have been created in Illustrator and placed into the document.  I have gone through the process in Indesign of putting the alt text into the Object Export Options so that I don't have to do it in Acrobat.  However, when I run accessibility in Acrobat the images are not tagged.  Am I missing something?  

Everything I have read has indicated that this can be done.  

I am on a Mac running Mojave (10.14.6) and InDesign 14.0.3.

    3 replies

    Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
    Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
    Legend
    October 16, 2019

    pbaliski13 wrote: "All of the images are tagged from structure (nothing was set to artifact.)"

     

    When  you say "tagged from structure," are you using Structure and Tags panels to tag your content? If so, those panels are for XML tags, not PDF/UA accessibility tags.

     

    Tags are set in your paragraph styles:

     

    pbaliski13 wrote: "I have the alt text and the tagged pdf set with the same copy."

    I'm having difficulty trying to understand what you mean by this. Can you give us more details?

    |    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |
    pbaliski13
    pbaliski13Author
    Participant
    October 16, 2019

    When I select an image box in my document and go to “Object Image Options”, under the alt text tab I have “Alt Text Source: Custom and then my copy in the field for the image.

     
    Also under the “Tagged PDF” tab have “Apply Tag: From Structure” “Actual Text Source: Custom” and then my copy in the field for the image.
     
    I am not sure if I should have both of them filled out.
     
    If I check the pdf at this point, the reading order tool shows the images as <figures> with the alt text. But shows all other copy as <span>.
     
    If I then take the pdf and run it through “Make Accessible” I get a message that acrobat will detect all figures and display any with missing alternate text. It tells me there are no figures with missing alternate text, but when I check it in Reading Order the images (pie charts) are not <figures>  they have no tags on them at a all.
    Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
    Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
    Legend
    October 15, 2019

    pbaliski13 wrote: "when I run accessibility in Acrobat the images are not tagged."

     

    Just confirming: when you view the Tags panel, the graphics are not tagged with the <Figure> tag? If that's the case, then they are being artifacted.

     

    Here are some things that can cause this to happen:

    • Anything placed on a Master Page is automatically artifacted.
    • A graphic anchored into a paragraph of text will be artifacted IF the paragraph of text itself is artifacted.
    • The graphic itself or its frame was set to be artifacted in Object Export Options.

    • Sometimes when graphics are copied/pasted into the layout rather than with the File / Place command and an actual AI, EPS, PNG, PDF, TIF, JPG, etc. file is placed into the layout.
    • Graphics are placed on hidden layers or set to not print in the layers panel.
    • The PDF wasn't made correctly. Be sure to use File / Export / PDF (Interactive) and check the options for tagged PDF and tab order.

     

    |&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bevi Chagnon &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;Designer, Trainer, &amp; Technologist for Accessible Documents ||&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;PubCom |&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Classes &amp; Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs &amp; MS Office |
      pbaliski13
      pbaliski13Author
      Participant
      October 15, 2019

      All of my images are Illustrator eps files placed in image boxes, so there are no cut and paste issues. All of the images are tagged from structure (nothing was set to artifact.)  I have the alt text and the tagged pdf set with the same copy.

       

      I didn't realize there was an interactive pdf setting, so I exported to interactive pdf with the boxes checked that you indicated.  When I ran the pdf through accessibility the images are not showing in the reading order as figures.  They have no structure attached to them at all.

       

      I have other pages with the same type of pie chart images that for some reason are being read as figures, and some pages that have multiple separate  images boxes that for some reason are being grouped together as one figure (also with no alt tag showing)

       

      pbaliski13
      pbaliski13Author
      Participant
      October 15, 2019
      I just noticed that if I right click the image box there is a "Tag Frame" selection in the drop down, where it allows me to indicate the frame is an image or "root". I selected image for each one on a page of charts and this seems to have solved the issue.
      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
      Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices