Acrobat Chapter 4: After Converting to Tagged PDF

Owned by Daniel LaGrow, created
Last updated: Dec 06, 2024
13 min read

 Instructions

Section 4.1: The Acrobat Pro Interface

Acrobat recently went through a large update, so the software interface has changed compared to previous versions. The Acrobat Pro workspace includes the Navigation Pane (left), the Document Pane (center), and the Tasks Pane (right), which you will use during your work.

The Acrobat Pro Interface with the Task Pane on the left, the Document Pane in the center, and the Navigation Pane on the right.

The Navigation Pane

The Navigation Pane contains several sub-panes. If a specific pane isn’t visible, you can display it by right clicking on the Navigation Pane. An expansion menu will appear with several items to choose from. A checkmark indicates that that pane is visible in the Navigation Pane. When you click on a new sub-pane, it will appear in the Navigation Pane. The 3 most important panes (relevant to accessibility) in the Navigation Pane are Content, Order, and Tags.

The icons for the Content Pane (top), Order Pane (Middle), and Tags Pane (Bottom) are surrounded by a black box with arrows pointing to each pane.

  • The Content Pane is used to address reflow issues that cannot be resolved with the Reading Order Tool. It allows you to adjust the stacking order of visual elements in Reflow View. These concepts will be explained further below and in later sections of the course.

  • The Order Pane specifies the sequence in which content appears in Reflow View.

  • The Tags Pane enables you to create, edit, and review the document’s tags.

The Document Pane

The Document Pane is the main area in which the document is displayed. You can select text in this pane in order to tag it, or to highlight an object that was previously tagged in order to visualize it.

The Task Pane

In the Tasks Pane, we’re interested in the Prepare for Accessibility section, which includes many tools such as the Fix Reading Order and the Check for Accessibility to identify accessibility issues.

Reflow View

When zooming in on content, the fixed visual layout of PDF documents can make reading difficult, as users often need to scroll horizontally across the full width of the document in addition to scrolling vertically. The text reflow option addresses this by allowing users to magnify text within the limits of the viewport, reducing the need for side-to-side scrolling. Reflow view is significantly more convenient and easier to read, especially at high magnification levels (Acrobat supports zooming up to 6400%).

Before enabling content reflow, the original document’s layout remains fixed, which can pose challenges for users who need to zoom in.

To activate text reflow,

  1. Go to the bottom right corner of the screen and click on the Display the Page at 100% Magnification.

  2. In the expansion menu, click More at the bottom to show the full list of options.

  3. Click on Reflow at the bottom of the expansion menu.

  4. After activating reflow, the document shows as a single column: Although it may not look great when viewed at full width, the real advantage of displaying text in a single column is that it improves the experience when zoomed in, because it eliminates side to side scrolling.

Section 4.2: Tools Used to Review/Assess PDFs

Automated

Once you’ve made your PDF accessible, it’s important to test it to ensure your changes were effective.

Automated testing is a useful first step. There are several tools available, both built into Acrobat and from third-party providers. Acrobat includes the Accessibility Checker, while a popular third-party option is the PDF Accessibility Checker 2021 (PAC 2021). Additionally, Deque Systems offers axe Monitor, which can scan entire websites as well as individual PDF files and pages. These tools run automated checks and generate reports highlighting any issues that may need attention.

However, automated testing is not a substitute for manual testing by a person. To truly confirm a PDF's accessibility, it must be manually tested using a screen reader.

Manual

Manual testing is the best practice for checking accessibility. Automated tools have their limitations; for instance, they cannot determine whether the alt text for an image is accurate or descriptive, or if the correct tags have been applied to each content element.

Assistive Technology

PDF remediation should only be considered complete after several tests with a screen reader. While it's not necessary to use more than one screen reader, it's recommended to test with at least two, as different assistive technologies can behave differently.

The recommended screen readers for testing are:

  • NVDA (Windows) – free

  • JAWS (Windows) – paid

Testing PDF accessibility on a Mac with VoiceOver (the built-in screen reader) or on mobile devices is not ideal. Both VoiceOver and built-in mobile screen readers have more limitations with PDFs. Therefore, using either NVDA or JAWS on Windows is the best approach for comprehensive testing.

Section 4.3: Document Metadata

Document Title

The document title should be the first piece of information read by screen readers when the document is opened. For sighted users, it will appear in the title bar of the document, replacing the file name. Additionally, the document title is the first detail shown in search engine results, making it important for search engine optimization (SEO).

To add a Document Title,

  1. Go to the Menu button and in the dropdown menu, click Document Properties.

  2. In the Document Properties tab, go to the Description tab and type the title in the Title field.

  3. Next, go to the Initial View tab.

  4. Under the Window Options > Show section, select Document Title from the drop-down menu. This will ensure that the document title, rather than the file name, is displayed.

Language

You must define the document's language so that screen readers can read it correctly. Without this, a screen reader will default to its settings, which could lead to incorrect pronunciation. For example, an English document read with French pronunciation rules would sound like nonsense and be unintelligible. Setting the language also ensures that special or foreign characters and scripts are displayed properly in visual browsers.

Additionally, you need to specify the language for sections or parts of the document that are in a different language from the main text. If this isn’t done, a screen reader will read these sections using the main document’s language settings. We’ll cover how to set the language for parts later in the course.

How to Set the Document Language:

  1. Go to the Menu button and in the dropdown menu, click Document Properties.

  2. In the Document Properties pop-up dialog, select the Advanced tab.

  3. In the Reading Options section, select the appropriate Language from the drop-down.

Section 4.4: Accessibility Tools

PAC 2021

The PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC 2021) (formerly PAC 3) is a free, automated tool developed by the Access for All Foundation to test PDF files for accessibility. It is based on the PDF/UA standard, rather than WCAG. As with all automated tools, it is only effective for certain checkpoints, and manual testing is still required. PAC 2021 is designed to be accessible itself and is available in both English and German. It is only compatible with PC.

To use PAC 2021,

  1. Download and open PAC 2021.

  2. Click the upload button.

  3. Select your file and click Open. The program will then run the check.

  4. Examine the generated report and data. If you see any errors, go back into your PDF and fix them until you pass all of the WCAG criteria.

What can you learn from PAC 2021,

  • PDF Report — Allows you to save an accessible PDF of the report.

  • Results in Detail — Displays error type and page number where the error is located.

  • Logical Structure — Displays the Tag Tree showing the logical structure of elements in the document.

  • Screen Reader Preview — Displays an automatically generated preview of the content as it would be read by a screen reader, with color-coded tags (note that this is not an acceptable replacement for manual screen reader testing).

  • Document Statistics — Displays the type and count of elements (for example, 2 instances of Heading Level 2).

Acrobat Pro DC Full Check

Within Acrobat Pro DC, you can find an automated accessibility checker tool called Full Check.

  1. To check your PDF for accessibility, go to the Tasks Pane and under All Tools, click Prepare for Accessibility.

  2. Click the Check for Accessibility option.

  3. Next, the Accessibility Checker Options box will appear. You can check specific pages on your document or all of them. It is recommended to leave all Checking Options selected. Finally click on the Start Checking button.

  4. The results will appear in the Navigation Pane. You can right-click a specific issue and choose to Fix it, Skip the Rule, Explain, Check Again, Show Report, and Options. Remember, if the Full Check tool doesn't find any issues, this is no guarantee that there aren't any. You must still test manually. The name "Full" Check can be misleading in that sense.

    For more detail on using the Full Check tool, you can visit the Adobe Create and verify PDF accessibility page.

Color Contrast Analyzer

The Color Contrast Analyzer (CCA) is a free tool available for both Windows and Mac that helps determine whether color contrast complies with WCAG requirements.

Based on WCAG 2.1, the tool provides results for:

  • Text contrast for Level AA and Level AAA (for both small and large text)

  • Non-text contrast for Level AA

You can use the tool by entering color values in HEX, RGB, or HSL format, or by utilizing the eyedropper feature to select colors directly from the screen.

Once you specify the foreground and background colors, the tool automatically calculates the contrast ratio and displays pass/fail results.

AXE Monitor

Deque’s axe Monitor (formerly known as World Space Comply) is a tool designed to scan entire websites or specific sections for accessibility issues. In addition to HTML content, it can also identify accessibility problems in PDF files.

To scan a single PDF, you can specify its URL as a task, or you can include multiple individual URLs as part of a single scan.

Once the scan is complete, you can review a PDF’s accessibility issues by navigating to the Pages tab and selecting the URL of the PDF.

Section 4.5: Reading Order

After tagging your document, the next step is to ensure the content is presented in the correct order for screen reader users and individuals who zoom in at high levels. This can be accomplished using the Tags and Order Navigation panes. When you’re manually tagging a long document, it’s advisable to check the reading order after you finish tagging each page, rather than all at once at the end. That way, you can fix any problems along the way.

Reading order involves two distinct but equally important aspects:

  • Screen Reader Reading Order: This determines the sequence in which a screen reader reads the content aloud. It is entirely controlled by the order of tags in the Tags Pane and is relatively straightforward to manage.

  • Content Reflow Reading Order: This defines how content is displayed when the document is in Reflow View (also known as visual stacking order). It is entirely managed through the Order Pane. Achieving the correct reflow order can be more challenging for complex documents because rearranging items in the Order Pane often significantly affects the tag order in the Tags Pane.

Key Points:

  • Adjusting the tag order in the Tags Pane does not impact the visual stacking order.

  • Adjusting the order of items in the Order Pane does affect the tag order.

Warning: Exercise caution when rearranging items in the Order Pane. After making changes, review the Tag Tree to ensure the tags remain in the correct order and make any necessary adjustments.

Keep in mind the dual functionality of the Order Pane as outlined earlier. Key points to remember:

  • When you rearrange items in the Order Pane, the corresponding tags in the Tags Pane may sometimes be unintentionally nested inside other tags.

  • Adjusting the order of items in the Order Pane also changes their visual stacking order. This can result in layout issues, such as objects that should appear in front being moved behind others. You’ll need to correct the order to resolve such problems.

  • The numbering in the Order Pane reflects the visual stacking order of content layers, not the screen reader reading order. Don’t rely on these numbers to determine the screen reader’s reading sequence.

  • In some cases, managing the reading and display order of adjacent tags through the Order Pane may not be possible. When this happens, you’ll need to make adjustments directly in the Tags Pane.

For most simple documents, the easiest way to establish the screen reader reading order is by using the Tags Pane. Carefully review the tag tree to ensure the content flows in a logical sequence. However, for documents that prioritize visual presentation, you may need to use the Order Pane to adjust the reading order.

The good news is that if you create a document with accessibility in mind from the start, you’ll likely achieve a reliable reading order and only need minor adjustments afterward.

Evaluate the various types of content in the document and determine their logical reading sequence. For example:

  • A heading, even if visually placed in the middle or at the bottom of a page, should be read before the content it introduces.

  • In a long quote, the speaker’s name, even if it appears at the end, should be read first so screen reader users know who is being quoted.

  • For content referencing footnotes, it may be more appropriate to read the footnotes immediately after the associated content, rather than at the end of the page where they might lose context.

  • And so on...

Ensure the reading order supports clarity and comprehension for all users.

Screen readers read tags sequentially from top to bottom as they appear in the Tags Pane.

When manually tagging, create the tags in the desired reading order, as they are added one after the other. This approach minimizes the need for rearranging tags later. If adjustments are necessary, you can simply drag and drop tags within the Tags Pane. For more details, refer to the Working with the Tag Tree section.

Section 4.6: Tab Order

When a PDF document contains links or form fields, you need to set the order in which users tab through them. To do this:

  1. Click on the Page Thumbnails button in the Navigation Pane.

  2. Select all the thumbnails in the Navigation Pane (Control + click).

  3. Right-click one of the thumbnails and choose Page Properties.

  4. In the Tab Order tab, ensure the option Use Document Structure is selected (this is the default), then click OK.

This will ensure that the tabbing order for links and form fields matches the screen reader reading order.

Section 4.7: Cleanup

Checking for Unmarked Content

Once you’re finished tagging, you should double-check that everything is actually tagged (including content that needs to be ignored by screen readers). It can be easy to miss some items, especially in long documents.

To do this:

  1. Open the Tags Pane in the Navigation Pane.

  2. Open the Options Button.

  3. Select Find.

  4. The Find Element box will appear. In the Find drop-down menu, select Unmarked Content.

  5. Select the option for Search Document (or Search Page if you want to do this page by page).

  6. Click Find.

  7. Acrobat will then show you untagged content items with a bright pink border around them. Click on the Tag button.

  8. Click Next in the dialog box to see each unmarked content item as Acrobat shows them one by one.

  9. Tag the items as needed and place them in a Paragraph Tag.

Delete Empty Tags:

You should also remove any empty tags. If you'd like to automate this process, Acrobat offers an option to delete all empty tags simultaneously. However, if you prefer to remove them individually, you’ll need to do so manually within the tag tree. Exercise caution when using the automatic feature, as not all empty tags are truly empty; some may need content to be added.

To use the automatic feature:

  1. Open the Options Menu in the Tags Pane.

  2. Select Delete Empty Tags.

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