Accessible PDF
This page gathers content regarding PDF accessibility from across pdfa.org.
- ISO standards for accessible PDF
- Industry specifications on accessibility
- Other PDF industry publications related to accessibility
- Member communities related to accessibility
- Articles on accessibility
- PDF Days presentations on accessibility
- Members' products & services supporting PDF/UA
ISO standards for accessible PDF
The PDF Association is ISO's and ANSI's committee manager for ISO TC 171 SC 2, publisher of all ISO standards for PDF technology with the exception of ISO 15930 (PDF/X), which is developed under the auspices of ISO TC 130.
ISO 14289-2:2024 (PDF/UA-2) defines the use of tagged PDF in files conforming to ISO 32000-2:2020 … Read more
ISO/TS 32005 extends ISO 32000-2 to clarify inclusion rules for using tags defined in the … Read more
ISO 14289-1:2014 (PDF/UA-1) defines the use of tagged PDF in files conforming to ISO 32000-1:2008 … Read more
Industry specifications on accessibility
These formal industry publications define the interoperable use of PDF technology for accessibility purposes. All are freely available. Some are also published as ISO standards.
Other PDF industry publications related to accessibility
In keeping with the spirit of the original PDF Reference, all PDF Association publications are freely available.
Comprehensive requirements for software that seeks to create fully reusable and accessible PDF 2.0 files … Read more
Explanations of technical terms related to accessibility as used in the PDF and PDF/UA standards.
The Matterhorn Protocol, a free publication, identifies all possible ways to fail PDF/UA-1.
The PDF/UA Reference Suite is a resource for software developers and practitioners interested in best-practices … Read more
The Tagged PDF Best Practice Guide includes guidance for all structure element types and attributes, … Read more
Member communities related to accessibility
The PDF Association's volunteer communities represent the organization's true purpose and most important feature. Their primary purpose is to develop and obtain consensus on PDF specifications, test-suites, technical and application notes, best practices and other formal industry guidance. Many of these products are eventually submitted for ISO standardization via ISO TC 171 SC 2.
Accessibility is the direct or indirect focus of the following communities:
Formalizing common understandings on processing tagged PDF.
Exploring pathways to expressing PDF content in HTML.
Accessible PDF, including oversight of ISO 14289.
Supporting generation of tagged PDF directly from LaTeX.
Developing techniques and examples for accessible PDF.
Articles on accessibility
PDF Association members can post non-commercial educational content on pdfa.org.
October 2024 by Duff Johnson
Accessibility considerations for digital content aren’t limited to navigation, reading and interaction. Users also need to be able to archive, … Read more
March 2024 by PDF Association staff
Based on WTPDF, ISO 14289-2 serves to assure institutions that the PDF Association’s requirements for creating and validating accessible PDF … Read more
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PDF Days presentations on accessibility
These educational presentations were presented at PDF Days events by a wide range of industry experts. Since 2022 PDF Days has been replaced with PDF Week, a technical conference meeting three times a year.
Tagged, accessible PDF documents are already part of the standard requirements of many companies – partly due to legal obligations, but increasingly also under a moral aspect. This requirement already … Read more
More and more PDFs need to be accessible and so PDF/UA compliant. Today it is technically possible to generate such files of of many tools without tricks hacks used years … Read more
What does it mean for a mobile PDF reader to focus on accessibility? How does a PDF presentation optimized for accessibility differ from a strictly PDF/UA conforming presentation? What challenges … Read more
PDF is THE standard for print production and digitally delivered documents. Controversial? Perhaps, but the fact remains that PDF continues to see more adoption every year. It has cracked open … Read more
We demonstrate the extension of veraPDF framework for validating syntax of PDF/UA-1 and Tagged PDF including formal list of checks, test corpus development and visualization of the reports. Additionally, we … Read more
Members' products & services supporting PDF/UA
PDF Association members are entitled to post their products and services in the product showcase. The members' posting the products listed below are claiming that the product supports PDF/UA-1. The PDF Association is not responsible for members' representation of their products or services.
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