PDF COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST & TIPS
Transcript of PDF COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST & TIPS
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 1 of 36
PDF COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST &
TIPS CREATION & REMEDIATION
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
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Table of Contents
PDF Compliance Checklist ................................................................................................................................................ 3
Section A: All PDFs...................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Section B: PDFs Containing Color............................................................................................................................................... 5
Section C: PDFs containing Links ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Section D: PDFs Containing Images .......................................................................................................................................... 5
Section E: PDFs Containing Tables ............................................................................................................................................ 6
Section F: PDFs Containing Lists ................................................................................................................................................ 7
Section G: PDFs Containing Headings ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Section H: PDFs Containing Forms ............................................................................................................................................ 9
Section i: PDFs Containing Other Common Elements .............................................................................................................. 9
Required and Encouraged Fixes ...................................................................................................................................... 10
Required Fixes for PDF Files ..................................................................................................................................................... 11
PDF Properties and General Checks .................................................................................................................................... 11
Color ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Links ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Images .................................................................................................................................................................................. 16
Tag Structure ....................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Tables ................................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Lists....................................................................................................................................................................................... 24
Headings .............................................................................................................................................................................. 25
Forms .................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Encouraged Fixes for PDF Files ................................................................................................................................................ 27
PDF Properties and General Checks .................................................................................................................................... 27
Links ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Images .................................................................................................................................................................................. 29
Tag Structure ....................................................................................................................................................................... 30
Tables ................................................................................................................................................................................... 31
Lists....................................................................................................................................................................................... 32
Headings .............................................................................................................................................................................. 33
Forms .................................................................................................................................................................................... 33
Attachment A ................................................................................................................................................................ 34
Finding and Fixing Backend Errors ........................................................................................................................................... 34
Back-End Text Errors............................................................................................................................................................ 34
Steps to check: ................................................................................................................................................................ 34
Common Issues ............................................................................................................................................................... 34
Notes ............................................................................................................................................................................... 35
Fixing .................................................................................................................................................................................... 35
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
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PDF Compliance Checklist
The checklist below, a series of tables, is based on the content of the PDF. Acceptable answers are: Yes,
No, or N/A. If ‘No’ is the answer to any item, then the document is not compliant.
Section A: All PDFs
These checks should be performed on all PDFs regardless of what is present in the actual content:
ID Requirements WCAG 2.0 Result
A1 Is the PDF tagged? WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1
A2 Is the Document Title filled out in the Document Properties? WCAG 2.0 Success criterion
2.4.2
A3 Is the correct language of the document set? WCAG 2.0 Success criterion
3.1.1
A4 Did the PDF fully pass the Adobe Accessibility Checker? WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 4.1.1
A5 Is the document free from content that flashes more than 3
times per second?
WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 2.3.1.
A6 Are accurate bookmarks provided for documents greater
than 9 pages?
WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 2.4.5.
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ID Requirements WCAG 2.0 Result
A7
Is the document free from review-related content carried
over from Office or other editing tools such as comments,
track changes, embedded Speaker Notes?
WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1
A8 Is the order in the tag structure accurate and logical? Do the
tags match the order they should be read in?
WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.2.
A9 Is all informational content contained in the tag structure? WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1
A10 Are all non-standard tags appropriately mapped to standard
Adobe tags?
WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 4.1.2
A11
Is all the text within the tags correctly formatted? (Free from
line breaks and split words)
See Attachment A below.
WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 4.1.1
A12 Do paragraph tags accurately represent visual paragraphs? WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1
A13 Can text be resized and considered readable when magnified
to 200%?
WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.4.4 .
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Section B: PDFs Containing Color
ID Requirement WCAG 2.0 Result
B1 Is information conveyed by methods other than color alone? WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.4.1 .
B2 Does all text (with the exception of logos) have a contrast
ratio of 4.5:1 or greater no matter the size?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.4.3 .
Section C: PDFs containing Links
ID Requirement WCAG 2.0 Result
C1 Are links tagged correctly in the tag structure? (Contain
visual link text and link OBJR within the Link tag)
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1 .
C2 Are links distinguished by a method other than color? WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.4.1,
C3 Can all link text be understood out of context? If not, does
generic link have sufficient context?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
2.4.4 ,
Section D: PDFs Containing Images
ID Requirement WCAG 2.0 Result
D1 Are all images conveying information tagged as figures and
included in the tag structure?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1 .
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ID Requirement WCAG 2.0 Result
D2
Do all images conveying information have alt text that
provides the same level of understanding a visual user would
gain?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.1.1 .
D3 Are all decorative images tagged as artifact/background? WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.1.1 .
D4 Do complex images have an alternate accessible means of
understanding?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.1.1 .
D5
Is the document free from images of text? (Picture of an
informational table, screenshot of text from another source,
etc.)
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.4.5
D6 Are groups of related images tagged in a way assistive
technology user would understand?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.1.1 .
Section E: PDFs Containing Tables
ID Requirement WCAG 2.0 Result
E1
Does the document use table tags only for data tables?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
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ID Requirement WCAG 2.0 Result
E2 Does the table structure in the tag tree match the visual
table layout?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
E3 Are all header cells tagged with the TH tag? Are all data cells
tagged with the TD tag?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
E4 Do all Header cells contain text? WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
E5 Are merged cells correctly spanned with Colspan and/or
Rowspan?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
E6 Do data tables with 1 set of both column and row headers
appropriately use scope to associate to data cells?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
E7
Do data tables with more than 1 set of column and/or row
headers appropriately use id/headers to associate to data
cells?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
Section F: PDFs Containing Lists
ID Requirement WCAG 2.0 Result
F1 Are all visual lists tagged correctly with the List, List Item (LI),
and LBody tags?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
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ID Requirement WCAG 2.0 Result
F2 Does the number of items in the tag structure match the
number of items in the visual list?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
F3 Are nested lists appropriately nested in the tag structure? WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
Section G: PDFs Containing Headings
ID Requirement WCAG 2.0 Result
G1 Is text intended to act as a visual heading tagged with the
heading tags (H1 through H6)? WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
G2 Do heading tags follow a logical hierarchical progression?
(Do not skip heading levels)
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
G3 Are heading tags used only on text that defines a section of
content?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
G4 Does the Heading text accurately describe the sectional
content?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
2.4.6
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Section H: PDFs Containing Forms
ID Requirement WCAG 2.0 Result
H1 Are all form fields correctly tagged? WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
3.3.2
H2 Do all form fields contain understandable labels and
tooltips?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
3.3.2
H3 Do tooltips contain all formatting requirements that will be
automatically flagged as an error?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
3.3.2
H4 Are required fields programmatically set? WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
3.3.1
H5 Is the tab order of the form fields logical? WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.2.
Section i: PDFs Containing Other Common Elements
ID Requirement WCAG 2.0 Result
i1 Is any nonstandard text (glyph) tagged in an accessible
manner?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.1.1 .
i2 Was OCR successfully performed on a scanned image
document?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.4.5.
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ID Requirement WCAG 2.0 Result
i3 Was the language appropriately set for all foreign words or
phrases?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
3.1.2
i4 Is the table of contents tagged with appropriate tags? (TOC,
TOC Item (TOCI))
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
i5
Are all internal links/TOC entries functioning correctly (if
linked)?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
2.4.5.
i6 Are citations and footnotes/endnotes tagged with
appropriate tags? (Reference, Note)
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1.
Required and Encouraged Fixes
American Heart Association classifies accessibility errors into two categories as shown below:
• Required Fixes (RFs): violations that must be corrected and have direct mappings to either WCAG 2.0
or PDF-UA accessibility guidelines.
• Encouraged Fixes (EFs): issues that should be corrected in order to meet best-practice accessibility
standards but are not required for conformance with WCAG 2.0 or PDF-UA accessibility guidelines.
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
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Required Fixes for PDF Files
PDF Properties and General Checks
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
PDF is Untagged
The PDF contains no tags - Documents
without tags do not provide
information describing the logical
structure and relationship of elements
to users of Assistive Technology. This
issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.1
Add tags and re-submit for review. For
further assistance see: Adobe Tagged
Tab Order is Not
Specified
The tab order is not specified for at
least one page of the document. This
issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.2
Set the tab order for all pages to ‘Use
Document Structure’. For further
assistance see: Adobe Defining Tab
Order
W3C PDF Technique #3
Primary Document
Language not Set
The document language has not been
set. This issue is a violation of WCAG
2.0 Success Criterion 3.1.1
Set the language dropdown under File
> Properties >Advanced Tab -to the
appropriate language. For further
assistance see: Adobe Setting Primary
Language
W3C PDF Technique #19
Document Properties
are Not Filled Out
Properly
The Title, Subject, and Author fields in
the document properties have not all
been properly populated. This issue is
a violation of AHA Guidelines
and WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
2.4.2
Provide the Title, Author, and Subject
in the Document Properties. For
further assistance, see: Adobe View
Document Properties
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
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Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Background content was
deleted
The accessibility checker shows
content that was untagged and not
marked as an artifact. In most cases
this is introduced when background
content is deleted from the tag
structure rather than marked as an
artifact. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.1.1.
Find the deleted content and mark as
background/tag as artifact. For further
assistance see: W3C PDF Technique
#4
Adobe Tagged Content
Untagged Annotations
Present
The accessibility checker shows
annotations present that have not
been tagged. In most cases this is due
to hyperlinks that were created but
never tagged. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.3.1.
Find the unmarked annotation and
appropriately tag/place in the correct
position in the tag tree or remove the
physical link. For further assistance
see:
Adobe Tagged Annotations
W3C PDF Technique #11
Document is a Scanned
Image
The document is a scan of a paper hard
copy that has not had Optical
Character Recognition run. This issue is
a violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.4.5.
Enable Text Recognition by using
Optical Character Recognition and
ensure the new version is copyedited
and crosschecked against the original.
For further assistance see: Adobe
Image Only PDF
W3C PDF Technique #7
Content Flashes more
than 3 times per Second
There is content in the document that
flashes/flickers/strobes more than 3
times per second which can cause
seizures. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 2.3.1.
Adjust content so it does no flash more
than 3 times per second. If possible,
remove the flashing effect completely.
For assistance see: W3C General
Technique #19
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Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Bookmarks Unavailable
for Document >=10
pages
The document contains at least 10
pages and does not contain proper
bookmarks. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 2.4.5.
Add bookmarks for major divisions of
the document. Recommend creating
based on the heading structure or
Table of Contents if one exists. For
assistance see: W3C PDF Technique
#2
Adobe Bookmarks
Bookmarks are
inaccurate
There are multiple bookmarks to the
same place, incorrect titles/names, or
locations are out of order. This issue is
a violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 2.4.5.
Add, remove, or rearrange bookmarks.
Recommend creating based on the
heading structure or Table of Contents
if one exists. For assistance see: W3C
PDF Technique #2
Adobe Bookmarks
Comments, Annotations,
or Tracked Changes are
Present
The document contains collaborative
markup from the original source file
that is inaccessible and should be
removed before public distribution.
This issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.1.
Remove comments and annotations.
Accept or reject any tracked changes.
In most cases, this must be done in the
original source file.
PowerPoint Converted
to PDF has Speaker's
Notes in Separate Layer
Assistive Technology cannot access
speaker's notes created in this manner.
This issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.1.
Notes need to be removed, or
speaker's notes need to be typed in a
Word file, converted to PDF, tagged,
and merged with the PDF.
PDF fails General
Accessibility Check The Adobe accessibility checker has
flagged an error. This issue is a
Use the built in Adobe help to diagnose
and remediate the error. For further
assistance see: Adobe Help
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
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Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 4.1.1.
Using the Adobe Accessibility
Checker
PDF Fails Assistive
Technology (AT) Review
An AT review was performed on the
PDF and it was determined to be
unusable for those whose rely on AT to
properly interpret and understand the
content. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.3.1
See usability write-up for problems
encountered with AT and address.
Strongly consider another delivery
format such as HTML.
Resizing Text Causes No
Change or a Loss of
Content
When text is resized to 200% with the
built-in magnification tool, content is
either not resized or becomes
unreadable. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.4.4 .
Restructure content so that the text is
readable when magnified to 200%.
W3C General Technique #179
Document Title is not
Showing in Title Bar
Filename shows in the title bar instead
of the document title. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 2.4.2.
Change Initial View to "Document
Title". For further assistance,
see: Adobe Document Title
Operational Instructions
rely on Sensory
Characteristics
Instructions are provided for operating
content on the PDF or a web page but
they rely only on shape, size, visual
location, etc. to identify the content.
This issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.3
Provide additional instructions that do
not rely on sensory characteristics such
as textual identification. For assistance
see: W3C General Technique #96
W3C Failure #14
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
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Color
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Distinctions Beyond
Color-Only are Missing
Color-only distinctions are present and
there are no alternative means to
those distinction methods, making the
information inaccessible to both blind
and color-blind individuals. This issue is
a violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.4.1 .
Convey information by context,
markup, graphic coding, or other
means in addition to color. For further
assistance see: W3C General
Technique #14
Color Contrast is
Insufficient
Color contrast ratio between text and
background is less than 4.5:1. This is a
violation of AHA Guidelines and WCAG
2.0 Success Criterion 1.4.3 .
Change color scheme by lightening or
darkening one or both of the colors.
For further assistance, see: Free
contrast analyzer tool
W3C General Technique #18
Charts/Graphs rely on
Color-only Legend
A color-only legend is being used for a
chart/graph that loses necessary
information for understanding when
converted to black and white. This
issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.4.1 .
Convey information by adding a non-
color method to the legend or
providing an equivalent text
alternative adjacent to the content. For
further assistance see: W3C General
Technique #14
Links
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Links are Tagged
Incorrectly
The nesting of the Link tag, linked text,
and Link-OBJR tag is incorrect. This
issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.1 .
Modify the tag structure so that the
<Link> tag contains the appropriate
visual link text and a Link-OBJR tag. For
further assistance, see: W3C PDF
Technique #11
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Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Generic Link Text is
Present
Generic link text such as ‘Click Here’,
‘Read More’, etc. is used, and there are
no clues to link destination or function
in the text immediately surrounding
the link. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 2.4.4
Modify generic link text such as ‘Click
Here’, ‘Read More’, etc. to a value so a
user can understand the destination
out of context and/or ensure that the
text surrounding the link provides
context for the link's functionality and
destination. For further assistance
see: W3CC General Technique #53
W3CC General Technique #91
Links are Only Identified
Visually by Color
Links have no visual indication from
surrounding text other than color, and
the contrast difference between the
colors is not at least 3:1. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.4.1.
Modify links so they have a visual
indicator other than color (i.e.
underline) or adjust the color so there
is sufficient contrast. For assistance
see: W3C General Technique #183
Free contrast analyzer tool
Images
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Image is Missing
Alternative Text
A non-decorative Figure is tagged and
lacks Alternative Text. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.1.1 .
Add appropriate Alternative Text that
is equivalent to the information
conveyed by the image. For further
assistance see:
Adobe Alt Text
W3C PDF Technique #1
Webaim Alt text
Alternative Text is
Incorrect
The alternative text does not match
the actual purpose of the image. The
alternative text should contain both
the "take home message" and any
Analyze the image and correct the
alternative text to correctly
communicate the purpose of the
image. For further assistance see:
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
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Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
actual text that is in the image itself.
This issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.1.1 .
W3C PDF Technique #1
Webaim Alt text
Decorative Images are
not Tagged as
Background
Images used for decoration, layout, or
other non-informative purposes have
alternative text, which is not
appropriate in that context. This issue
is a violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.1.1 .
Tag all non-informative images listed in
the Locations section as artifacts or
background. For further assistance see:
W3C PDF Technique #4
Complex Images are
Missing Detailed
Descriptions
There are images present that need
more detailed, more substantive
descriptions. Examples include pie
charts, organizational charts, flow
charts, maps and graphs. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.1.1 .
Add a more detailed description in the
surrounding content (preferred) or
create a visible URL to a page within
the document with the text
description. Best practices put
alternative text at no more than 150
characters, and it is not advisable to
lengthen the current alt text. For
further assistance see: W3C General
Technique #95
Webaim Alt Text
Organizational Charts
Lack Text-only Versions
There are visual Org charts that are not
accessible to users of Assistive
Technology. Relationships gained
visually such as lines connecting boxes
or other visual grouping methods such
as having boxes next to each other are
missed. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.1.1 .
Provide a text version of the chart with
alternate means of associations either
on the page (directly below the visual
org chart) or provide a link to an
existing web page that has a
comparable text only version. For
assistance see: W3C General
Technique #95
Webaim Alt Text
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
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Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Alternative is not
Equivalent
An alternate version of complex
content was provided, however there
is more information gained in the
original version and/or the information
is inconsistent when comparing the
two versions. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.1.1 .
Update the alternate version of the
content to be equivalent to the
original. For assistance see: W3C
General technique #73
Informational Image is
Tagged as Background
There is an image that visually conveys
information to the user and has been
tagged as background with no
alternate text equivalent. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.1.1 .
Tag the image as a figure, move to the
appropriate position in the tag tree,
and add appropriate alt text. For
assistance see: W3C PDF Technique
#1
Webaim Alt Text
Group of Related Images
not Tagged in an
Accessible Manner
A group of related visual elements
which show relationships amongst
textual content, such as a timeline or
flow chart, is not tagged in an
accessible manner. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.1.1 .
Tag the elements as a series of figures.
The first figures should introduce the
concept of the image and the figures
that follow should capture the
text/relationships conveyed.
Alternatively, a more accessible
version of the content can be created
and linked to.
Content is not
Appropriate as in Image
An image of textual content such as a
memo, letter, or table is included
rather than the actual text version of
the content. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.4.5
Recreate the image as actual textual
content and appropriately tag. In some
cases, OCR can be used. For assistance
see: W3C PDF Technique #14
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
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Tag Structure
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Tag Structure does not
Reflect Logical Reading
Order
The intended reading order of the
document is not reflected in the tag
structure. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.3.2.
Modify/retag the PDF tag structure to
reflect the logical reading order. For
further assistance see: W3C PDF
Technique #3
Informational Content is
not Tagged
The PDF contains some content
(Footnotes, text, etc.) that is both
informational and not part of the tag
structure. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.3.1
Add tags for all informational content.
Tag non-informational content as
background/artifact. Ensure new tags
are placed in proper sequence in the
tag structure.
Content is Incorrectly
Tagged
Some informational content is tagged
incorrectly. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.3.1
Modify tags for informational content
listed. For further assistance see Adobe
Standard PDF Tags
Nonstandard Tags are
Used and Improperly
Mapped
The PDF contains nonstandard, custom
tags that are not correctly mapped in
the role map. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.3.1
Add functional correspondence to role
map. Strongly recommend retagging
with standard tags. Adobe Standard
PDF Tags
Table of Contents Entries
are not Correctly Tagged
A table of contents was included in the
document; however, the items were
not tagged with the appropriate Adobe
tags. This issue is a violation of WCAG
2.0 Success Criterion 1.3.1
Table of contents items need to be
structured with <TOCI> tags nested
under a parent <TOC> tag. Beneath the
<TOCI> tag the item description, leader
and page number.
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Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Footnotes interrupt an
unrelated paragraph
The document contains footnotes that
split an unrelated paragraph and thus
affects the logical reading order. This
issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.2.
Move the footnote text in the tag
structure to either directly after the
reference number, or directly after the
paragraph that contains the reference
number. For assistance see:
Tagged Text does not
Match Visual Text
PDF text content (not the actual visual
text) contains misspellings and or
spacing issues. This is usually
introduced from conversion of the
source file or OCR. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1
Modify the text to match the intended
visual text. This can be remediated
either at the source file, content
editing in Adobe, or using the Actual
Text field in the properties of the tag
containing the text. (Note, if the text is
contained in a link tag, use the
Alternate Text field). For further
assistance see: W3C PDF Technique
#13
Nonstandard Text is
Used
Text look- a-likes were used in place of
standard text, or standard text was
used to convey another meaning and
no text alternative was given. This
issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.1.1 .
Modify the characters used or provide
an alternative that gives the intended
meaning of the section of non-
standard text. For further assistance
see: Adobe Character Encoding
W3C Html Technique #86
W3C Failure #71
Footnotes/Endnotes are
not correctly tagged
The document contains footnotes or
endnotes where the citation and/or
note text is not using Reference and or
Note tags. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.3.1
Tag footnote/endnote reference
numbers with <Reference> tags. Tag
the actual footnote with a <Note> tag.
Tag reference number in the Note tag
with a <label> tag (optional). For
further assistance
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 21 of 36
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
see: PDF32000_2008 - PDF
(14.8.4.4.1)
Language not Set for
Foreign Words or
Phrases
The document contains text in a
language different from the main
document language which has not
been set in the properties. This issue is
a violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 3.1.2
Specify language for all foreign words
and phrases. For further assistance
see: Adobe Setting Document
Language
W3C PDF Technique #19
Paragraph Tagging is
Insufficient
Multiple visual paragraphs are
contained in a single paragraph tag.
This issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.1
Tag the content so that the visual
paragraphs are reflected in the tag
structure.
Paragraph Tagging is
Excessive
A single visual paragraph is split among
multiple paragraph tags. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1
Tag the content so that the visual
paragraphs are reflected in the tag
structure.
Tables
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Tables Used for Layout
Purposes
Table tags are present for content that
is not contained in a visual data table.
This issue is a violation of AHA
guidelines and WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1.
Remove all content from the Table tag
that is not strictly part of a data table
and delete the Table tags.
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 22 of 36
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Tabular Data Lacks Table
Structure
Data tables are not formatted utilizing
proper data table structural markup.
This refers to the tags Table, TR, TD,
etc. Tables that do not have correct
formatting are not accessible to users
of Assistive Technology because the
relationships between intended
headers and data is lost. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1.
Tag the tabular data using table tags.
For further assistance see: W3C PDF
Technique #6
Incorrect Table Structure
The tagging structure does not match
the visual representation of the table.
This issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.1.
Retag content to match visual layout.
For further assistance see: W3C PDF
Technique #6
Irregular tables
The accessibility checker is flagging a
table for irregularity. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1.
Check the table structure in the tag
tree for consistency issues (extra rows,
cells, etc.). If accurate, check individual
cells for correct colspan/rowspan
settings. W3C PDF Technique #6
W3C PDF Technique #20
Table Headers Missing
TH Tags
The table row or column header cells
are coded as ordinary data cells,
making the tables inaccessible to users
of Assistive Technology. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1.
Add <th> tag to all header cells and
ensure that each <th> tag surrounds
the text of the row or column header.
Then properly associate to data cells.
For further assistance see: W3C PDF
Technique #6
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 23 of 36
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Missing Header Cell
Content
Table header cells contain no text. This
issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.1.
If the cell is purposely blank and is the
first cell in the column and row in the
table, retag as a data cell. Otherwise,
add appropriate text for the header
cell or reformat the table. For further
assistance see: W3C PDF Technique
#6
Table Header Cells are
not Associated with Data
Cells for a Table with
Row and Column
Headers
Table header cells are not properly
scoped for a table with a single set of
both column and row headers. This
issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.1.
Add proper scope for column and row
header cells. For further assistance
see: W3C HTML Technique #63
Table Header and Data
Cells are not Properly
Associated in a Table
with Multiple Column
and/or Row Headers
Data table has multiple levels of row
and/or column headers and lacks the
necessary coding associating the data
cells with their respective headers, or
the coding is present but incorrect.
This issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.1.
Set the id field of all header cells and
correctly associate it with the headers
field of all data cells. For further
assistance see: W3C HTML Technique
#43
TH Tags Used on Data
Cells
TH tags have been used on table cells
containing only data. TH tags should
just be used on cells containing Header
information only. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1.
Retag the cell(s) with a TD tag. For
assistance see: W3C PDF Technique
#20
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 24 of 36
Lists
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Visual Lists are
Incorrectly Tagged
A visual list is present but is tagged as
plain text in the tag structure. This
issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.1 .
Modify the tags. Each list structure
must consist of a parent <L> tag and
subsequent list item <LI> tags for each
item in the list. Each list item <LI> tag
must contain a list item body <LBody>
tag that contains the text of the item.
Each list item should contain a label
<lbl> tag that includes the number or
bullet of the item. For further
assistance, see: W3C PDF Technique
#21
List Item Identifiers are
Missing
A list structure is present but are
missing the necessary List Item and/or
List Item Body tags. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1 .
Add missing tags. Each list structure
must consist of a parent <L> tag and
subsequent list item <LI> tags for each
item in the list. Each list item <LI> tag
must contain a list item body <LBody>
tag that contains the text of the item.
Each list item should contain a label
<lbl> tag that includes the number or
bullet of the item. For further
assistance, see: W3C PDF Technique
#21
Multiple List Items are
Combined
More than one item of a visual list is
combined into a single tag. This issue is
a violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1 .
Tag each list item separately. For
further assistance, see: W3C PDF
Technique #21
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 25 of 36
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Nested Lists are
Incorrectly Tagged
Visually nested lists are not tagged as
such. This issue is a violation of WCAG
2.0 Success Criterion 1.3.1 .
Tag each sub list as a sibling or child to
the LBody tag of the appropriate list
item. For further assistance, see: W3C
PDF Technique #21
List items are Broken
into Multiple List
Structures
List tags are used, but a single visual
list is broken up into multiple single
item list structures, which is confusing
to Assistive Technology users. This
issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.1 .
Properly code list structures. For
further assistance see: W3C PDF
Technique #21
Headings
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Heading Tags are
Missing
Text has been visually altered to act
like a heading, but the text has not
been tagged as heading. Without using
heading tags, to Assistive Technology
users, this text appears no different
than normal paragraph text. This issue
is a violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1 .
Tag the heading text with appropriate
heading tags and ensure a logical
hierarchy of heading levels is
maintained. For further assistance
see: W3C PDF Technique #9
Heading levels
Improperly Structured
and/or Skipped
Heading tags have been implemented
but heading levels were either skipped
(for example, H2 to H4) or did not
move down a level when a logical
subsection was present. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.3.1 .
Review the heading tags and adjust the
structure so that subsections of
previous headings use the next level,
and that there are no heading level
skips present. For further assistance
see: W3C HTML Technique #42
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 26 of 36
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Heading Tags Used on
Decorative Text
Heading tags have been used on
decorative text. Heading tags should
only be used on text that is defining a
new section of the document. This
issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 1.3.1 .
Retag the content with the normal
paragraph tag. For assistance see: W3C
Failure #54
Heading does not
Accurately Describe
Section of Content
A heading was included to define a
section of content, but it is either not
descriptive or does not accurately
define the contents of the section. This
issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 2.4.6.
Modify the text of the heading to
accurately describe the content of the
section it defines. For assistance
see: W3C General Technique #130
Forms
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Form Fields are not
Tagged
At least one form field in the document
has not been added to the tag
structure. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.3.1 .
Add all form fields to the tag structure,
and then reposition the tags within the
tag tree so that they are in the correct
order. For further assistance
see: Adobe Tagged Form Fields
Labels Conveying the
Purpose of Each Form
Control are Missing or
Inaccurate
Tooltips were either not provided for
at least one form field, or the tooltip is
generic and does not provide the user
with any information to identify the
purpose or format of the form. This
issue is a violation of WCAG 2.0
Success Criterion 3.3.2.
Add tooltips to all forms. Provide
accurate text that identifies the fields
as well as any formatting requirements
that are programmatically enforced.
For further assistance see:
W3C PDF Technique #10
Adobe Field Descriptions
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 27 of 36
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Tab Order for Forms
Does Not Match Visual
Order
When tabbing through form fields, the
focus does not follow the same order
as the visual layout of the page
suggests. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.3.2
Reset tab order to match logical
reading order.
Required Field Indicator
is not Provided
Required fields were set
programmatically in Adobe, but this is
only communicated visually by a color
only method. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.4.1 .
Add a visual non color dependent
method to indicate a field is required.
Encouraged Fixes for PDF Files
PDF Properties and General Checks
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Inconsistent Page
Numbering
Page numbers displayed in the Adobe
PDF viewer does not correlate to the
page numbers in the body of the
document. For example, navigating to
page 10 in the viewer takes the user to
a page numbered 8 in the document.
Edit the PDF page numbering so that it
matches the displayed page numbers
in the document. For further assistance
see:
W3C PDF technique #17
Abbreviations are
Undefined
An abbreviation was used in the
document; however, it was either
never defined, or it has multiple
meanings within the document.
On first use, completely spell out the
content followed by the abbreviation
in parentheses. Alternatively, put each
instance of the abbreviation in a span
tag and set the ‘Actual Text’ to the full
meaning. For further assistance see:
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 3.1.4
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 28 of 36
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Page Contains an
Accessible Alternative
for Inaccessible Content
The document contains an alternate
version for a piece of content that can
be made accessible on its own. When
implementing a separate but equal
version, the disabled are treated as if
they’re not as important as abled
individuals.
Make original content fully accessible
and remove alternate version. For
further assistance see:
Webaim Text Only Versions
Navigational Direction is
Device Dependent
For instructional commands, only
mouse device instructions such as click,
or hover are given.
Use device independent navigation
such as select, navigate, and activate.
Non hyperlinked text is
underlined
Underlines typically indicate that text
is hyperlinked. Underlining text that is
not linked can cause confusion for
users.
Remove underlines from all text that is
not linked.
Links
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Links are Tagged
Incorrectly
The nesting of the Link tag, linked text,
and Link-OBJR tag is incorrect. This
issue is a violation of Section 508
and WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion
1.3.1 .
Modify the tag structure so that the
<Link> tag contains the appropriate
visual link text and a Link-OBJR tag. For
further assistance, see:
W3C PDF Technique #11
Generic Link Text is
Present
Generic link text such as ‘Click Here’,
‘Read More’, etc. is used, and there are
no clues to link destination or function
in the text immediately surrounding
Modify generic link text such as ‘Click
Here’, ‘Read More’, etc. to a value so a
user can understand the destination
out of context and/or ensure that the
text surrounding the link provides
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 29 of 36
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
the link. This issue is a violation
of WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 2.4.4
context for the link's functionality and
destination.
For further assistance see:
W3C General Technique #53
W3C General Technique #91
Links are Only Identified
Visually by Color
Links have no visual indication from
surrounding text other than color, and
the contrast difference between the
colors is not at least 3:1. This issue is a
violation of WCAG 2.0 Success
Criterion 1.4.1.
Modify links so they have a visual
indicator other than color (i.e.
underline) or adjust the color so there
is sufficient contrast. For assistance
see:
W3C General Technique #183
Free contrast analyzer tool
Links are not
Distinguishable out of
Context
Generic link text was used and is only
understandable when in context with
the surrounding content. Assistive
Technology users also navigate pages
by bringing up a list of all the links on
the page. Having link text that is
understandable out of context helps
users navigate by this method.
Modify the link text so that the
purpose of the link is understandable
when read on its own. For further
assistance see:
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 2.4.9
Images
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Verbose or Redundant
Alternative Text is
Present
Alternative text repeats adjacent text
or contains extraneous wording such
as “image of...”, “this image shows...”,
etc.
Revise alternative text to eliminate
extraneous wording. For further
assistance see:
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 30 of 36
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Webaim Alt text
Tag Structure
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Alternate Tag Structure
would enhance usability
Although the current tagging of a piece
of content meets WCAG 2.0 guidelines,
the tagging may confuse users who
rely on screen readers. An alternate
tagging would enhance
understandability.
Retag the content as described in the
Location column.
Empty Tags are Present
The document contains at least one
tag that is empty (has no content), and
no value is in the Actual Text or
Alternate Text fields.
Remove all empty tags from the
document.
Excessive Sectional Tags
are Present
There are excessive sectional/division
tags in the tree structure that are not
necessary and give the impression of
an incorrectly tagged document.
Remove unnecessary sectional tags
from the document.
Background Content is
Tagged
Empty background content has been
tagged and appears in the tag
structure.
Mark all background content as
artifacts. For further assistance see:
W3C PDF Technique #4
Repetitive content in the
header/footer is tagged
Content from running headers or
footers in the document has been
tagged. This can be annoying to users
Tag all repetitive content in the
header/footer as background
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 31 of 36
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
of assistive technology and disrupt the
flow of the document.
(including pagination). For further
assistance see:
W3C PDF Technique #4
W3C PDF Technique #14
Tables
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Repeated Headers are
not Tagged as
Background
A data table spans more than one page
and the repeated header row on each
page is tagged instead of being marked
as background.
Tag all repeated headers as
background and remove TR tags from
tag tree.
A Complex Table is Able
to be Reformatted into a
Series of Simple Tables
There is a complex data table (one with
multiple column or row headers) on
the page. Even when properly coded,
complex tables can be difficult for
Assistive Technology users to
understand. In most cases, complex
tables can be broken up into a series of
simple tables.
Modify the complex data table into a
series of simple data tables.
Data Cells Split Across
Pages
A data table cell spans more than one
page. This can be an issue for
individuals with cognitive disabilities in
understanding the content when a cell
starts on one page and ends on
another.
Recreate table in source file with
"Allow row to split across pages"
unchecked.
Header Row not
Repeated Across Pages
A data table spans more than one
page, but the header row is not
repeated. This can be an issue for
Recreate table in source file with
"Repeat Header Rows" enabled. If
implemented, also recommend setting
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 32 of 36
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
individuals with cognitive disabilities in
understanding the content when a
table starts on one page and ends on
another.
repeated headers as background for
assistive technology users.
A Table Title is
Contained in the Table
Body
The title of the table is contained in the
body of the table, causing the table to
be considered complex. Data table
bodies should only contain the header
cells and the subsequent data cells.
Remove the title of the table from the
body and place it in a caption tag or
above the table in a logical heading
tag.
Lists
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
List Structure is Missing
a Label
List bullets or other identifiers are
contained in the <Lbody> tag instead
of a separate <Lbl> tag.
Add missing label tags. Each list item
<LI> tag should contain a label <lbl> tag
that includes the number or bullet.
For further assistance, see:
W3C PDF Technique #21
List items may be better
understandable as
headings
Content was tagged as a list because of
the inclusion of a numerical sequence,
however, because of the amount of
content in between each list item,
headings may be more
understandable.
Convert list items into headings with
the appropriate heading level.
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 33 of 36
Headings
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Headings Contain Too
Much Information
Headings are too verbose and should
be condensed.
A Heading should be a short,
descriptive title of a section or
category.
Forms
Issue Title Issue Description Remediation Suggestion
Indication of Field
Format Requirements
not Included
A form field has automatic validation
to make sure the content is in a
particular format, but there is no
indication to the user of the format
prior to receiving the error.
Provide the desired format
requirements in the visual text prior to
the field. For further assistance see:
W3C PDF Technique #22
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 34 of 36
Attachment A
Finding and Fixing Backend Errors
Back-End Text Errors
Though text may look accurate visually, on the back end there may be typos or additional spacing that
will cause screen readers to announce incorrect content. This can occur in any document but is more
common to occur when a program other than Office was used to construct the original document.
Steps to check:
1. Open the PDF.
2. Select File > Save as other > More Options > Text (Plain).
3. Select a save location.
4. Select Save.
5. Navigate to and open the text file in Word
6. Using built in tools for grammar and spell checking, look for typos or spacing issues (only need to
worry about the underlined red instances. Even then, only when there’s an actual issue, for example,
names and scientific terms may be underlined)
7. Compare results to the visual document.
Common Issues
1. Tagged text does not match visual text
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 35 of 36
“Follow these directions to ensure a positive migration experience”
Notes
• This issue will NOT be caught by the Adobe Accessibility checker.
• Reading order issues can also be spotted here, but they are easier to spot with the technique further
down in this document.
• Alt text of images will be included in the document, so typos can be spotted there as well
• Issues can be fixed in the PDF, but it’s better for authors to diagnose the issues in the source so as to
avoid in future documents.
• The initial save as the text file seems to replicate the closest experience as to what assistive-
technology users’ experience, as such it is NOT recommended to save directly as a Word file in this
evaluation.
Fixing
For each instance:
1. Open the tags tree from Adobe
2. Go to the tag containing the issue
3. Right click and do copy contents to clipboard
PDF Compliance Checklist & Tips
Revised: April 29, 2019 Page 36 of 36
4. Right click the tag again and select properties
5. Paste into the “Actual Text” field
6. Fix the issue within the actual text field.