PDF is the Internet documentation format par excellence. It is true that it was developed almost 30 years ago, but it was not until 2008 when it became standard. Nowadays it is very common due to the ease of reading it in any operating system or program. However, such a versatile format loses its scope if it is not a PDF accessible to all users.
How to evaluate if a PDF is accessible? The first recommendation is to follow the advice to make the document accessible. Otherwise, you will be giving up increase your audience and improve the positioning of your website. Yes, it is a question of priorities and benefits; You decide if you add them to your project.
Labels, alternative text to images or links are essential so that users can navigate with a mouse or keyboard. However, there are no magic solutions for evaluating an accessible PDF. Although there are automatic tools that are useful, the work of specialized professionals is always necessary to achieve a completely accessible document. These are some.
Adobe Acrobat Pro – Audit the Accessibility of a PDF
It is one of the most common programs in web accessibility. It is a fairly complete tool that allows you to receive a personalized report with a detailed analysis. Its particularity is that it does not filter the content, so it examines errors regardless of whether they are essential or non-essential. This means that there may be problems in the study that do not really affect readability.
In any case, it is advisable to check the report in depth to find out the necessary changes. Acrobat Pro establishes four possible evaluations:
- Passed: accessible element.
- Omitted by user: rule not checked at the user’s request.
- Needs manual checking.
- Error: not accessible.
In addition, it offers the possibility of automatically solving errors, repeating the check and even providing suggestions to correct deficiencies.
CommonLook PDF Validator – Check the structure of the document
It is a rather peculiar option because it is only operational for Windows. The evaluation is carried out through a form that is sent by mail. The user enters a series of data and will then receive a document by email that they must fill out.
The program examines properties of the PDF document such as keywords, language or metadata. Also inspect tags, alt texts, links, or forms. Once the process is complete, you will have access to a report in a few minutes. It’s free.
AvePDF – To convert or edit a file
It is a free service that can be used online to check if a PDF is accessible. The website includes other PDF compression, conversion, editing and scanning tools, but we focus on accessibility.
It is only necessary to select the document (always in PDF format) that interests us and choose the type of analysis. We can opt for automatic detection or other modalities such as A-2u, A-3a, A-3b, A-3u or A-4. In just a few seconds we will have a report available that we can download in XML format or consult on the website itself.
The result is a document in the form of an index that returns the errors and their specific location. It is necessary to have some prior knowledge to understand what the final result indicates.
The key: accessibility with experts
The tools are useful, but they are insufficient to guarantee accessibility in PDF documents. In other words, the human factor is essential to have a detailed diagnosis and a response adapted to the needs. Therefore, experts play an essential role so that the document meets all requirements.
Having a team of specialized professionals is synonymous with success. And to have an adequate solution, an accurate diagnosis is always necessary. Es el momento de empezar a mejorar la accesibilidad.
