How to Make PDF Accessible - Checklist for PDF Accessibility

Imagine this: what if PDF not accessible, it can cause bad consequences leading to frustration and inaccessibility of crucial data. Since PDFs are becoming an everyday necessity, allowing individuals to store, share, and manage documents. The issue of PDF unreadability unlocks various challenges; it mainly happens due to improper file structure, font styles, hyperlinks, security issues, etc. Follow this PDF accessibility checklist to understand how to make PDF accessible without data loss and compromise. So, let’s begin the discussion.?

What is the Meaning of PDF Accessibility?

PDF Accessibility focuses on the design and formatting of the document, making it simpler to access or engage with the content. An accessible document is highly compatible with assistive technologies like magnifiers, screen readers, and text-to-speech or AI tools. Here are the key elements that come under PDF accessibility:

• Searchable Text
• Proper Document Structure?
• Alt Tags of Images?
• Readable Fonts and Styles?
• Hyperlinks and Other Interactive Elements?

These are the essential components for making accessible PDF documents. Often the issue of? PDF not accessible causes ChatGPT unable to upload PDF files. Various reasons can cause this problem where viewers can’t open or access the document for different purposes. Now, let’s move on to discover other reasons.?

Why are PDFs Not Accessible?

PDFs are among the versatile choices for preserving the original information when sharing across different platforms. Sometimes PDFs aren’t accessible, making it difficult to access. From professionals to individuals, this issue impact on their workflow. Here are the common reasons why are PDFs not accessible:

• Scanned or Imaged-Based PDFs: If the document is scanned, it converts the text into an image. This will cause errors like can’t highlight text in PDF. Here, assistive tools can’t access or read image-based text, making it inaccessible content.?

• Improper Document Structure: When sharing or downloading a document without proper file structure leads to inaccessibility. It is essential to maintain a logical heading, paragraphs, and list for easy navigation and hierarchy.

• Review the Image Alt Text: Images and charts contain Alt text or descriptive information, ignoring these tags brings problems. Therefore, it is necessary to aware of image descriptive text.?

• Document Security or Restrictions: Often documents containing highly confidential data are protected with security or restrictions. It prevents viewers from editing, copying, and printing. Here, try a strongly encrypted PDF password remover to access the file.?

• Inaccessible Links: PDF document carries a wide range of information including hyperlinks and forms. If the PDF doesn’t have clear hyperlinks, it converts the document into an inaccessible file.?

Overall, these are the common reasons for making PDFs incompatible, unreadable, and inaccessible for anyone. Now, you might be seeking how to make PDF accessible, move down to learn the PDF accessibility methods or effective checklist to follow.

How to Make a PDF Accessible Document - PDF Accessibility Checklist

If you’re wondering about the proper guide for how to make PDF accessible, here are the step-by-step methods for making the PDF document readable or navigational for anyone. By following these basic to advanced fixes, you can get right to access your PDF document with ease. Now, follow the checklist for PDF accessibility:

1. Make a Proper PDF Structure?

2. Add Image Alt Tags?

3. Choose Readable Fonts or Style

4. Add Metadata or Necessary Tags?

5. Test PDF Document Accessibility?

Now, let’s dive to understand these techniques thoroughly.?

#1 Make a Proper PDF Structure?

Many of you are constantly seeking how to make a PDF document accessible, use Microsoft Word— the built-in accessibility solution to make clear headings and PDF structure. Moreover, the document owner can maintain the heading hierarchy including H1, H2, H3, etc, to get accessible PDF files for various purposes.?

#2 Add Image Alt Tags to Make a PDF Accessible?

When constantly addressing the issue of PDF not accessible. Here, you might look for how to make PDF accessible. To create an accessible or readable document, try to provide images and charts descriptive text (alt text). Moreover, it allows assistive and screen reader applications to easily understand the visual content. In this way, you can mitigate the challenges and ensure seamless accessibility of data.?

#3 Choose Readable Fonts or Style

With Microsoft Word, you can choose simple and clear font styles like Verdana, Arial, and more. Using this platform, you can create accessible PDF documents without data compromise. Moreover, it is the go-to method to improve the document structure while selecting the desired font. Additionally, it allows users to easily understand the content, making it readable for everyone.?

#4 Add Metadata or Necessary Tags?

After using the above techniques, if you’re still wondering how to make a PDF accessible, try to review the tags including metadata like document title, subject, languages, and more. Besides this, embed the accessible hyperlinks in the PDF file. It helps to rectify the error and provides accessible or selectable PDF documents at once. In this way, you can improve the usability of content and PDF files.?

#5 Test PDF Document Accessibility?

If all the methods look ineffective, leaving you to search for how to make a PDF accessible, use PDF Accessibility Checker of Adobe Acrobat Pro Tool, one of the advanced solutions to fix tagging, color contrast, document order, and more. Using this amazing software, you can create proper document structure and improve readability. Additionally, it allows you to correct the PDF elements and maintain the document integrity with ease.?

Here are the steps for how to make PDF accessible using the Accessibility Checker of Adobe Acrobat Pro Tool:

1. Open Acrobat Pro and move to Tools.
2. Look for “Prepare for Accessibility” > click on “Accessibility Checker”.
3. Lastly, select “Start Checking” >? review the errors and fix them.?

To make a PDF accessible, use Microsoft Word and Acrobat Pro tools for identifying and fixing the improper document structure. Using these effective solutions, you can improve poor color contrast, font style, document heading structure, etc.

Sometimes the PDF becomes inaccessible due to file restrictions like editing, content copying, printing, and more. Now, let’s move forward to learn the methods for unlocking these protections.?

Best Practices for Making Accessible PDF Documents?

PDF document protection or security can make PDF files inaccessible or unreadable, use SysTools PDF Unlocker, one of the most advanced and profound software solutions to disable the document restrictions. Using this robust tool, you can remove PDF restrictions including editing, password, content copying, printing, and more. Most importantly, this software is capable of unlocking strong encryption such as 128 and 256-AES.?

Removing these protections allows you to access the PDF with ease. Additionally, it helps to maintain the document structure and exact formatting. Here are the steps to disable the document security:

1. Run the SysTools PDF Unlocking tool.?

2. Tab “Add Files” > Upload the protected PDFs.?

3. Select “Save” button > “Change” to check the file location.?

4. Lastly, press the Unlock key to remove the security.?

Concluding Words

In the above guide, we have discussed how to make PDF accessible without data modification or loss. By following the PDF accessibility checklist, you can create accessible and readable PDF documents for sharing, archiving, and more. Moreover, the owner needs to correct PDF metadata, heading structure, etc. However, if the document is protected, use SysTools Unlocking PDF tool, the go-to software to unlock and make an accessible PDF document.