PDF compliant to PDF/UA

JeanPaul Vis · 2024-01-15T07:31:45+00:00

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We try to improve the accessibility of our PDF output. This output had to meet the PDF/UA standard according to https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/

Documentation
"A PDF/UA document is a PDF 1.7 document that complies with additional agreements for digital accessibility."

Is there some information or guideline to reach this standard? At the moment we use Exstream v16.6.60 (22.3).

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JeanPaul Vis

Thanks for the update and information.

All comments

Petrus Näslund

Are you using StoryTeller or Exstream Designer?
If Exstream Designer, you are in luck as the support is quite decent. Check documentation and videos.
If StoryTeller, you can set Alt Text and language on objects. Then you set Accessibility as PDF type on driver. But, most likely you will find that produced document will not pass WCAG check. Also, as you can not really control read order of texts, PDF might not really be useful from an accessibility point of view.

JeanPaul Vis

When setting the option to Accessibility PDF in the PDF driver still PDF 1.4 is created. This doesn't meet the PDF/UA standard. And yes, by setting this option the PDF will be tagged. So, that's a start.

We are using StoryTeller by the way.

Petrus Näslund

No, as I said the support in StoryTeller is not really there. OpenText are aware of problem but have not said anything about if they will enhance it.
If you need a solid solution for accessibility today I recommend you checkout Opentext Transformation Server as addon to Exstream. We integrated it with Exstream through a custom filter on the normal output connector. It only adds a few milliseconds of processing time and gives you a PDF that fulfills the standard.

JeanPaul Vis

Opentext Transformation Server

Is there infomation about the features of this service/server including development directives? Is implementing Opentext Transformation Server available from a specific Exstream version.

Petrus Näslund

OTS comes with a REST api. For our customer case, we created a java filter that communicates with this API. The filter is used on the output connector, so basically any old version of StreamServe that can use a filter on output connector should be fine. I suggest you reach out to your OpenText account manager who should be able to provide you with more OTS specific details.

JeanPaul Vis

Thanks for the update and information.

Simone Bissi

https://forums.opentext.com/forums/developer/discussion/comment/967778#Comment_967778

Hello Petrus, about your sentence "If StoryTeller, you can set Alt Text and language on objects." can you give me an input on "how to set alt text on objects"? Thanks

Simone Bissi

@Petrus Näslund another question: i found the main issue with my Storyteller projects: the black lines of the tables.

I always get, with WCAG checker, the error: PATH OBJECT NOT TAGGET and the program identifies this problem for every single line of the tables (path objects).
Is there a way in Storyteller to define this infamous "tag" on tables?
Searching online I found some information on inDesign, for example, where there is an option on "artifacts" which, once enabled, automatically corrects this error.
Thanks

JackSW

Thank you for the information.

Simone Bissi

Hello.Is there any news that has emerged in the last few months, regarding the creazsione of pdfs from streamserve or exstream that are WCAG PDF/UA compliant? Thanks

Jan Quist

Hello, Is there any update wrt to WCAG PDF/UA compliancy. This has legal implications for us.

Vyv

I believe that there is an update for StoryTeller coming in a planned release for 25.3. There may be something for us then. Fingers crossed and keep your eyes open for any roadmap updates.

OTS is of course a great tool to use to remediate archived documents that are to be sent after any Accessibility directive mandate period.

Don’t forget that WCAG applies to your email bodies too.

On another note: I appreciate these accessibility directives as my eyesight is not what it used to be …. I just love the Large Print communication alternatives - a kinda new twist on simplifying layout designs.

Tobi Schumann

That sounds promising, Vyv.