Create accessible PDFs & validate compliance at scale

PDF accessibility

Create accessible PDFs and validate compliance at scale

Keep up with evolving regulations and provide accessible document experiences with Pdftools. Produce tagged PDFs or remediate existing files, and batch validate against PDF/UA and WCAG standards with detailed reports that guide fixes and support audit readiness.

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Use cases

Create accessible PDFs

Generate tagged PDF documents from scratch with proper structure that supports assistive technology access, enables content reflow on mobile devices, and improves machine readability.

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Remediate existing PDFs

Bring existing PDFs up to accessibility standards by adding the required logical structure and metadata: a structure tree, element tags, language, and alt text.

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Inspect a PDF’s structure

Read a tagged PDF’s structure tree and element tags programmatically to verify hierarchy and roles for accessibility audits, quality assurance, and structured content extraction.

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Automate accessibility validation

Integrate standards-based checking into your document pipelines and batch-validate PDFs against PDF/UA, WCAG 2.1, and general quality checks.

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Customize validation rules

Set pass/fail thresholds and filter or remap warnings to match your internal policy, and receive JSON or XML outputs grouped by standard and severity.

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Frequently asked questions

What does PDF/UA stand for?

PDF/UA stands for Portable Document Format / Universal Accessibility. It is an ISO standard (ISO 14289) that specifies the technical requirements for a PDF document to be accurately and reliably interpreted by assistive technologies, such as screen readers.

What is the connection between PDF/UA and WCAG?

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) provides the general, high-level principles for digital accessibility across all platforms. PDF/UA (ISO 14289) is the PDF-specific technical implementation standard, defining the concrete technical requirements (tagging, structure, metadata) necessary for a PDF file to meet those WCAG principles.

PDF/UA and PDF/A: What is the difference?

PDF/UA is focused on universal accessibility, establishing the required logical structure and tags to ensure assistive technologies can reliably consume content. PDF/A is focused on long-term archiving, guaranteeing the authentic visual reproduction of a document by requiring the embedding of all necessary elements, like fonts, and strictly limiting features, like encryption or external links. For guidance on conforming to both, please consult the PDF Association’s best practice guide on PDF/A and PDF/UA.

Which regulatory standards drive PDF/UA compliance?

The primary driver for PDF accessibility in Europe is the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which mandates compliance for a wide range of products and services and is now in effect. The recognized technical standard for demonstrating compliance is EN 301 549, which incorporates the WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria. Conforming to PDF/UA helps demonstrate that your PDF content meets these legal requirements.