Characteristics of PDF Files and the Impact on Accessibility

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Not all PDFs are the same. PDF files are created in a variety of ways, from a variety of applications, and for a variety of purposes. Achieving your accessibility goals for an individual PDF file requires understanding the nature of the PDF and the uses for which it is intended.

In this section, you will learn how to test PDF files for certain characteristics which influence their accessibility. The order in which these tests are conducted is important. By following these procedures in the recommended order, users can efficiently proceed through the analysis of a PDF file in a systematic fashion. Ruling out or confirming certain characteristics which a PDF file may possess in this manner, guides users to the most appropriate next step for making an individual PDF accessible. All of these examples assume the user has access to Adobe Acrobat Professional 7.0 for Windows.