PDF accessibility checker (PAC 2): The first tool to test PDF documents for PDF/UA compliance

Abstract

In 2012, the new standard PDF/UA (ISO 14289-1) was published, specifying the requirements for accessible PDF documents. The Matterhorn Protocol by the PDF Association details the list of 136 test conditions that need to be fulfilled, but so far, there was no test tool to check a given PDF document against these requirements. This paper presents the PDF Accessibility Checker 2.0 (PAC 2), which is the first tool that allows for an automatic test of those 108 test conditions which can be tested fully automatically. The tool provides a de-tailed report of a document analysis, and various features such as visual inspec-tion of standard violations, supporting further improvement of the PDF document. As the PAC 2 is free of charge and can be used without technical knowledge, the tool promotes PDF accessibility among a wider user group and has the potential to increase compliance of PDF documents with the respective accessibility standard. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.