How to Prevent FormXObject Folders in Tagged InDesign PDFs
Question details
The user is looking to prevent InDesign from wrapping text frames in FormXObject folders during PDF export, which disrupts the PDF accessibility tag structure.
- Product
- Adobe InDesign / PDF
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Exporting tagged PDFs for accessibility testing, particularly when using two-column layouts.
- Observed behavior
- The exported PDF's tag tree contains unwanted FormXObject folders around text frames, complicating accessibility compliance checks.
Before making structural adjustments to your tags, ensure you have a backup of the original InDesign document and install a PDF accessibility checker to verify tag validity after edits.
Review and Adjust PDF Tag Structure in Acrobat
Safely manage and extract text content from unwanted FormXObject containers within the exported PDF's tag tree.
When InDesign exports complex layouts, it sometimes uses FormXObjects to preserve formatting. Rather than preventing them entirely, you can manually fix the tag structure to ensure screen readers can process the document correctly.
Open your exported PDF in Adobe Acrobat. From the left navigation pane, open both the 'Tags' panel and the 'Content' panel to view the logical structure.
Expand the tag tree to find the FormXObject folders that enclose your text frames. Select them to highlight the corresponding content on the page.
Instead of deleting the folder outright, click and drag the actual text tags (child elements) out of the FormXObject container and place them in the proper reading order within the parent tag.
Once the text is safely moved, you can delete the now-empty FormXObject tags. Test the resulting PDF structure using PAC (PDF Accessibility Checker) to confirm the reading order remains valid.
Update Software and Use Alternate Export Presets
Mitigate tagging errors by keeping software up-to-date and using specialized PDF export settings.
Try WPS Office for Seamless Document and PDF Management
If you are looking for an intuitive way to handle everyday document creation, conversion, and PDF reading without complex accessibility tagging issues, WPS Office offers a lightweight and powerful solution.
- 1. Download and Install: Visit the official WPS Office website to download the free application and install it on your computer.
- 2. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Office and open your text documents, spreadsheets, or PDFs directly from the main dashboard.
- 3. Edit and Convert: Use the integrated PDF editor to modify your documents, or convert them back to Word format for easy layout adjustments.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a FormXObject in a PDF?
A FormXObject is a structural container within a PDF file, typically used to group graphical elements, background elements, or complex text frames. In accessibility tags, they can sometimes disrupt the intended logical reading order.
Why does InDesign create FormXObject folders for two-column layouts?
During export, InDesign's engine may misinterpret complex text threading or multi-column text boxes. To preserve the visual formatting and layout integrity, it wraps these sections in FormXObjects, occasionally at the expense of a clean tag structure.
Can I simply delete the FormXObject tags in Acrobat?
No. If you delete the FormXObject tag directly while it still contains text tags, you will remove that text from the document's accessibility tree entirely. You must move the child text tags out of the folder first before deleting it.
What is PAC in the context of PDF accessibility?
PAC stands for PDF Accessibility Checker. It is a specialized tool used to evaluate whether a PDF meets universal structural and accessibility standards, ensuring that the tag tree can be properly navigated by screen readers.
