Understanding PDF Accessibility: Screen Readers and SPAN Tags
Question details
Understanding how screen readers handle SPAN tags in PDFs and the differences between logical tag reading order and architectural page order.
- Product
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Creating or optimizing PDF documents to ensure they meet accessibility standards for screen readers and assistive technologies.
- Observed behavior
- Users need clarity on structural elements to ensure assistive technologies read PDF content in the intended sequence without being hindered by excessive SPAN tags.
Ensure you have access to an advanced PDF authoring tool that allows you to view, modify, and manage the document's structural Tags panel and reading order.
Manage SPAN Tags for Screen Readers
Screen readers generally ignore SPAN tags. Managing them properly ensures a cleaner tag structure for assistive technologies.
Generally, SPAN tags are ignored by screen readers and other assistive technologies as structural elements, though they might carry supplementary information.
If your PDF contains an excessive number of SPAN tags, it usually indicates a potential issue with how the PDF was originally created or exported. Good document construction techniques should produce relatively few SPAN tags.
Check the source software (e.g., Word processor or design tool) used to generate the PDF to ensure proper heading and paragraph styles were applied before exporting.
Open the Tags panel in your advanced PDF editor and navigate through the structure tree to look for unnecessary SPAN tags that clutter the document.
If possible, clean up the tags by replacing excessive SPAN tags with appropriate structural tags like paragraphs (P) or headings (H1, H2) to improve screen reader processing.
Align Logical Tag Tree and Architectural Page Order
Aligning both the logical tag reading order and the architectural page order guarantees compatibility across all modern and older assistive technologies.
Create and Manage Standard PDFs with WPS Office
WPS Office provides robust PDF tools to help you create, edit, and export well-structured PDF documents. Whether you need to adjust formatting, edit text, or ensure your files are universally compatible, WPS PDF makes the process seamless and highly efficient.
- 1. Launch WPS Office: Open WPS Office and import your source document or existing PDF file from the home screen.
- 2. Edit PDF Content: Navigate to the 'Edit' tab within the PDF interface to modify text, adjust images, and format the document cleanly.
- 3. Export as Standard PDF: If you are working from a document, click 'Menu', go to 'Export to PDF', and save the file to generate a standard, accessible PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my PDF have an excessive number of SPAN tags?
An excessive number of SPAN tags usually occurs due to poor formatting techniques in the source document or incorrect export settings. To prevent this, thoroughly review the source file's formatting and ensure it uses proper paragraph and heading styles before exporting to PDF.
What is the difference between PDF tags and architectural page order?
PDF tags define the logical reading order used by modern screen readers and assistive technologies under the PDF/UA-1 specification. Architectural page order, on the other hand, is based on the sequence in which objects were placed or stacked on the page, and is primarily used by older technologies and mobile reflow tools.
Does Acrobat Reflow use the tag tree for reading order?
No, tools like Acrobat Reflow primarily rely on the architectural page order (the structural stacking order of objects) rather than the logical tag tree. This is why it is highly recommended to organize both the tag tree and the architectural order correctly for maximum compatibility.
