Instructional Support

PDF Remediation: Fixing Common Issues

Table of Contents

Fixing “Document is Scanned” or “PDF is Untagged” Issues

Both these issues relate to problems with the “data layer” of the PDF. Either there isn’t one, or it is too limited to be useful.

  • From the Accessibility Report, under review issues in the right side bar, click “Fix Issue”
  • Choose a conversion format:
    1. OCR Overlaid Tagged PDF: Adds searchable text over the original scan – (NOT RECOMMENDED)
    2. OCR Reconstructed Tagged PDF: Extracts text and builds a new searchable PDF, good for simple text; Rebuilds the document for better readability – Recommended!
  • Click “Add Change”.
  • Under “Update Document,” click “Apply Changes”.

Retagging a PDF

To fix the reading order for screen readers, you can retag a PDF. If you need to retag a PDF, we do not recommend using PDF Remediation and instead using the Alternative Formats and Accessibility Report to generate a new OCR Reconstructed Tagged PDF to replace your original PDF.

  1. Use the Alternative Formats Menu and choose “OCR Formats”.
  2. Then, select “OCR Reconstructed Tagged PDF” > “Generate” and download the new file to your computer.
  3. Return to the Alternative Formats Menu and click “View” to access the Accessibility Report main menu.
  4. On the Accessibility Report, click the “Choose Media” link and choose the OCR Reconstructed Tagged PDF that you generated in the previous steps.
  5. Click the “Update” button to complete the replacement process and reprocessing via Panorama.

Reading Order Issues

Incorrect reading order affects comprehension for users of accessibility tools.

  1. In the Accessibility Report, click “Launch” for PDF Structural Remediation.
  2. Drag and drop content to reorganize the reading order.
  3. Click “Save Changes”.

Heading Structure Exceeds Six Levels

A heading structure deeper than six levels can indicate a lack of focus and make navigation difficult.

  1. In the Accessibility Report, click “Launch” for PDF Structural Remediation.
  2. Find the element exceeding six heading levels, click the “More Actions” icon, and select “Edit”.
  3. Choose a new heading level (Heading 1 to Heading 6) from the “Type” field.
  4. Click “Update,” then “Save Changes”.

Heading Structure Does Not Start at Level 1

The first heading in a document should be Heading 1 for proper structure and readability.

  1. In the Accessibility Report, click “Launch” for PDF Structural Remediation.
  2. Find the element that should be the first heading, click “More Actions,” and select “Edit”.
  3. Select “Heading 1” in the “Type” field.
  4. Click “Update,” then “Save Changes”.

Document Has No Headings

Missing headings make it hard for users to navigate or find information. Heading tags should be added to help assistive technologies differentiate sections.

  1. In the Accessibility Report, click “Launch” for PDF Structural Remediation.
  2. Find a content element that should be a heading, click “More Actions,” and select “Edit”.
  3. Select the appropriate heading level from the “Type” field (use Heading 1 if it’s the first heading).
  4. Click “Update” and repeat for other content elements that need to be headings.
  5. Click “Save Changes” after adding all heading levels.

Document Language Not Set

Setting a document language improves accessibility for tools like screen readers.

  1. In the Accessibility Report, click “Launch” for PDF Structural Remediation.
  2. Locate the “Document” element (or a specific element if setting its language), click “More Actions,” and select “Edit”.
  3. Choose the desired language from the “Language” drop-down menu.
  4. Click “Save,” then “Save Changes”.