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Re: how to generate PDF/UA documents (or when rather)

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From: Duff Johnson
Date: Jul 10, 2012 7:26AM

Birkir,

> PDF/UA is one exciting son of a gun, and is up there on the scale with
> world peace and being able to buy a dark chocolate kit kat chocolate
> bar in American grocery stores.


Yes, PDF/UA is not exactly the Higgs Boson, but on the other hand, it's going to be a lot more useful than the Higgs Boson! (ok, apart from making the universe possible and all that boring stuff).

Ok, enough of my pre-caffinated humor. Some answers to your questions...

> I wanted to start presenting on it for some Icelandic government
> agencies, that create forms of all sorts, but there is a snag.
> How would it be possible to generate PDF/UA documents, and when will
> that be possible.

First, it's important to recognize that ISO 14289 isn't QUITE published yet! This should happen in the next 3 months or so (it's up to ISO, and they don't tell me). Until that happens, only the relevant ISO and AIIM committees have access to the text.

I think it's safe to say that there will (eventually) be a variety of tools that support PDF/UA. For example, Adobe Systems has announced their intention to support the new standard:

http://blogs.adobe.com/accessibility/2012/05/wcag-2-0-and-pdfua.html

I don't think it's much of a secret that NetCentric plans to support PDF/UA via it's CommonLook line of products, and of course, it's been announced that NV Access is working towards PDF/UA conformance in NVDA. Other efforts, including a PDF/UA version of the Access for All's PDF Accessibility Checker, are also in development at this time.

Timeframe is a good question, and not the easiest to answer. I think I want to say: "months, not years".

The PDF Associations's PDF/UA Competence Center is hard at work right now developing a variety of materials including demonstration PDF/UA documents, which we hope to have ready before the standard actually publishes. (full disclosure: I'm the vice-chair of the PDF Association in addition to my PDF/UA work).

> I will get a lot of questions regarding source software or CMS, I know
> in Iceland they use Adobe Lifecycle extensively, but what about using
> Office and exporting documents to PDF/UA?

As I've said, I can tell you that we (NetCentric) plan to support PDF/UA. I cannot speak for other companies, but I do know of several who are working towards this objective as well.

> Basically, is this something to tell people about now, or will it only
> be available next year, or through a complex combination of software?

I think it's fair to advise people that "PDF/UA is coming". As above, I believe it will be a matter of "months, not years" before there's commercially-available software support for PDF/UA.

> Of course there is the screen reader compatibility angle as well, but
> we'll explore that bridge when we get there.

That's why we're working with NV Access to help make NVDA conform with PDF/UA! For those who want to help, PLEASE support NV Access in general (you can donate directly) OR support the PDF Association's project to help fund NVDA:

http://www.access-for-all.ch/en/pdf-lab/nvda-goes-pdfua.html

Best regards,

Duff Johnson

President, NetCentric US (Creators of CommonLook)
ISO 32000 Intl. Project Co-Leader, US Chair
ISO 14289 US Chair
PDF Association Vice-Chair

Office: +1 617 401 8140
Mobile: +1 617 283 4226
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www.commonlook.com