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Topic: RE: Making a pdf readable aloud (Via Email)
Conf: (P-PDF) PDF Accessibility, Msg: 140456
From: Duff_Johnson
Date: 10/3/2005 10:30 PM

> I have a long (free) pdf on a dedicated website, for which
> readers regularly ask me why Acrobat Reader do not read it
> aloud properly.

Is the PDF file tagged?

> It is a pdf created from latex, includes formulas, page
> headers, and ligatures. These are the three biggest hurdles.
> Who could I ask (or which web site could I consult) to start
> working on the topic?

Well, you've come to a good place for questions and answers. In
general, you need to tag the PDF file using Acrobat 7.0 Professional in
order to get good performance from the Read Aloud function.

++ Formulas will, in general, require alternate text so a "narrative"
description of the formula is offered at that point in the text.
++ Page headers should, in general, be excluded from tags so they are
not read aloud
++ Ligatures need to be addressed in the tags, generally with "actual
text" to represent the ligature, although there are other ways to do it.

The point is that the solution is tagging... manually-assisted tagging
that is. You won't find automated solutions for these issues. You can
find the basic "how tos" of tagging in the Acrobat Help file - I'd start
there.

Duff Johnson
Document Solutions, Inc.
http://www.document-solutions.com