Updated:

PDF Scan Results

by Jay Pope

Pope Tech PDF Scanning in Canvas LMS is powered by GrackleDocs PDF Testing engine which uses the PDF/UA standard for its tests.

Before you get started

  • PDF Scanning is an add-on that can be purchased for your account. For more information contact your account representative or support.
  • After purchasing PDF Scanning you will need to rescan websites to see the new results.

Pope Tech Results

Once a PDF scan happens the generic “Link to PDF document” result is converted to one of 5 PDF Results.

  1. Error: Link to untagged PDF
  2. Error: Link to PDF with errors
  3. Alert: Link to PDF with alerts
  4. Feature: Link to PDF with no detectable issues
  5. Alert: Link to unscanned PDF

A “Link to untagged PDF” means it has no semantic structure which would provide meaning to content for screen readers. This is often the highest priority of PDF result to fix.

A “Link to a PDF with errors” means that the scanned PDF has at least 1 PDF/UA error. A “Link to a PDF with alerts” means it has no errors but at least 1 Alert.

If no detectable issues are present it is turned into a Feature result that is called “Link to PDF with no detectable issues”.

If Pope Tech is unable to scan the PDF it is converted to “Link to unscanned PDF”. Sometimes this is because the PDF doesn’t exist at the url linked to, Pope Tech was blocked accessing the PDF, the file size is too Large or Pope Tech was unable to scan the document for any other reason.

For specifics on which Errors and Alerts were found by the scan you can drill into the PDF Scan Details Itemized Report.

How to fix a PDF for Accessibility

PDF Accessibility can be a challenge, there are multiple ways to fix it depending on your situation. Below are possibilities in order from easiest to hardest.

  1. Remove the PDF or convert to a Canvas Page (When to use HTML webpages instead of PDFs).
  2. Fix issues in the source file or Create a new accessible document with Word Doc.
  3. Remediate PDF with Adobe Acrobat Pro or another PDF tool.

PDF Scan Detail

At the top of the PDF Scan Detail is metadata or information such as the PDF title, file size, document language, how many pages in the PDF, when it was last edited and who and what program.

Not all of this information is saved on every PDF but can be useful for prioritization. For example if a PDF hasn’t been edited for 12 years it might be an opportunity to remove the PDF or convert it to a Canvas page instead of remediating the PDF.

Automated Report Details

The automated Report Details consists of an Automated Score out of 10 and Itemized Report.

It is important to understand automated and manual testing work best together. Automated testing alone can’t determine that a PDF is accessible. Manual review or remediation are required to ensure optimal accessibility and usability.

Automated Score, what does it mean?

The Automated Score is a weighted score based on number of issues and issue severity. A score of 10 would mean that there are no detectable issues or best practices. A score above 9 means there are very few detectable issues in relation to the complexity of the PDF.

For many use cases the Pope Tech Result and the Scan Details metadata and Automated Score will give you enough information to decide how which option and how to prioritize the PDF. If you want the specific details the Itemized Report can be helpful.

Itemized Report

To understand the Itemized Report it is import to have some familiarity with the PDF/UA Standard

PDF/UA Standard

PDF/UA stands for “PDF Universal Accessibility.” It is an international accessibility standard published as ISO 14289 that defines how to build PDF documents so people with disabilities can use them effectively.

WCAG defines accessibility requirements. PDF/UA defines how to technically build a PDF so those requirements can actually be met.

Checkpoint Summary

The PDF test checkpoints will return a green checkmark icon to indicate Passed status, red circle with a line through it indicating an Error or an orange triangle indicating an Alert. The top of the Itemized Report contains a summary of all checkpoints and how many have errors/alerts or passed.

The Itemized Report also contains nested categories that contain specific checkpoints checked as part of the scan.

Itemized Report Categories

Grackle tests and results are organized into 3 main categories:

  • Basic Requirements
  • Logical Structure
  • Metadata and Settings

These categories then have sub categories.

Basic Requirements

  • Content
  • Embedded Files
  • Fonts
  • ISO 32000-1
  • Natural Language

Logical Structure

  • Alternative Description
  • Role Mapping
  • Structure Elements
  • Structure Tree

Metadata and Settings

  • Document Settings
  • Metadata

Underneath these categories are specific Result Checkpoints and Result Descriptions.

Example Result Checkpoint

  • Category: Basic Requirements
    • Sub Category: Natural Language
      • Checkpoint: Natural language of text objects on pages
      • Result Description: Natural language not specified

Natural language not specified means the document does not declare the language. Assistive technology relies on that metadata to interpret text correctly.

Every PDF should identify the language used for its text. Usually this is something like en, es, fr, or de. Screen readers use it to pick the correct pronunciation rules, voice, and reading behavior. This can be set in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat Pro before exporting as a PDF.

Without a defined language, a screen reader may mispronounce words, read numbers incorrectly, or fail to switch voices for multilingual content.

Typical causes

  • Exported from Word, InDesign, or another authoring tool without language configured
  • Language set visually in the source file but not mapped into the PDF tag structure
  • Tagged PDF created, but metadata step skipped