Adobe PDFMaker and Accessibility

Adobe PDFMaker and Accessibility

Adobe PDFMaker is widely used to create PDFs from Microsoft Word. Because it can generate tagged PDFs automatically, many organizations assume that PDFMaker produces fully accessible documents.

In practice, this assumption leads to frequent accessibility failures.

This article explains what Adobe PDFMaker does correctly, where accessibility breaks down, and why documents created with PDFMaker still require verification.

What is Adobe PDFMaker?

Adobe PDFMaker is an add-in for Microsoft Word that converts Word documents into tagged PDFs. Unlike basic “Save as PDF” methods, PDFMaker attempts to preserve document structure during conversion.

When used correctly, PDFMaker can:

• Transfer headings into PDF tags

• Preserve lists and tables

• Generate an initial tag tree

• Create bookmarks based on headings

These features make PDFMaker a better starting point than most PDF export options.

Does Adobe PDFMaker create accessible PDFs?

PDFMaker can produce partially accessible PDFs, but it does not guarantee compliance with accessibility standards such as WCAG or PDF/UA.

Common issues remain even when PDFMaker is used correctly, including:

• Incorrect or incomplete tagging

• Improper reading order

• Missing or incorrect metadata

• Decorative elements announced to screen readers

• Inconsistent table structure

PDFMaker automates structure transfer—it does not validate accessibility.

Common PDFMaker accessibility problems we see

In accessibility audits, documents created with PDFMaker often fail for reasons unrelated to conversion quality.

Typical issues include:

• Headings styled visually but not defined semantically in Word

• Lists created with manual formatting instead of list styles

• Tables missing header associations

• Images lacking meaningful alternative text

• Language settings missing or incorrect

PDFMaker cannot fix issues that originate in the Word file itself.

Why Word structure matters before conversion

Accessibility begins in the source document.

PDFMaker relies entirely on Word’s underlying structure. If headings, lists, tables, or language settings are not defined correctly in Word, those errors are transferred directly into the PDF.

For example:

• Bold text does not equal a heading

• Manual spacing does not create reading order

• Visual formatting does not convey meaning to assistive technologies

This is why documents that “look fine” frequently fail accessibility checks.

Why PDFMaker alone is not enough

Even when a document is well-structured in Word, PDFMaker does not:

• Validate WCAG success criteria

• Confirm PDF/UA compliance

• Test assistive technology behavior

• Identify contextual or usability issues

Accessibility checkers and manual testing are still required to confirm compliance.

In regulated environments, documents created with PDFMaker are typically reviewed, corrected, and verified before being published or submitted.

Conclusion

Adobe PDFMaker is a valuable tool for creating structured PDFs, but it is not an accessibility solution by itself. Documents created with PDFMaker frequently fail accessibility audits due to structural, metadata, and usability issues that automation cannot detect.

Organizations that rely on PDFMaker should treat it as the first step, not the final step, in producing accessible documents.

Accessibility Testing Note

Documents created with PDFMaker are often tested as part of accessibility reviews to confirm WCAG and PDF/UA compliance before public release or procurement submission.