Why axaio MadeToTag?

Adobe InDesign is ranked by many as the industry leading software for
page design and layout and for export of PDF files for print and digital media.

Adobe InDesign can create tables, footnotes, endnotes, table of contents,
hyperlinks and tags before exporting a document as an accessible PDF.

Adobe Indesign exports standard PDF output:

But due to shortage in Adobe InDesign, InDesign does not always
correctly export PDF output fully compliant with PDF/UA:

For this reason it’s worth looking into axaio MadeToTag that exports
accessible PDF output from Adobe InDesign much better.

axaio MadeToTag kicks in where Adobe InDesign fails!

axaio MadeToTag makes Adobe InDesign PDF documents
accessible for everyone according to the ISO Standard PDF/UA.

axaio MadeToTag is a plugin for Adobe® InDesign®
to properly prepare InDesign documents for export as
accessible PDF documents according to
the ISO Standard PDF/UA ("universally accessible PDF").

The exported PDF dokument contains all important criteria for
accessible PDF and also complies with PDF/A-2a for long-term archiving.

The PDFs created with MadeToTag are also compliant with the applicable
requirements of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (W3C/WCAG)
which were translated into rules for accessible PDFs.

axaio MadeToTag is an indispensable tool to export
accessible PDF documents out of comprehensive and
complex Adobe InDesign documents, such as
annual reports, stock exchange prospectus,...

axaio MadeToTag addresses a lot of the shortcomings of Adobe InDesign,
and adds the following enhanced capabilities:

• Significantly more powerful support for tagging of complex tables;
  including definition of scope and row headings in tables


• Create links in footnotes


• Locate common problems such as faux lists,
  empty paragraphs, and figures with no alt text


• Locate text with insufficient contrast


• Set the language of selected text


• PDF optimization


• ..., and much more

Files that are exported from within Adobe InDesign with
axaio MadeToTag are immediately PDF/UA compliant
without any further intervention after export.

axaio MadeToTag extends and enhances
Adobe InDesign’s basic capabilities

The MadeToTag plug-in defines the content and
semantic structure of the InDesign document based on tags.

PDF files can not only define the visual appearance of pages in
a document, but can also be enhanced by so-called "tags" that
define a semantic structure for the page content.

Content that has been organized into articles can be exported to
tagged PDF very easily. In addition to organizing the content
into articles, it is also necessary to assign standard tag types
to paragraph style sheets, to add alternate text to images.

MadeToTag extends and enhances Adobe InDesign’s basic capabilities
to structure content for export to a tagged PDF and takes advantage of
the "Articles" panel and makes it possible to use it in a much easier,
much faster and more reliable way.

MadeToTag provides intuitive controls and practical overview while working.
Instead of tedious manual dragging and dropping, MadeToTag allows you
to easily structure your Adobe InDesign files via shortcuts.

The manual revision step with Adobe Acrobat can be skipped,
tags no longer need to be revised / post-processed in Adobe Acrobat!
This leads to large time savings as well as improved and more reliable
navigation within the document in favor of reading software, for example.

axaio MadeToTag increases productivity effectively

With MadeToTag customers, faced with the request to
deliver accessible PDFs, get a practical and solid tool,
helping not to get lost in the complex accessibility
processing procedures.

For Adobe InDesign-based documents that have to be
maintained and updated regularly, such as datasheets,
brochures, annual reports, booklets, forms, timetables,...,
is it recommend to do the accessibility work in Adobe InDesign
complemented with he axaio MadeToTag plug-in,
rather than in the final exported PDF.

While it is possible to export to a tagged PDF using Adobe InDesign’s
built-in features, MadeToTag dramatically increases the productivity
for users creating universally accessible tagged PDFs (PDF/UA format)
from their Adobe InDesign documents.

Time-consuming problems with the PDF export feature of Adobe InDesign
are solved in the background by MadeToTag, without any user effort.

MadeToTag saves an enormous amount of time, helps avoiding errors,
eliminates tedious manual post-processing in Adobe Acrobat,
and delivers high-quality results.

MadeToTag provides its own tagged PDF export mechanism.
The MadeToTag tagged PDF export also carries out several
extra steps not otherwise available in Adobe InDesign.

Furthermore it fixes a number of critical bugs which are crucial
for generation of an accessible PDF document.

Key Features:

Intuitive visual tools and lots of keyboard shortcuts to:

• Define export tags for document styles.


• Structure content using articles.


• Practical color highlight check and review of the export tags.


• Correct tagging of lists, tables, links,
  tables of content and form fields.


• Use Structure Preview to intuitively and
  quickly check tagging quality.


• Edit/add alternate texts for images,
  graphic descriptions and document metadata.


• Allocation of languages used in the document
  for an enhanced language output.


• Easy tagging of complex tables by table rows and columns.


• Reliable processing of tags included in anchored frames,
  e.g. titles and lists.


• Check export tags with colored preview.


• Repair features for common problems as
  incorrectly defined lists, empty paragraphs, etc.


• Check for insufficient color contrast.


• Comfortable handling of interactive form fields.


• Tagging preview using callas pdfGoHTML technology
  for a quick tagging quality check.


• Control of language settings for paragraph,
  character styles and local formatings.


• Control of document metadata.


• Optimization of 'anchored frames' for export of tagged PDFs


• Export of complete Adobe InDesign books as tagged PDF


• Reliable and intuitive user interface flow.


• Keyboard shortcuts for quickest operation.


• Export optimized tagged PDF using callas pdfToolbox technology.


• Optimization of form fields.


• Export into tagged PDF based on the ISO standards:


• PDF/UA-1 (accessible PDF), or


• PDF/UA-1 & PDF/A-2a
  (PDF/A-2a, used for long-term archiving and
  preservation of accessible PDF)


• Preferred view of displayed PDF after export
  for a better user experience:


• 'View' - Default view of the PDF,
  (e.g. original size, fit page, etc., ...), or


• 'Layout' - Layout view,
  (e.g. facing sida, single page, spreads,. etc., ...)

Product Benefits:

• Extends the power of Adobe InDesign CC 2018 - CC 2024 / ID 2024.


• Accurate, fast and easy generation of tagged PDF/UA.
  Makes it very easy to make any Adobe InDesign file
  ready for accessibility.


• Observance of PDF/UA relevant document elements
  for accessible PDF generation.


• Create accessible documents in only 7 steps.


• Reliable results through built-in control checks.


• Reliable and comprehensive structuring and tagging of
  different content; such as headers, text, lists, etc.


• Allows reliable and comprehensive tagging of
  contents in a short amount of time.


• Problem locator identifies and automatically fixes problems
  usually encountered within Adobe InDesign such as
  incorrect hyphens, misplaced hard returns or
  incorrectly formatted lists.


• Locates images that don't have an alternative text,
  which is required for creating accessible PDFs.
  Missing alternative texts can be added within seconds.


• Color highlighting feature prevents missing or mis-tagged content.


• Tagging structure preview for better control.


• Optimized and intuitive user interface enables fast processing.


• Note! No rework in Adobe Acrobat needed.


• Certainty, to be prepared for upcoming, or already in place,
  official regulations on the availability of accessible documents:


• Optimal support for legal requirements for physically impaired
  people and for accessibility in the information technology
  (such as described in the German BGG, BITV and EU mandate 376).


• Improves your company’s Search Engine Optimization.

System Requirements:

• Adobe® InDesign® CC 2018 - CC 2024 / ID 2024 (V19.0).


• For macOS and Windows.


• Native support of Apple Mac/iMac M1 (ARM chip technology).


• MadeToTag is available in English, German, French,
  Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish.

This 7-step guide ensures that you do not miss out on any important action!

The MadeToTag User Interface (UI) is based on an easy
to follow 7-steps guide, which will lead you safely,
intuitively and logically through the necessary steps
you will need to take to generate a digitally accessible
PDF document according to the PDF/UA standard.

axaio MadeToTag helps tagging InDesign files in a user-friendly,
logically structured and intuitive way. Includes a very handy list of
shortcuts for quick and easy tagging, problem locators to avoid
mistakes and previews of collected or not collected articles for
a better overview increase the operator's productivity.

Graphical user-interface allows step-by-step guidance for creating
a universally accessible tagged PDF file (PDF/UA format).
This new user-friendly concept offers a better overview
of the necessary tasks and provides a higher level of
control and security.

axaio MadeToTag makes it easy to specify the intended
content reading order which in turn dramatically shapes
the reader's experience of the designed content.

Provides support and visual feedback to tag assignment of
semantic, reading order, alternative text for images and graphics,
language settings, advanced table tagging, and metadata.

Directly export to PDF/UA-1 format, or PDF/UA-1 & PDF/A-2a format.
Saves time and provides increased reliability and efficiency.

In the case of choosing PDF/UA-1 & PDF/A-2a as export file (Task 7 below),
the exported file will be a "PDF/UA-1 + PDF/A-2a" file,
the PDF/A-2a file is PDF/UA compatible too.

Tag PDF files with MadeToTag in 7 short steps

In only 7 steps (tasks) tagged PDF files can be created with
axaio MadeToTag from within Adobe InDesign:

• Task 1. Define export tags for correct semantic structure


• Task 2. Structure content into articles for correct reading order


• Task 3. Assign alternate text for images and graphics


• Task 4. Assign document metadata


• Task 5. Assign languages used in the document


• Task 6. Tagging of table content and structure


• Task 7. Create/Export tagged PDF file
  according to the ISO Standard PDF/UA

Detailed 7-steps guide:

• Step-by-Step-Guide - Popup-window for details

After having exported the PDF document from axaio MadeToTag (Task 7),
it is highly recommended to review the tagging structure in
the exported PDF document and its PDF/UA conformance with:

• "PDF/UA-Ready" software tools

Typical use case where native Adobe InDesign fails
is tagging of complex tables with headers spanning over
multi-columns and multi-rows:

It is not possible to tag above table in native Adobe InDesign.
In theory it could be tagged in Adobe Acrobat,
but it would take many, many hours at least.

MadeToTag and the "Smart Headers editing mode" feature
supports tagging of complex tables:

Using axaio MadeToTag plugin for Adobe InDesign and
the "Smart headers editing mode" feature, it only takes a few minutes
to correctly tag the same table, as evidenced by the pictures below:

See more on the "Tagging of Table Structures" feature here:

• Task 6. Table Structure,
  Review Table Structure

MadeToTag provides significant functional boost to better meet
the demand for accessible PDF documents and now supports
mathematical equations and expressions in tagged PDF/UA documents.

axaio software has been working extensively on how to handle
mathematical expressions in the context of MadeToTag.

There are users who need to export InDesign documents
containing a variety of equations and other mathematical
expressions as accessible PDF documents.

At the same time, the PDF/UA standard guidelines
do not yet contain any concrete specifications as to how
this type of content should be tagged or output in PDF
to ensure comprehensive accessibility.

After intensive research and discussions with customers
from various sectors, such as the science industry,
the school and education system and the publishing industry,
axaio software has come to the conclusion that there
cannot be only one correct approach:

The way mathematical content is consumed
varies in manner and intensity, depending on
the context and background of the reader,
i.e. the person who finally consumes that content.

Accordingly,
the methods used for the accessible implementation
of mathematical expressions in tagged PDF should also
offer different variants.

movemen MathTools brings MathML to Adobe InDesign

A first variant for MathML (Mathematical MarkUp Language)
support in MadeToTag was developed in a strategic cooperation
with the German manufacturer movemen GmbH.
movemen is the developer of MathTools,
an Adobe InDesign / InDesign Server plug-in.

MathML is a markup language that describes
the structure of a mathematical equation
in order to better understand its semantics.

MathTools provides a typographically correct way
to create and format mathematical expressions,
such as equations, directly in Adobe InDesign.

The equations are displayed as text and can be edited
directly with the text formatting tools in InDesign.
The workaround using embedded images or
objects can thus be avoided.

MathML support in axaio MadeToTag

MadeToTag users can now choose,
in Task 7 of MadeToTag’s output process,
to place the MathML as an annotation over
the mathematical expression (formulas, equations, fractions …)
in the PDF/UA.

The only requirement for taking advantage of this
new MadeToTag feature is that you are working with
equations that were previously set in InDesign with
the MathTools plugin from movemen GmbH.
Furthermore, MathTools must be licensed in the "Enterprise" version.

In order to use this feature in MadeToTag,
you need to set the check mark for "Create MathML annotations"
in processing Task 7: "Create Tagged PDF File".

The annotation will then automatically be placed over
all formulas contained in the document and contains
the corresponding MathML of the formula:

Contrary to equations which were included as embedded
images or objects, the equation's semantic structure is
furthermore available as MathML and can therefore be
better supported by assistive technologies.

As already mentioned, axaio software has set itself an objective:
implementing additional variants for representing mathematical
expressions in tagged PDF/UA in the near future.

See more on the "Create MathML-annotations" feature here:

• Task 7. Create tagged PDF file,
  Export Option: Create MathML annotations