What changes with PDF/UA-2?

PDF/UA-2 uses ISO 32000-2, or PDF 2.0, and was published in 2024. PDF 2.0 adds ways to describe structure, including Title, FENote and tag namespaces. This is more than a new number in metadata.

Sources: [1], [2]

The PDF version identifies the file format’s technical capabilities. The PDF/UA version identifies the accessibility standard to meet. A namespace identifies the vocabulary a structure type belongs to. These answer different questions and cannot substitute for one another.

A PDF 2.0 file can be inaccessible. It may also contain a familiar-looking tag whose interpretation depends on its namespace. Searching the file for the name H1 is therefore not sufficient to establish conformance.

A buyer needs to know which combination the supplier’s workflow can create, test and deliver. Request a sample containing the same kinds of material as the real delivery. A blank test page tells you almost nothing about notes, complex tables or multilingual text.

First establish what the recipient actually requires. Export a sample containing your hardest tables, notes, language changes and formulas. Check it with a validation profile for the correct standard and try the readers and assistive technologies that will be used.

A tool supporting PDF/UA-1 may not assess PDF/UA-2. Similarly, an application might open PDF 2.0 while only partly exposing its structure to assistive technology.

Make a small compatibility matrix with a row for source authoring, export, remediation, validation and reading. Record the version and the example each stage handled. Merely being able to open the file does not establish support for all the structure you use.

A contained document workflow with known recipients is a sensible place to begin. Keep a reviewed comparison example when changing versions. If reading behaviour changes, it helps distinguish document changes from software changes. One trial cannot justify a promise of compatibility with every screen reader.

PDF Association’s Well-Tagged PDF addresses structure for reuse and accessibility. Its accessibility conformance level aligns with PDF/UA-2. Use it as technical guidance while still identifying the requirements your delivery must meet.

Sources: [3]

A new standard edition does not mean every existing document needs immediate conversion. Consider the applicable requirement, its use and any known barriers. A version change is justified when it meets a real need and works through the delivery chain.

A major content revision can be a useful opportunity to evaluate a different technical target. For a completed, reviewed edition, conversion may introduce work without a meaningful reader benefit. Record the decision so that “older standard version” is not mistaken for “defective file”.