If you’re trying to make a PDF accessible, you have to understand tags. To be brief, tags are the objects that tell assistive technology how to present your information to people who cannot see it. Each tag identifies the type of content and what information is stored inside. There are hierarchical tags that build structure and their are content tags that hold… content. Tags are also the key to navigation in a PDF and provide a blueprint for people who cannot visually discern what’s in the document. The following is a short list of the various types of Tags and how they are used in PDF.
Hierarchical Tags
Tag Name
Tag
Use
Parent Tag
Document
<Document>
Holds a complete document, should only be used once in a PDF
n/a
Part
<Part>
Major subdivision of a document
Document
Article
<Art>
Group of Content
Document, Part
Section
<Sect>
Section of Content
Document, Part, Art
Div
<Div>
Grouping element often used to indicate a common language for a group of tags, etcetera.
Document, Part, Art, Sect
Blockquote
<Blockquote>
One or more paragraphs quoted from another source.
Document, Part, Art, Sect
Table of Contents and Index
Tag Name
Tag
Use
Parent Tag
Table of Contents
<TOC>
Holds the Table of Contents in a document
Document, Part, Art, Sect
Table of Contents Entry
<TOCI>
Each entry in the Table of Contents should have its own TOCI tag.
