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PDFMaker Accessibility = Hidden Layers?

Here’s an issue I have completely missed. If you enable accessibility and reflow in PDFMaker for Acrobat 7 and 8, you create a hidden layer.

pdfmaker

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While accessibility is great, creating hidden layers is not. Many large organizations have standards (including PDF/A) that forbid layers, even hidden and seemingly benign ones ones like accessibility.

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I’ve been able to create hidden layers in the PDFMaker for Acrobat 7 and 8 running inside Microsoft Word 2003. All you have to do is enable accessibility in PDFMaker.

Because the layer is hidden, it doesn’t show up in the Layers Navigation Panel. Your only clue is you have an active option to “flatten layers.” Once you tell Acrobat to flatten the layer, the PDF/A Preflight Profile and our own PDF Validator no longer report a hidden layer.

flattenlayeroptions

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Interestingly, in my tests the Full Accessibility Check in Acrobat 8 Pro returns the same results for the files with the hidden layer and after the file is flattened.


Let’s hope Adobe comes up a solution that doesn’t require us to choose between accessibility and meeting standards.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 8th, 2006 at 9:40 am and is filed under Acrobat Annoyances. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “PDFMaker Accessibility = Hidden Layers?”

  1. sebastianmc Says:
    November 10th, 2006 at 10:06 am

    Hi Carl

    I had come across this issue too and your blog now prompted me to have a brief look into it.
    The hidden layer generated by PDFMaker from MSPowerPoint is named ‘Background’ and contains the background elements form the ‘Master’ in the ppt. Apparently this hidden layer (OCG) is set to be visible and printable and thus is treated correctly if we’re flattening the laysers and nothing gets lost.
    IMHO this is a ‘hidden feature’ build into ealier versions of PDFMaker which now in Acrobat8 has been turned into an actual ‘new’ feature. As one uses PDFMaker in ppt with Acro8 the ‘Background’ layer is generated and displayed in the layers pallette, With this it’s possible to interactively switch it on and off for viewing and printing.
    If one genrates PDF/As though this ‘feature’ is switsched off and the resulting PDF does not have layers.

    Regards
    Sebastian

  2. leonardr Says:
    January 5th, 2007 at 11:56 am

    Carl

    I just tried this with Word 2003 and did NOT get any layers (hidden or otherwise) in my PDF.

    I then tried Excel 2003 and again, no layers (hidden or otherwise).

    With PowerPoint, I was asked about turning speakers note to text annotations ON A SEPARATE LAYER - but I chose not to do that. However, it did create a VISIBLE layer called background (as noted by Sebastian).

    If you are seeing a hidden layer, please send me a sample PDF.

    Leonard

  3. pdftrainer Says:
    January 5th, 2007 at 12:21 pm

    Hi Leonard,

    I’ve sent you some samples privately. Thanks for looking into this.

    I can consistently created these in MS Word when choosing Enable Accessibility and Reflow.

    We are also finding these hidden layers being generated by other applications as well.

    Sebastian, it is my understanding that PDF/A doesn’t permit layers, so valid PDF/A files would not contain them.

    Carl

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