Task 7: Create tagged PDF file

Although Adobe InDesign features a number of built-in options for exporting a tagged PDF, MadeToTag offers its own functionality along the same lines.

As part of this process, MadeToTag performs a series of unique processing steps which are not available in Adobe InDesign in the same form:

Among other things, it resolves certain errors in InDesign’s export function for tagged PDFs and optimizes the exported tagged PDF, for example, by removing empty paragraphs from the content structure, marking all objects not contained within the content structure as artifacts, and setting the PDF/UA identifier.

Export presets

Similar to the Adobe PDF presets in InDesign, MadeToTag offers its own export presets for PDF creation. Presets can be created in Task 7, which can then be accessed before each output. Customised presets for different projects provide more control and flexibility when creating PDFs. For example, a special preset can be created for regular PDF outputs of a specific publication. The preset option is also interesting for regular outputs with different image resolutions.

"General" Options

  1. Select the Page range to be exported.
  2. Export the document as Spreads (rather than as pages).
  3. You can specify whether to export the PDF in line with the accessible PDF/UA standard only or also as a PDF/A-2a for document archiving. PDF/A-2a files are also PDF/UA compliant.
  4. View PDF after export lets you specify whether to open the file in a PDF viewer after export.
  5. Here you can specify whether MadeToTag should output a single file (Document) or a selectable InDesign Book. This option is only visible when at least one book file is open. Else, MadeTag just exports the front document.
  6. Click Create PDF to export the tagged PDF as a PDF/UA or PDF/A-2a file in line with your chosen settings.

"Compression" Options

  1. Image compression lets you specify a range of image data settings (target resolution, type and quality of compression.)

"Advanced" Options

  1. With the Optimize anchored frames option, MadeToTag prevents rastering of text in complex anchored frames during export, as will happen with the standard settings activated. Rastering results in the loss of text content and tag information. MadeToTag removes the anchoring during export and simultaneously places the frames in their original positions.
  2. Optimize table of contents. This option improves tagging for the table of contents generated by Adobe InDesign.
  3. Link footnotes will create a link on the footnote reference to the actual footnotes for easier "navigation".
  4. When working with MathTools, you can opt in to create MathML annotations.
  5. Optimize form fields lets you select a specific form field template PDF file (for more on this, see the next chapter).
  6. Since version 2.6.118, MadeToTag lets you choose the initial view settings for the PDF. You can set the default view (e.g. "Fit Page", "Fit Width") and the layout (e.g. "Two-Up"). Additionally, you can choose if the Booksmarks panel should be shown in the PDF viewer.
  7. Struktur auf vordefinierte Typen reduzieren: Diese  Option bewirkt, dass die Tags im PDF nicht mehr so benannt sind wie die  benutzerdefinierten Absatzformate (und dann per Rolemap auf P, H1, gemappt werden), sondern ausschließlich die vordefinierten Typen verwendet werden, also P, H1 und weitere.

Edit list of export presets

  1. To create an export preset, all settings are first made and then saved using the "Save" button. In the next step, a unique default name is assigned to add the preset to the selection list.

The presets list can be edited under the "Export presets" entry in the flyout menu. Presets can be saved, renamed and deleted here. It is also possible to export and import presets.

The presets created are saved in the "presets.json" file in the user library. To remove all presets from MadeToTag, this file can be deleted under the following path:

Mac version
/Users/<username>/Library/Preferences/axaio software/Adobe InDesign 19/MadeToTag

Windows version
%APPDATA%\axaio software\Adobe InDesign 19\MadeToTag

Optimize form fields

The Optimize form fields option can be selected if a user already has its own form field template PDFs in use or wants to create them beforehand. If Optimize form fields is enabled, a dedicated form field template PDF must be selected accordingly, to be used by MadeToTag.

For each form field in this template PDF with the same name as a form field in the InDesign document, the properties of this template PDF form field will be copied over to the corresponding form field for the InDesign PDF file to be exported.

To create a template PDF, it is advisable to export it once from the InDesign document together with the required form fields.

Next, open the exported PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro and apply the form field tool with the desired settings. The optimized PDF document can then be saved as a PDF template.

To find the template PDF folder, click on the drop-down menu next to the Optimize form fields option and select Manage. This will open the folder containing the template PDFs.

When adding form fields to a PDF file with the goal of using the PDF as a template, you can use all available settings within Adobe Acrobat Pro (from text design to text field design options such as the maximum number of characters, actions, formatting options, validation or formulae).

The only properties that will never be overwritten by MadeToTag are the form field name and its position on the page. All other properties will be derived from the template PDF.

After exporting a tagged PDF, it is advisable to check the content structure of the file one more time using the free callas pdfGoHTML plug-in. callas pdfGoHTML requires Acrobat 9, X or XI on Mac or Windows. It was developed as a joint project between callas software and axaio software and is available to download for free at https://www.callassoftware.com/en/products/pdfgohtml.

Create MathML Annotations


In MadeToTag step 7 'Create PDF file with tags' you can now check the box 'Create MathML annotations'. An annotation is automatically placed over all formulas contained in the document and contains the corresponding MathML of the formula.

Since version 1.9.100 MadeToTag can create MathML Annotations inside the PDF/UA. The only requirement for this is that you work with formulas that were created in InDesign using MathTools from movemen. Furthermore, MathTools must be licensed in the "Enterprise" version.

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