Checking any PDF against PDF/X and PDF/UA rules in Layout
File > Check a PDF in Layout by Zaweba checks any PDF against PDF/UA-1, PDF/X-1a, X-3, X-4 and PDF/A-2b rules and shows its structure tree.
Not every PDF that lands on your desk was made by you. Adverts arrive from agencies, inserts come from other designers, clients send their own artwork and ask if it is fine for print. File > Check a PDF in Layout by Zaweba lets you test any PDF against the common standards before it goes anywhere, whether Layout made it or not.
The standards it checks against
There are five sets of rules. PDF/UA-1 is the accessibility standard, concerned with tags, structure and the information assistive technology needs. PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3 and PDF/X-4 are the print exchange standards, each with its own expectations about colour, fonts and transparency. PDF/A-2b is the archiving standard, aimed at files that should still open and look the same years from now.
Choose the one that matches what the file is for. An advert for a magazine is usually checked against whatever PDF/X version the publication asks for. A public document is checked against PDF/UA. A record to be kept long term is checked against PDF/A.
Seeing the structure tree
Alongside the results, the check shows the PDF's structure tree: the tags that describe its headings, paragraphs, lists, tables and figures. For an accessible document, this is where you see whether the structure is really there. A PDF that looks perfect on screen but has an empty or flat structure tree won't serve a screen reader user well, and the tree makes that obvious in a way the page itself can't.
What the check is and what it isn't
The check is a useful self test, not a certification. Layout says so plainly: it is not a certified validator. It is good for catching the common problems, such as fonts that aren't embedded, colours in the wrong space for a print standard, or missing tags and alt text for accessibility, before a file goes out. Where a client, publisher or public body requires formal validation, that still needs to happen through whatever process they name.
Used that way, it saves round trips. Problems you find yourself are cheaper to fix than problems the printer finds.
Jobs it helps with
Checking supplied adverts is the most common one. A magazine or programme takes adverts from many sources, and checking each against the agreed PDF/X standard before placing it means problems are sent back to the supplier early.
Checking your own exports adds a second line of defence after Layout's live preflight. Preflight checks the document as you build it; Check a PDF checks the file that actually came out of export, which is what the printer receives.
Checking accessibility compliance on documents from others, such as a report written elsewhere that your organisation needs to publish, helps you decide whether it can go up as it is or needs rebuilding.
Checking old files before archiving shows whether a back catalogue of PDFs is fit to store as is.
Getting the most from the results
Read the problems in terms of the job. A file failing PDF/X-1a because it contains live transparency might be perfectly fine for a printer who asked for PDF/X-4. Check against the right standard, not the strictest one.
When your own export fails, go back to the document rather than trying to patch the PDF. Fix the cause in Layout, whether that's an RGB picture, a missing font or a missing alt text, and export again with the matching preset.
For accessibility, use the structure tree alongside the Reading order panel in your own documents. If the tree doesn't match the order you intended, the reading order needs attention.
Where checking fits in the export routine
A sensible finish to a job runs like this: clear live preflight, export with the right preset, then use Check a PDF on the file that came out. If it passes, package or send. If not, fix in the document and repeat. It takes a minute, and it is the last look before a file leaves your hands.
