Re: Testing a PDF for Reflow

It does seem that Adobe Acrobat for mobile does attempt to use AI to make
PDF docs more “readable” on mobile, but I cannot find a good technical
overview. Maybe someone here can provide that.

On Fri, Jun 21, 2024 at 7:35 PM Benjamin Love <benjamin.james.love@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hi, Tom,
>
> What are you trying to “test” exactly? In a simplistic sense, reflow
> linearizes your PDF file based on the content order (e.g., removing
> multi-columnar layouts to single column).
>
> It cannot itself “correct” content order if your document has issues with
> reading order due to incorrectly ordered content. The effectiveness of the
> reflow feature in Acrobat relies on the accuracy of the source format that
> dictates the content order. A lot can occur in transforming to PDF from
> other systems, even Adobe products.
>
> You can use Acrobat’s features to readjust the reading order (tags order,
> reading order pane, etc.).
>
> If you can share the file and what you’re trying to test/achieve, I may be
> able to provide better help.
>
> Ben
>
> On Wed, Jun 19, 2024 at 3:01 AM Tom Shaw <tom-shaw@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> Hi all.
>>
>> I am looking for some guidance on exactly how to test for Reflow in a PDF
>> document. I always assumed it should be tested in Adobe using the Reflow
>> option rather than the browser.
>>
>> Adobe has the following guidance, but I am still not 100% sure after
>> reading the  advice below:
>> *Reflow a PDF*
>> You can reflow a PDF to temporarily present it as a single column that is
>> the width of the document pane. This reflow view can make the document
>> easier to read on a mobile device or magnified on a standard monitor,
>> without scrolling horizontally to read the text.
>> You cannot save, edit, or print a document while it is in Reflow view.
>> In most cases, only readable text appears in the reflow view. Text that
>> doesn’t reflow includes forms, comments, digital signature fields, and page
>> artifacts, such as page numbers, headers, and footers. Pages that contain
>> both readable text and form or digital signature fields don’t reflow.
>> Vertical text reflows horizontally.
>> Acrobat temporarily tags an untagged document before reflowing it. As an
>> author, you can optimize your PDFs for reflow by tagging them yourself.
>> Tagging ensures that text blocks reflow and that content follows the
>> appropriate sequences, so readers can follow a story that spans different
>> pages and columns without other stories interrupting the flow.
>> To quickly check the reading order of a document, view it in Reflow view.
>> (Acrobat Pro) If the tagged PDF doesn’t reflow the way you want, see if
>> the content order or reading order of the PDF file contains
>> inconsistencies. Also check the tagging process. You can use the Content
>> pane or the *Reading Order* tool to resolve reflow problems.
>>
>> Source:
>> https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/reading-pdfs-reflow-accessibility-features.html#reflow_a_pdf
>>
>> Adobe themselves say "...and the layout and formatting will always be
>> consistent with the original file." which sort of suggests it's a fixed
>> view, which is the point of PDF, so it seems to me like reflow is not
>> relevant for PDF?
>> Any help is appreciated!
>>
>> Thank you.
>>
>