axaio software, developer of solutions for PDF output, print and editorial workflows, for the publishing and print market and for creating tagged, accessible PDF documents, today releases MadeToTag version 1.9.100, which has received a significant functional boost to better meet the demand for accessible PDF documents - the first version to support mathematical formulas and expressions in tagged PDF/UA.
MadeToTag annotation
For the last few months, axaio software has been working hard on how to best handle mathematical expressions in the context of MadeToTag. There are users who need to export InDesign documents as accessible PDF containing a variety of formulas and other mathematical expressions. At the same time, the PDF/UA standard regulations do not yet contain any concrete specifications as to how this type of content should be tagged or output in the PDF to ensure comprehensive accessibility.
After intensive research and discussions with customers from various fields, such as science, the school and education system, or the publishing industry, the conclusion was reached that there can be no one correct approach: Absorption of mathematical content varies in nature and intensity depending on the context and background of the reader, i.e. the person who ultimately consumes the content. Accordingly, the methodology for the barrier-free implementation of mathematical formulas in the tagged PDF should also have different variants.
Strategic partnership with manufacturer movemen
Through the strategic cooperation with the German manufacturer movemen, a first variant for MathML (Mathematical MarkUp Language) support in MadeToTag was developed, which we are announcing today.
The company movemen is developer of an Adobe InDesign/InDesign Server plug-in called MathTools. MathTools provides a typographically clean way to create and format mathematical expressions, such as formulas, directly in Adobe InDesign. The formulas are displayed as text and can be designed directly using the text formatting tools in InDesign. The detour via embedded images or objects is thus avoided.
MathML support in MadeToTag
MathML (Mathematical MarkUp Language) is a markup language that describes the structure of a mathematical formula in order to better understand the semantics. With version 1.9.100 of MadeToTag, you can now select in the MadeToTag output process that the MathML is placed as an annotation over the mathematical expression (formulas, equations, fractions, etc.) in PDF/UA. The prerequisite for this is that you are working with formulas that were previously set in InDesign with MathTools from movemen. To do this, check the box 'Create MathML annotations' in MadeToTag step 7 'Create PDF file with tags' and the annotation will then be automatically placed over all formulas contained in the document:
MadeToTag UI
In contrast to formulas in embedded images/objects, the semantic structure of the formula is still available as MathML and is therefore better supported by assistive technologies.
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