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Convert PDF to PDF/UA

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This guide shows how to convert a standard PDF document to PDF/UA (Universal Accessibility) with the Nutrient Native SDK.

PDF/UA is an ISO standard for accessible PDF documents. It helps assistive technologies interpret document content, structure, and reading order.

Conversion features

The SDK supports PDF/UA conversion with:

  • ISO 14289-1 conformance targets
  • Assistive technology compatibility
  • Tagged structure generation
  • Document navigation structure
  • Accessibility-focused output validation

Project setup

Install:

  • The core Nutrient Native SDK package
  • GdPicture.Resources for PDF/UA conversion support

Prepare the project

Register the SDK license before running conversion operations. For setup details, refer to the getting started with .NET SDK guide.

using GdPicture14;


LicenseManager licence = new LicenseManager();
licence.RegisterKEY(""); // Set your license key

Load the PDF document

Create a GdPicturePDF instance and load the source file:

using GdPicturePDF pdf = new GdPicturePDF();
pdf.LoadFromFile(@"input.pdf");

Convert to PDF/UA

Convert the loaded document to PDF/UA-1:

pdf.ConvertToPDFUA(@"output.pdf", PdfConversionConformance.PDF_UA_1);

PDF/UA requirements addressed

During conversion, the SDK generates or enforces:

  • Logical document structure
  • Tagged content for assistive technologies
  • Reading order metadata
  • Text alternatives for non-text elements
  • Compatible document navigation

Run accessibility checks

After conversion, validate the output with:

  • Accessibility validators for PDF/UA
  • Screen reader testing
  • Manual checks for reading order and tagging
  • Keyboard navigation checks for interactive content

Handle errors

In production, validate:

  • Input file availability and format
  • Operation status after load and conversion calls
  • Output conformance with your validation toolchain

For status-handling patterns, refer to the handling errors with .NET SDK guide.

Compliance context

PDF/UA conversion supports compliance workflows for:

  • ADA-related accessibility requirements
  • Section 508 requirements
  • WCAG-aligned document accessibility programs
  • EN 301 549 accessibility requirements

Conclusion

This workflow converts a PDF file to PDF/UA format so assistive technologies can interpret document structure and content.