Help

This guide explains how to create an accessible PDF with PDF Wire and how to check an existing one. For quick answers, see the FAQ.

On this page

1. Getting started
2. Creating a document
3. Adding content
4. Formatting
5. Fixing problems
6. Exporting your PDF
7. Saving and opening drafts
8. Checking an existing PDF
9. Keyboard shortcuts
10. Troubleshooting

Getting started

Open the editor in a current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. There’s nothing to install and no account to create. The home screen offers two choices:

• Create a new PDF: start a document from scratch.
• Check an existing PDF: open a PDF from your computer, or try the sample file.

You can also drag a PDF or a .pwj draft onto the page.

Creating a document

Select New and fill in the form:

Field	What to enter
Document title (required)	What the document is about, for example “Riverside Library Visitor Guide”. It appears in the PDF viewer’s title bar and is read out first.
Language (required)	The main language, for example English (Ireland) or Irish. Screen readers use it to choose the right voice.
Author	Optional. Stored in the PDF’s details.
Default font	Used for all text unless you change it. Atkinson Hyperlegible Next is a good choice for most documents.
Page size	A4 or US Letter.
Start from	A blank document, or a report outline with an introduction and three sections.

You can change these later from Edit document settings.

Adding content

Use the Insert toolbar. New content goes after the block you’ve selected, and screen readers read the PDF in the same order as your blocks. To change the order, select a block and use Move up or Move down.

Headings

Choose a level, then select Heading. Use one H1 for the title, H2 for main sections and H3 for sub-sections. Don’t skip levels, for example from H2 to H4: people who navigate by headings will think something is missing.

Paragraphs

Select Paragraph and type. Press Enter to start a new paragraph. Press Backspace in an empty paragraph to remove it.

Lists

Select List. Press Enter for a new item. Press Enter on an empty last item to finish the list. Choose bullets or numbering in the properties panel.

Images

Select Image and choose a picture. You’re then asked how it should be read:

• Informative: write alternative text that says what the image tells the reader. For a photo of a building’s entrance in a visitor guide, “Main entrance on Quay Street, with a ramp beside the steps” is more useful than “photo of a building”.
• Decorative: for images that add nothing to the meaning, such as a background pattern. Screen readers skip them.

Tables

Select Table. Use Tab to move between cells. In the properties panel, add rows and columns, and say whether the first row, the first column, or both contain headers. The screen reader preview shows how a row will be announced.

Formatting

Select a block to see its properties on the right. For text you can set the font, size, bold, italic, colour, alignment and line spacing. When you pick a colour, the contrast against the page is shown straight away. Normal text needs a ratio of at least 4.5 to 1, and large text needs 3 to 1.

Make a heading a real heading rather than large bold text. Size and weight don’t change how a screen reader treats it; the heading level does.

Fixing problems

The Checks before export panel lists anything that needs attention. Problems also show under the block they affect. Select a problem to go straight to it.

• Errors must be fixed before you can export, for example an image without alternative text.
• Warnings are worth reviewing but won’t stop you, for example alternative text that looks like a file name.

Exporting your PDF

Select Check & export PDF. If anything still needs fixing, you’ll see a list. Otherwise PDF Wire builds the PDF, checks it again, and offers Download PDF. Select View its tags to inspect the finished file.

Before publishing an important document, read your alternative text aloud to check it says what each image means. You can also run the PDF through veraPDF or PAC for a second opinion.

Saving and opening drafts

Your work is kept in your browser automatically. To keep a copy, select Save draft, which saves a .pwj file. Open it later with Open. Browser storage is cleared if you clear your browsing data, so save important drafts as files.

Checking an existing PDF

Select Open and choose a PDF. You’ll see:

• Tags: the structure screen readers use, page by page.
• The page: with outlines for each tagged block, reading-order numbers, and red dashed boxes around content screen readers can’t reach.
• Accessibility check: each problem with the WCAG criterion it relates to. Select one to see it on the page.

Some things can only be judged by a person, such as whether the reading order makes sense. Tick them off under Needs a human check, then select Accessibility report to download a summary. Existing PDFs can be checked but not yet edited.

Keyboard shortcuts

Everything in PDF Wire works with a keyboard. Press Tab to move between areas; the focused control always has a visible outline.

Where	Key	What it does
Heading or paragraph	Enter	Start a new paragraph
Empty heading or paragraph	Backspace	Delete the block
List item	Enter	New item; on an empty last item, end the list
Table cell	Tab / Shift+Tab	Next or previous cell
Table cell	Enter	Cell below
Dialogs	Esc	Close

Troubleshooting

Message or problem	What to do
“The chosen font can’t show: …”	The font doesn’t include that character. Choose another font for the block, or replace the character.
“Text contrast is … (needs 4.5:1)”	Choose a darker text colour. The contrast reading updates as you change it.
“Heading level skipped”	Change the heading level, or add the missing level above it.
“Too large to keep in this browser”	Usually caused by large images. Use Save draft to keep a file.
A PDF won’t open	Password-protected and badly damaged PDFs aren’t supported yet.
A .pwj download is refused	Some hosting setups only allow certain file types. Choose “Save as .json instead”; PDF Wire opens both.

Still stuck? Email [email protected] or report an issue on GitHub.