Placed pdf loses interactivity features and accessibility tags.
When PDFs are placed into an InDesign layout and then the entire layout is exported to PDF, the placed PDFs are converted to <Figure> tags in the final PDF.
There are many time when designers must incorporate an existing PDF into their documents, such as:
-- Multi-page PDF of an existing document.
-- A pre-made PDF AcroForm
-- In annual reports, an official letter from a president, commissioner, or other authority.
-- In financial reports, the required letter from the accounting firm as well as the financial balance sheets.
In these above cases, the placed PDFs are official documents that can't be rebuilt in InDesign. They are already in the PDF format, accessible, and with other interactive features such as hyperlinks or form fields.
But at this time, all of that is lost and the PDF becomes a static <Figure> with unreadable and inaccessible text. Alt-text is limited to 200-300 characters, so it can't be used to describe, for example, the pro-forma letter from the accounting firm that did the organization's audit.
Suggested solution:
As the designer is placing the PDF into the layout, they need to select whether a) the PDF is a graphic, or b) the PDF is a live document with interactive and accessibility features that must be maintained.
If a) then it's correct to be tagged as <Figure> in the resulting PDF (this is what we now have).
If b) then it must retain the live text, <Tags>, hyperlinks, buttons, and form fields and pass this information into the resulting PDF.
We find this situation a lot in government, academic, nonprofit, and corporate publications. See a recent post in the Adobe Community Forums at https://community.adobe.com/t5/InDesign/Export-issue-Placed-interactive-PDF-then-exporting-entire-doc-to/m-p/10680659#M157346
Sure hope this can be done!
Bevi Chagnon
shared this idea
Hi,
What all things would you like PDF to retain? (alt text, tags and what else?)
Currently when PDF is imported, its imported as a single graphic.
Would you want the tags and alt text to be mapped to their correct assets in InDesign? and those tags and alt text be also editable from within InDesign after PDF is imported?
Or should they be remapped and restored once the document with placed PDF is again exported to PDF from InDesign?
Would want to know more about the proposed solution / workflow
Thanks
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Vince
commented
I just want to see any hyperlinks maintained. I have a bunch of PDFs in a 200+ page document and for whatever reasons, it automatically creates hyperlinks for e-mail addresses and URLs with www. in front of them, but loses all of the other hyperlinks in placed images.
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Kristan D.
commented
I need any interactive elements in the PDF to continue to be active once placed in INDD (hyperlinks, etc.)
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Paul Hanson
commented
Hi, I create magazines which I have to send out as one Interactive PDF to readers. I get sent interactive pdf's from clients to appear in the magazine. These pdf's have url's in the text, links to Facebook, twitter, Utube, instagram, emails etc. When I place this Interactive PDF into my indesign file and then resave as one big pdf, it loses all of my clients links. I have to painfully go and add all the links manually, its a pain and I can't see another way round it?