Send PDF/UA compliant documents

You can send PDF/UA compliant documents with SmartPost by selecting the PDF/UA (Universal Accessibility, supports PDF and Word files only) check box on the Advanced tab in the Send SmartPost dialog. If you have selected this check box, or your organization has configured SmartPost to always have the check box selected, the letter and attachments will be checked for PDF/UA compliance before the SmartPost messages are created. See Start a SmartPost process.

The PDF/UA validation starts when you start the SmartPost process from the Send SmartPost dialog. If the letter and the attachments pass the validation, the SmartPost process continues as usual. See What happens during the process? If the validation fails, the process owner will be notified in a PDF/UA validation failed task/smartmail.

Failed PDF/UA validation

If the PDF/UA validation of the letter or the attachments fails, the following happens:

  1. The process owner receives a PDF/UA validation failed task/smartmail. From this task/smartmail, the process owner can open the original documents and use the accessibility checkers that the organization provides to correct the PDF/UA errors. For more information about correcting errors, see Fix a failed PDF/UA document.

  2. When all errors are fixed in the original documents, the process owner must save the documents, return to the task/smartmail, and then click Repeat to repeat the PDF/UA validation.

    3. Other actions in this task/smartmail:

    • Click Cancel to cancel the SmartPost process.

    • Click Forward to send the task of correcting the PDF/UA errors to somebody else.

    • Click Approve to send the SmartPost message even if the PDF/UA validation failed. When you do this, the PDF/UA errors are ignored. It is required to add a comment, for example the reason for proceeding with a SmartPost message that has failed the PDF/UA validation.

  1. If the PDF/UA validation is successful, the SmartPost process continues with the merge of data and creation of the PDF/UA compliant documents that will be included in the messages.

  2. The merged PDF documents will then be validated for PDF/UA compliance. This PDF/UA validation also includes possible copy recipient and protected address cover pages. If the validation is successful, the messages will be sent.

  3. If the PDF/UA validation of the merged documents fails, the process owner receives a PDF/UA validation failed task/smartmail with the failed documents and a PDF/UA validation report attached. To fix the errors, the process owner can check the original documents again for PDF/UA errors, or correct the errors that are listed in thePDF/UA validation report:

    4. To check the original documents, click the Close button in the upper-right corner to close the task without canceling the SmartPost process, correct PDF/UA errors in the original documents, and then return to the task and click Repeat to run the validation again.

    If all accessibility errors, that are identified by the accessibility checker in the original documents are corrected, but the PDF/UA validation still fails, the process owner can open the attachedPDF/UA validation report from the task to see the specific errors and correct the errors, either in the original documents or in the failed PDF documents. See PDF/UA validation report and troubleshooting.

    Other actions in this task/smartmail:

    • Click Cancel to cancel the SmartPost process.
    • Click Forward to send the task of correcting thePDF/UA errors to somebody else.
    • Click Approve to send the SmartPost message even if the PDF/UA validation failed and ignore the PDF/UA errors. The PDF/UA errors are ignored. It is required to add a comment, for example the reason for proceeding with a SmartPost message that has failed the PDF/UA validation.