Fixing reading order in a PDF

A page can look perfect yet be read in a jumbled order by a screen reader, because the visual layout and the underlying tag order are two different things.

Visual order is not logical order

Columns, sidebars and captions often get read in the order they were drawn, not the order a human reads. The fix is correcting the tag sequence.

Multi-column pages

These are the usual culprits. Ensure the tags flow down one column then the next, matching how a person reads.

Test with a reader

Verify by listening: run a screen reader through the page and confirm the order makes sense.