JAccessPDF

A Java library for creating PDF/UA compliant PDFs with Apache FOP.

Installation

Add the jaccess-pdf-api module - it transitively pulls in the model, processor, generator, markdown and bundle modules:

<dependency>
    <groupId>de.fkkaiser</groupId>
    <artifactId>jaccess-pdf-api</artifactId>
    <version>0.12.0</version>
</dependency>

Gradle:

implementation("de.fkkaiser:jaccess-pdf-api:0.12.0")

Individual modules

jaccess-pdf-api already depends on all of these except jaccess-pdf-postprocessor, which you add separately if you need PDF merging, encryption or form filling:

Artifact	Contents
jaccess-pdf-api	Public entry point: PdfGenerationFacade, SimpleDocumentBuilder, resource providers
jaccess-pdf-model	Document model: elements, styles, fonts
jaccess-pdf-generator	Document model to tagged XSL-FO
jaccess-pdf-processor	Reads documents, style sheets and fonts from JSON
jaccess-pdf-postprocessor	Merging, encryption, form filling
jaccess-pdf-markdown	Markdown to document model
jaccess-pdf-bundle	Externalized text bundles and templating

Optional: PDF/UA validation

jaccess-pdf-validation checks generated PDFs against PDF/UA-1 using veraPDF, the reference validator:

<dependency>
    <groupId>de.fkkaiser</groupId>
    <artifactId>jaccess-pdf-validation</artifactId>
    <version>0.12.0</version>
</dependency>

It is kept separate on purpose. veraPDF brings 18 transitive artifacts (~16 MB) and is GPLv3/MPLv2 dual-licensed, so nothing of it reaches the dependency tree of anyone who does not ask for it - JAccessPDF itself stays Apache-2.0 with no copyleft attached. With the module on the class path, PdfGenerationFacade.generateAndValidatePDF(...) validates before returning; without it, that method tells you which artifact to add rather than silently skipping the check.

Validation is not cheap. Use it in tests, in staging or on samples - not on every request of a high-throughput service.

⚠️ Current Status: Beta

This library is functional and being used in production, but:

• Some features are still being finalized
• API may change in minor versions (following semantic versioning)
• Documentation is actively being improved

Requirements

• Java 21 or higher (tested with JDK 21 and 25)

Features

• ✅ PDF/UA compliance out of the box
• ✅ Accessible PDFs
• ✅ Simple API and advanced Core Model
• ✅Dynamic content handling and Templating
• ✅ Extended error handling

Quick Start

import de.fkkaiser.api.simplelayer.SimpleDocumentBuilder;
import java.util.List;

SimpleDocumentBuilder.create("My First Accessible PDF")
        .withLanguage("en")
        .addHeading("Hello World", 1)
        .addParagraph("This document is PDF/UA compliant out of the box.")
        .addUnorderedList(List.of("Tagged structure", "Document language", "Alt texts for images"))
        .build()
        .saveAs("hello.pdf");

That is the whole program. No FOP configuration, no XSL-FO, no tagging by hand. The resulting PDF carries a /StructTreeRoot with /MarkInfo /Marked true, a document title, /Lang (en) from withLanguage, and the PDF/UA-1 identifier in its XMP metadata - the structure screen readers rely on and PDF/UA demands.

The builder also offers addOrderedList, addImage (with alt text), addTable, addMarkdown and addParagraph(text, styleName). Use toStream() instead of saveAs(...) to get a ByteArrayOutputStream, for instance to serve the PDF from a web application.

For full control over styles, fonts and page sequences there is the Core Model behind PdfGenerationFacade - see the wiki.

or the my new documentation JAccessPDF Documentation

The snippet above is verified by ReadmeQuickStartTest, so it compiles and produces a real PDF on every build.

Image Support

JAccessPDF supports PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, and SVG images out of the box.

SVG Support

SVG images are automatically converted to PNG for PDF embedding. This approach:

• ✅ Works reliably across all PDF viewers
• ✅ Requires no additional dependencies (uses Apache Batik included with FOP)
• ✅ Produces high-quality output for logos and icons at 96 DPI

No configuration needed - just use SVG images like any other format:

BlockImage logo = new BlockImage()
    .setPath("company-logo.svg")
    .setAltText("Company Logo");

Technical Details

SVG support is provided by Apache Batik, which is included as a transitive dependency of Apache FOP. JAccessPDF automatically detects Batik and uses it for SVG→PNG conversion when needed.

Limitations:

• Complex SVG features (filters, animations, scripts) may not render correctly
• External references in SVG files are not supported
• Self-contained SVG files work bes