PDFix Layout Templates
Tag Once,
Apply to Thousands
Define your tagging rules once in JSON. Apply them to thousands of invoices, bank statements, forms and reports – automatically.
One template. Thousands of PDF/UA-compliant documents.
// Tag bold 14pt text as H2 — every time
{
"heading": "h2",
"query": {
"$and": [
{ "$0_font_name": { "$regex": "Bold$" } },
{ "$0_font_size": {
"$gte": 14.0,
"$lte": 14.5
}}
],
"param": ["pde_text_line"]
},
"statement": "$if"
}
// Apply this rule to 10,000 invoices — instantly80%
Reduction in per-document tagging cost
100 %
Consistent output – deterministic
1 Template
thousands of PDF/UA documents
JSON
Version-controlled · Git-friendly · portable
DEFINITION
What is a PDF layout template?
A PDFix layout template is a JSON file that defines the exact tag structure for a specific document type – an invoice, bank statement, insurance policy or annual report.
You build it once, then apply it to hundreds or thousands of identical-looking PDFs automatically.
The core idea
Unlike AI auto-tagging – where the model guesses the structure from training data – a layout template is your precise rules for how the tag tree should look for your organization’s documents.
Full control.
Full repeatability.
When your organization’s style guide changes, you update one template – not thousands of documents.
Templates are plain JSON – they diff well in Git, review well in pull requests, and version-control alongside your application code.
A template JSON has three sections
METADATA
Author, version, SDK version, created/modified dates, and notes – for team sharing and version control. Use notes to describe the document type (e.g. “invoice”, “bank statement”).
SETTINGS
Global flags – default page tag (page_tag), RTL mode (rtl), and Form XObject substructure processing (substructure_form_xobject).
TEMPLATE
The actual rules — grouped by function. Common groups include word_update (anchors), text_line_update (headings), element_create (containers), element_update (tag types, alt text, artifacts), table_update (table semantics), and pagemap (layout). Each rule has a query
(conditions) and action keys (what to assign or change when matched).
BENEFITS
Why use PDF layout templates?
CONSISTENCY
Apply one template across all documents of the same type – identical tag structure, heading hierarchy and reading order on every single output. No variation between documents.
AUTOMATION
Process thousands of PDFs without manual intervention. Define the rules once – PDFix does the rest across your entire document batch, automatically without human review per file.
COMPLIANCE
Meet WCAG 2.2, PDF/UA and Section 508 requirements on every document. Templates guarantee correct structure – veraPDF validates compliance automatically after each run.
INTEGRATION
Works with your existing workflows – PDFix Desktop for editing, SDK for programmatic pipelines, CLI for CI/CD automation, and Batch Actions for no-code batch processing.
TECHNICAL OVERVIEW
How PDF layout templates work
Each rule in the template has two parts: a query that selects elements (by font, size, position, text content, anchor) and an action that tags them. PDFix runs these rules against every page on every document in the batch.
Query conditions – how elements are selected
FONT
Font name, size, color, weight – e.g. “font name ends in Bold AND size 14–14.5pt”
POSITION
Bounding box x, y, width, height – spatial location on the page
TEXT
Text content via regex – e.g. match any element containing “Invoice No:”
ANCHORS
Static text labels that locate dynamic fields – “Invoice No:” is an anchor; the value next to it is the invoice ID. No hard-coded coordinates needed.
PAGE
Page number, page size – apply rules only to first page, last page or specific dimensions
Actions – what happens when matched
90–95% of technical tags can be automated with templates – only semantic elements like complex alt text or graph interpretation need human review.
❯ JSON example – heading rule + checkbox alt text
Checkbox rule — checked vs unchecked via object count
// Detects checked/unchecked graphic checkboxes by size and object count
{
"alt": "Checkbox ON",
"label": "label_no",
"query": {
"$and": [
{ "$0_width": { "$lte": "12" } },
{ "$0_height": { "$lte": "12" } },
{ "$0_object_num": { "$gt": "1" } }
],
"param": ["pde_image"]
},
"statement": "$if"
},
{
"alt": "Checkbox OFF",
"label": "label_no",
"query": {
"$and": [
{ "$0_width": { "$lte": "12" } },
{ "$0_height": { "$lte": "12" } },
{ "$0_object_num": { "$lte": "1" } }
],
"param": ["pde_image"]
},
"statement": "$i"
}Heading rule — bold 14pt text → H2
// Selects elements by font + size → tags as H2
{
"heading": "h2",
"query": {
"$and": [
{ "$0_font_name": {
"$regex": "Bold$" } },
{ "$0_font_size": {
"$gte": 14.0,
"$lte": 14.5 } }
],
"param": ["pde_text_line"]
},
"statement": "$if"
}
TWO WAYS TO USE TEMPLATES
Use templates in PDFix Desktop or PDFix SDK
Two paths, same templates. Build and test visually in PDFix Desktop – no coding required. Then apply programmatically via SDK or CLI for automated batch processing.
PDFIX DESKTOP – VISUAL TEMPLATE EDITOR
For accessibility specialists, document engineers and compliance teams.
The Template Editor is a visual rule editor built into PDFix Desktop. Open or drag-and-drop a .json template to load it, select regions on the page to build rules, assign tag types, and refine conditions without writing JSON by hand.
Add conditions and preview matches: Narrow rules by font, size, or anchor text. Use Highlight to see which elements match before saving.
PDFix SDK & CLI – AUTOMATED BATCH PROCESSING
Once the template JSON is saved, apply it programmatically via SDK (Python, Java, C++, .NET, WASM) or CLI – across any number of documents.
// Custom batch action — JSON config
// Tag first, then validate PDF/UA-1 compliance
{
"name": "tag_and_validate_invoices",
"title": "Tag and Validate Invoices",
"actions": [
{
"name": "add_tags",
"params": [
{ "name": "template", "value": "invoice_template.json" }
]
},
{
"name": "verapdf_html_validation_report",
"params": [
{ "name": "profile", "value": "ua1" }
]
}
]
}
// tag validate save in one run→ INDUSTRY USE CASES
Who uses PDF layout templates – and for what
Any organization generating thousands of near-identical PDFs daily is a template use case. The fixed layout that makes remediation difficult is exactly what makes templates so powerful.
Banks and Financial Institutions
Monthly statements, debit card statements, transaction summaries. Dynamic data (names, dates, balances) changes – layout stays fixed.
Insurance companies
Policy documents, claims forms, renewal notices. Complex tables, multi-page layouts, variable content with fixed structure. Template guarantees consistent reading order and table headers.
Government Agencies
Accessible forms, public notices, reports — ADA Title II 2026 deadline, Section 508, EAA. High volume with recurring layouts and compliance deadlines that make manual remediation impossible.
Enterprises & accounting
Invoices from accounting software (QuickBooks, SAP), HR forms, annual reports generated by InDesign — any recurring document type with predictable layout structure.
EXAMPLE – BANK STATEMENT
NovaBank Debit Card Statement — one template for all customers
The document layout is fixed — logos, headers and tables remain constant, while dynamic data (names, dates, balances) changes with each customer. A single template handles all of it:
One template · Thousands of PDF/UA documents
Start tagging PDFs automatically – free download
Download PDFix Desktop to build your first template visually – no coding required. Or integrate directly with PDFix SDK for full programmatic automation.
For Windows, Linux and macOS
PDF Accessibility Checker
Free PDF accessibility validator. Instantly check compliance for WCAG 2.2, PDF/UA, and Section 508. Fast, cross-platform tool for document audits.
PDF Remediation Tool
AI-powered PDF accessibility remediation tool. Auto-tag complex PDFs, tables and automate PDF/UA fixes for high-volume workflows.
PDF Accessibility API
Enterprise PDF accessibility SDK for integrating automated tagging, remediation, and validation into scalable document workflows across US and EU compliance requirements.
Disclaimer: PDFix provides tools and technology to assist in making your documents accessible, but we do not guarantee 100% document accessibility. Achieving full compliance requires human checks and intervention. Please note that PDFix is a technology provider, not a service provider. The responsibility for document compliance rests with the user.
