Today’s comparison post focuses on how Canva and Venngage handle accessible PDFs, evaluating their tools and compliance with accessibility standards like WCAG and PDF/UA. Canva offers basic functionality, but its outputs lack critical compliance features. Venngage provides a more robust solution for accessible PDF exports, making it the better option for professional use.
Video Guide
Canva’s Accessibility Features
Canva includes tools for creating visually appealing documents with some accessibility support.
- Headings: Canva allows users to add heading levels, but it supports only two levels (H1 and H2), limiting hierarchical structuring.
- Lists: Users can create bulleted and numbered lists, but these lists do not retain proper nesting or tagging when exported to PDFs.
- Tables: While Canva lets users insert and edit tables, exported PDFs do not include table structure, turning tables into plain text.
- Hyperlinks: Canva supports hyperlink creation, but exported links lack essential formatting features like dual identification (e.g., color and underline).
- Images: Canva allows users to add alternate text to images, which is necessary for assistive technologies.
Despite these features, Canva fails to deliver accessible outputs. Its PDF exports contain cluttered div tags, making them difficult to remediate. Lists, tables, and other elements often lack essential tags, such as L body for lists or proper row and header tags for tables. The lack of structural integrity results in failed checks with accessibility tools like Adobe Acrobat and PAC 2024.
Venngage’s Accessibility Features
Venngage provides a superior approach to creating accessible documents by addressing many of Canva’s shortcomings.
- Headings: Venngage supports multiple heading levels, enabling proper document hierarchy.
- Lists: Venngage exports lists with accurate tagging, including nested items with L body tags.
- Tables: Tables retain their structure during export, with proper headers and rows for screen readers.
- Hyperlinks: Venngage ensures that hyperlinks are properly tagged, although it lacks visual differentiation like color.
- Images: Alternate text is accurately retained in exported PDFs, ensuring compliance.
Venngage includes a built-in accessibility checker that guides users in addressing common issues like reading order, text size, and color contrast. Exported PDFs have clean and organized tags, simplifying remediation. Venngage documents pass WCAG and PDF/UA checks using tools like Adobe Acrobat and PAC 2024, making them fully compliant and usable with assistive technologies.
Comparing the Platforms
| Feature | Canva | Venngage |
|---|---|---|
| Headings | Two levels only (H1, H2) | Multiple levels (H1, H2, H3, etc.) |
| Lists | Incorrectly tagged | Properly nested and tagged |
| Tables | No structure in exports | Correct headers and rows |
| Hyperlinks | Basic functionality, lacks tags | Properly tagged, needs color differentiation |
| Alt Text | Supported but inconsistent | Fully supported |
| Tags Panel | Cluttered and inefficient | Clean and organized |
| Compliance | Fails WCAG and PDF/UA checks | Passes WCAG and PDF/UA checks |
| Ease of Use | Basic accessibility tools | Advanced accessibility tools |
Recommendations
- Canva is a good option for quick, visually appealing designs but requires external remediation to achieve accessibility compliance.
- Venngage offers the best solution for creating accessible PDFs, with robust tools and compliance features that cater to professionals and organizations.
Conclusion
Canva provides basic accessibility tools but lacks critical functionality for compliant document creation. Its exported PDFs fail key accessibility checks due to unstructured tags, missing elements, and improper formatting for lists and tables.
Venngage stands out by addressing these shortcomings. It ensures proper tagging for headings, lists, and tables, producing outputs that pass WCAG and PDF/UA standards. Venngage is ideal for creating documents that meet accessibility requirements, making it the preferred choice for inclusive design.
Would you like additional help with accessible document creation?
Let me be your champion for inclusion. I offer tailored solutions (and self-paced courses!) to ensure your documents meet and exceed compliance expectations. For more detailed insights, tutorials, and in-depth discussions on accessibility and related topics, don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel: The Accessibility Guy on YouTube. Subscribe for regular updates!
