How to Set the Scope of Table Header Cells in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

Today’s post walks through how to set the scope of table header cells in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, a key step in making your PDFs more accessible. The scope setting tells assistive technologies whether a header describes the content in a row or a column. By setting this manually, you help screen readers interpret your tables correctly and improve the reading experience for all users.

Video Guide

How to Access the Table Editor

1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
2. Select “Prepare for Accessibility” from the tool panel.
3. Click “Fixed Reading Order.”
4. Right-click the table and select “Table Editor.”

This opens a grid view where users can click into each cell to change its properties.

How to Set Column Scope

To set column headers:

1. Select all cells in the top row by clicking and dragging the mouse.
2. Right-click and choose “Table Cell Properties.”
3. Set the cell type to “Header Cell.”
4. Change the scope to “Column.”
5. Click “OK.”

This sets the selected cells as column headers in the document’s tag structure.

How to Handle Merged Headers

Some tables use headers that span multiple columns.

In these cases:

1. Select the merged header cell.
2. Right-click and choose “Table Cell Properties.”
3. Set the scope to “Column.”
4. Enter the correct column span. For example, the cell covers two columns, enter “2.”
5. Click “OK.”

Setting the correct span ensures the header cell applies to the correct range of columns.

How to Set Row Scope

To apply row headers:

1. Select cells in the left-most column that function as row labels.
2. Right-click and choose “Table Cell Properties.”
3. Set the cell type to “Header Cell.”
4. Set the scope to “Row.”
5. Click “OK.”

This marks those cells as row headers in the tag structure.

Common Issues with Complex Tables

Tables with irregular row lengths or misaligned cells may confuse assistive technologies. Merged cells without accurate span settings can break the tag structure. The Accessibility Guy always recommends that tables be kept simple, with a clear column and clear row structure and an equal number of cells per row.

How to Check Accessibility

After editing header scopes, check the tag structure in the tags panel to ensure each header links to the correct data. Use screen readers or Adobe Acrobat’s built-in accessibility checker to test the document.

Creating Accessible PDFs with Venngage

Venngage offers an online editor that builds accessible PDFs from the start. It includes:

• Accessible templates with heading tags and alt text
• A built-in accessibility checker
• Automatic tagging of tables and headers
• Export to fully tagged PDF format

Users can design documents in Venngage and download files that meet accessibility standards with little or no post-processing in Adobe Acrobat.

Venngage includes predefined tag structures such as H1 headings, figure tags with alt text, and properly formatted tables.

Summary

Setting the scope attribute in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC helps screen readers correctly interpret table structures. Users can apply column and row scopes using the Table Editor. For documents with merged headers, adjusting column spans is necessary. Consistent table structures reduce the chance of tagging errors. Venngage provides an alternative by generating accessible PDFs during the design phase.

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!