Use FENote instead of Note

PDF/UA check NOTE_TAG_USAGE · Structure & other · severity High · PDF/UA 8.2.5.14 Footnotes and Endnotes

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Why it matters#

PDF/UA-2 replaced the Note structure type with FENote to better represent footnotes and endnotes. Using the old Note type indicates the file was not authored for PDF/UA-2 compliance.

What you will see#

The document uses the Note structure type, which PDF/UA-2 replaced with FENote.

How to fix#

Retag each Note structure element as FENote. Add Ref entries both on the FENote (pointing to its citations) and on the referring elements (pointing to the FENote) to link them.

Step-by-step guide#

1. Locate every Note structure element via the Accessibility tags panel; the EQChecker report gives the count.
2. Retag each as FENote: select the tag, open Properties, and enter FENote as the Type manually (it is a PDF 2.0 structure type and not in Acrobat's dropdown).
3. Link notes to their citations per ISO 14289-2 8.2.5.14.1: add a Ref entry on each referring structure element pointing to the FENote, and a Ref entry on the FENote identifying all its citations. Acrobat has no UI for Ref entries - this pairing can only come from regenerating the document through a PDF/UA-2 conforming export workflow (see the final step).
4. If the note reference is interactive, its link annotation shall point to the note via a structure destination (ISO 32000-2 12.3.2.3); structure destinations are likewise beyond Acrobat's UI and come from the same source-level regeneration.
5. For strict PDF/UA-2, ensure the FENote element carries the PDF 2.0 namespace (NS entry), since FENote does not exist in the PDF 1.7 namespace - again beyond Acrobat's UI.
6. Where available, re-export from an authoring workflow with PDF/UA-2 support, which emits FENote with paired Ref entries automatically.

Verify: Re-run the EQChecker scan: NOTE_TAG_USAGE should report zero Note elements.

Note: PDF/UA-2 only - PDF/UA-1 permits Note. Per 8.2.5.14.1 NOTE 1, a Note type in a custom namespace role-mapped to an allowed type is permitted; only the standard Note structure type is prohibited. The Acrobat retag alone silences this rule; the Ref pairing and namespace work is what makes the notes genuinely conformant.

WCAG success criteria#

No WCAG success criterion maps cleanly to this check — it is a PDF/UA structural requirement. The PDF/UA clause above is the normative reference.

Standards#

This check contributes to the following standards:

PDF/UA