Is axesFlip GDPR compliant?
Yes, axesFlip is fully GDPR compliant and meets all legal requirements for data protection.
Is a server required for the on-site installation of axesFlip?
The axesFlip system consists of two key components:
- axesFlip: the execution engine that processes and remediates PDF documents into accessible PDFs.
- axesFlip Designer: a standalone application used to analyze PDF documents and create processing templates.
axesFlip requires high throughput, so a Windows or Linux server is recommended. For very high throughput requirements, multiple servers can be run in parallel.
axesFlip Designer runs on any standard Windows desktop PC.
Which platforms does axesFlip support?
axesFlip supports Windows and Linux. A powerful server is recommended for operation, as axesFlip is designed for high throughput. axesFlip Designer runs on any standard Windows desktop PC.
What is the minimum document volume for which axesFlip is suitable?
There are two aspects to consider:
- axesFlip runs on the customer's servers, which involves preparation and installation work.
- The creation of templates involves training and development costs.
For this reason, we give a guide value of approx. 20,000 documents per year.
Is a manual review of PDF accessibility necessary?
It is always a good idea to perform at least a spot check—not because axesFlip is unreliable, but because certain variations of the serial documents may not have been taken into account during template creation.
For automated checks, we offer axesSense.
Alternatively, documents can be checked manually on a random sampling basis using PAC.
What requirements and knowledge does a person need to create templates with axesFlip Designer?
Basic requirements are logical and structured thinking as well as good knowledge of accessible PDF documents.
Software development skills (such as JavaScript or C#) are not required. The level of requirements can be roughly compared to someone who is an Excel power user and can write complex formulas there.
axes4 provides training material and is happy to provide advice. Alternatively, our experts can also take care of creating the templates for you.
What does a template look like?
Technically, a template is stored as an axesFlip Template Archive (FLIP file). This is a ZIP-based package that contains the template as a JSON-formatted text file, along with any additional files required by the template.
Users do not interact with this format directly. The template is created by axesFlip Designer and presented through a user-friendly interface.
When do I need a new template for a document?
As a guideline, anything that a human perceives as having the "same" layout can be processed with a single template.
Examples:
- A quotation, an order confirmation, an invoice, and a credit note that share the same basic layout—but differ in the title and a few other details—can use a single template.
- An account statement and a loan application that look entirely different will require separate templates.
axesFlip is particularly flexible with layout variations thanks to its innovative technology.
Will axesFlip help me create templates?
Yes, absolutely. axesFlip Designer was developed specifically to make creating templates as easy and efficient as possible. You work in an intuitive user interface that guides you step by step through the process, without any direct contact with the technical JSON format.
Is axesFlip necessary if accessible PDF documents can be created directly in a workflow?
No, axesFlip is designed for workflows in which non-accessible documents are initially created.
If a software solution can generate accessible PDF documents directly, that is the preferred approach. axes4 can provide advisory support in such cases (for example, with axesSense to check whether the documents are truly accessible).
Is there a debugger for errors when entering code in axesFlip Designer?
axesFlip Designer displays various types of errors, such as syntax errors during code entry. It is not a full-featured debugger, but this is not necessary in the context of axesFlip.
Can axesFlip properly tag layout tables?
Yes, axesFlip can handle layout tables. In layout tables, the table grid is used solely to visually arrange content on the page. They are not true tables with meaningful relationships between cells, and therefore their structure should not be included in the logical structure of an accessible document. axesFlip allows you to correctly implement such layout tables.
Can axesFlip handle dynamic content elements such as supplemental pages in PDF documents?
Yes, axesFlip can also handle dynamic content elements such as supplemental pages. Even in complex scenarios—such as serial documents where one customer receives additional pages (e.g., an advertisement) and another does not—axesFlip reliably processes all variations in a consistent and accessible manner.
How are images, graphics and alternative text handled in axesFlip?
Images and graphics can be tagged in axesFlip using the appropriate Figure structural element or—if they are purely decorative—marked as artifacts. Alternative text can either be defined statically with fixed content or populated dynamically, for example when image content varies across documents. It is also possible to dynamically reuse specific text elements from the document within the alternative text.
Is axesFlip suitable for interactive PDF forms?
axesFlip is designed for documents that have a similar layout but different content (e.g., a bank statement). It is not suitable for static documents, which are better tagged manually once.
Since forms are usually static, they are not a use case for axesFlip.
How does axesFlip handle formulas? Can it process MathML?
axesFlip does not currently support MathML. However, its architecture allows new components to be integrated easily and flexibly. If needed, a MathML node can be added.
Moreover, it is unlikely that formulas appear as dynamic content in serial documents. Static formulas can be tagged as Formula stucture element with alternativ text using axesFlip.