CommonLook Office
Software that enables the seamless and easy creation of accessible PDFs directly from Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.

Powerful, Yet Intuitive.
Easily Create Accessible Documents.
CL Office is the most effective way to create standards-compliant PDF files directly out of Microsoft Office (doc, docx, ppt & pptx) source files. CL Office guides users through the process of making accessible PDF documents that accurately comply with Section 508, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), WCAG 2.0 AA, and PDF U/A standards.
- Easy-to-use for new users, yet powerful enough for advanced users.
- Exceeds the native accessible PDF functionality of Microsoft Word (doc & docx) and PowerPoint (ppt & pptx), or Adobe Acrobat Portable
- Document Format (pdf).
- Quickly identifies and helps fix accessibility compliance issues, automating most tasks.
- Achieve compliance at reduced costs by lowering the expense of accessibility repairs to existing documents.



FAQ.
Important Answers to Your Important Questions.
Where can I find the latest accessibility documentation?
The CL Office update page is updated periodically and provides a changelog for all software versions.
Will CL Office change my DOC/DOCX or PPT/PPTX files in any way? Do I need to make a backup before using CL Office?
CL Office modifies the document under the following circumstances to achieve more accessible Word and PowerPoint files:
- Any Alternative text added to images is set to the corresponding Word or PowerPoint object.
- The grouping (or ungrouping) of objects in CL Office is committed to the Word or PowerPoint file.
- NOTE: CL Office does NOT automatically save the document to disk but performs the above modifications in memory. When the document is closed, Word or PowerPoint offers to save the document.
Will CL Office make my Word or PowerPoint source file compliant?
As mentioned in the previous question, CL Office will make some accessibility changes to the source file, improving its accessibility. However, because there are limitations in MS Word and PowerPoint, these files cannot always be made 100% compliant.
If I check the No Textual Description Required checkbox for an image, what does CL Office do to my Word or PowerPoint file to record that choice?
CL Office stores this information in a custom data section of the file.
Does CL Office work with PowerPoint slide notes?
CL Office produces PDF documents from the PowerPoint slides alone.
