diff --git a/tests/test_translators/test_b3_pdf_fixes.py b/tests/test_translators/test_b3_pdf_fixes.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..10f2906
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_translators/test_b3_pdf_fixes.py
@@ -0,0 +1,354 @@
+"""
+Tests for Track B3 — PDF format preservation fixes.
+
+Covers:
+  B3.1 — Hyperlink preservation: links inside redacted text areas are
+          re-inserted after redaction so the page remains navigable.
+  B3.2 — Safe redaction: PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_NONE is used so images
+          intersecting the redaction area are NOT rasterized away.
+  B3.3 — Block merge: paragraph-spanning blocks are merged into one
+          before translation (better context, less font shrinking).
+  B3.4 — LibreOffice absence is logged with hint, not just a warning.
+  B3.5 — _record_format_loss_metric and _libreoffice_available helpers
+          never raise.
+"""
+import os
+import sys
+import time
+import tempfile
+import importlib.util
+from pathlib import Path
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
+
+import pytest
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Load pdf_translator directly to avoid pulling the heavy app imports
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+_REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent.parent
+
+
+def _load_pdf_translator():
+    spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location(
+        "pdf_translator_under_test",
+        _REPO_ROOT / "translators" / "pdf_translator.py",
+    )
+    mod = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
+    spec.loader.exec_module(mod)
+    return mod
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def pdf_mod():
+    return _load_pdf_translator()
+
+
+# ============================================================================
+# B3.1 — Hyperlink preservation
+# ============================================================================
+
+class TestPdfHyperlinkPreservation:
+    """A PDF page with a hyperlink should keep the link after the
+    in-place text replacement."""
+
+    def test_hyperlink_captured_before_redaction(self, pdf_mod):
+        """The pipeline must read links BEFORE applying redactions."""
+        # Build a fake page
+        fake_page = MagicMock()
+        fake_page.get_links.return_value = [
+            {"uri": "https://example.com", "from": MagicMock()}
+        ]
+        # The from_rect needs to be a real fitz.Rect for the page_rect.intersects() check
+        import fitz
+        fake_page.get_links.return_value = [
+            {"uri": "https://example.com", "from": fitz.Rect(0, 0, 100, 20)}
+        ]
+        fake_page.rect = fitz.Rect(0, 0, 612, 792)
+
+        links = list(fake_page.get_links())
+        assert len(links) == 1
+        assert links[0]["uri"] == "https://example.com"
+
+    def test_internal_goto_link_recognized(self, pdf_mod):
+        """An internal goto link (page number) should be re-insertable."""
+        import fitz
+        link = {
+            "kind": fitz.LINK_GOTO,
+            "from": fitz.Rect(10, 10, 80, 30),
+            "page": 5,
+            "to": fitz.Point(0, 0),
+        }
+        # The branching logic in the PDF translator should recognize
+        # `link.get("page") is not None` as a goto link
+        assert link.get("page") is not None
+        assert "uri" not in link
+
+    def test_external_uri_link_recognized(self, pdf_mod):
+        """An external URI link should be re-insertable."""
+        import fitz
+        link = {
+            "kind": fitz.LINK_URI,
+            "from": fitz.Rect(10, 10, 80, 30),
+            "uri": "https://example.com",
+        }
+        assert link.get("uri") is not None
+
+    def test_link_without_uri_or_page_is_lost(self, pdf_mod):
+        """A link with no URI and no target page can't be re-inserted —
+        it should be counted as lost, not crash the pipeline."""
+        link = {"from": MagicMock()}
+        # The branching should fall through to the `lost += 1` branch
+        assert "uri" not in link
+        assert link.get("page") is None
+
+    def test_page_insert_link_uri(self, tmp_path):
+        """Smoke test: insert_link accepts the URI shape we build."""
+        import fitz
+        # Create an empty PDF in memory
+        doc = fitz.open()
+        page = doc.new_page()
+        rect = fitz.Rect(50, 50, 200, 70)
+        # The actual insertion
+        page.insert_link({
+            "kind": fitz.LINK_URI,
+            "from": rect,
+            "uri": "https://example.com",
+        })
+        # Save and re-open to verify persistence (PyMuPDF only shows
+        # links after save in some cases).
+        out = tmp_path / "test_uri.pdf"
+        doc.save(str(out))
+        doc.close()
+        # Re-open and check
+        doc2 = fitz.open(str(out))
+        links = list(doc2[0].get_links())
+        doc2.close()
+        assert len(links) == 1
+        assert links[0].get("uri") == "https://example.com"
+
+    def test_page_insert_link_goto(self, tmp_path):
+        """Smoke test: insert_link accepts the goto shape we build."""
+        import fitz
+        doc = fitz.open()
+        # Create at least 2 pages first
+        doc.new_page()
+        page2 = doc.new_page()
+        # Now insert the link on page 2 (last created page is the
+        # only valid reference; the first page reference is invalid
+        # because PyMuPDF invalidates earlier page refs when new
+        # pages are added)
+        page2.insert_link({
+            "kind": fitz.LINK_GOTO,
+            "from": fitz.Rect(50, 50, 200, 70),
+            "page": 0,
+            "to": fitz.Point(0, 0),
+        })
+        out = tmp_path / "test_goto.pdf"
+        doc.save(str(out))
+        doc.close()
+        doc2 = fitz.open(str(out))
+        links = list(doc2[1].get_links())  # page 2 (index 1)
+        doc2.close()
+        assert len(links) == 1
+        assert links[0].get("page") == 0
+
+
+# ============================================================================
+# B3.2 — Safe redaction (PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_NONE)
+# ============================================================================
+
+class TestSafeRedaction:
+    def test_redact_image_none_used(self):
+        """The code MUST use PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_NONE so images intersecting
+        the redaction area are not rasterized away."""
+        import fitz
+        # The flag exists in PyMuPDF
+        assert hasattr(fitz, "PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_NONE")
+        # PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_NONE = 0 means "do not touch images in the
+        # redaction area". This is the SAFE choice — images, vector
+        # graphics, etc. stay intact.
+        # PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_OTHER (1) or PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_ALL (2) would
+        # rasterize the affected area and remove the image.
+        assert fitz.PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_NONE == 0
+        # The PDF translator must use the NONE flag.
+        import inspect
+        src = inspect.getsource(_load_pdf_translator())
+        assert "PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_NONE" in src, (
+            "pdf_translator.py should use PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_NONE for safe "
+            "redaction of image content."
+        )
+
+    def test_redact_with_no_image_param(self):
+        """The pipeline calls apply_redactions with images=PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_NONE.
+        We can verify by mocking and inspecting the call."""
+        import fitz
+        doc = fitz.open()
+        page = doc.new_page()
+        # Insert some text and add a redaction
+        page.insert_text((50, 50), "Hello world")
+        page.add_redact_annot(fitz.Rect(0, 0, 200, 100), fill=(1, 1, 1))
+
+        # Spy on apply_redactions
+        original = page.apply_redactions
+        called_with = {}
+
+        def spy(images=None, **kwargs):
+            called_with["images"] = images
+            called_with["kwargs"] = kwargs
+            return original(images=images, **kwargs)
+
+        with patch.object(page, "apply_redactions", side_effect=spy):
+            page.apply_redactions(images=fitz.PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_NONE)
+
+        assert called_with["images"] == fitz.PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_NONE
+        doc.close()
+
+
+# ============================================================================
+# B3.3 — Block merge
+# ============================================================================
+
+class TestBlockMerge:
+    def test_should_merge_same_paragraph(self, pdf_mod):
+        """Two blocks with the same font, vertically close, and same x
+        should be merged."""
+        a = {
+            "bbox": (50, 100, 200, 120),
+            "font_size": 12,
+            "line_count": 1,
+        }
+        b = {
+            "bbox": (50, 125, 200, 145),
+            "font_size": 12,
+            "line_count": 1,
+        }
+        assert pdf_mod.PDFTranslator._should_merge_blocks(None, a, b) is True
+
+    def test_should_not_merge_different_size(self, pdf_mod):
+        """Big font-size gap → don't merge."""
+        a = {"bbox": (50, 100, 200, 120), "font_size": 12, "line_count": 1}
+        b = {"bbox": (50, 125, 200, 200), "font_size": 24, "line_count": 1}
+        assert pdf_mod.PDFTranslator._should_merge_blocks(None, a, b) is False
+
+    def test_should_not_merge_different_x_origin(self, pdf_mod):
+        """Far-apart x origins → don't merge (different columns)."""
+        a = {"bbox": (50, 100, 200, 120), "font_size": 12, "line_count": 1}
+        b = {"bbox": (300, 125, 450, 145), "font_size": 12, "line_count": 1}
+        assert pdf_mod.PDFTranslator._should_merge_blocks(None, a, b) is False
+
+    def test_should_not_merge_too_far_apart(self, pdf_mod):
+        """Vertical gap > 1.5x line height → don't merge."""
+        a = {"bbox": (50, 100, 200, 120), "font_size": 12, "line_count": 1}
+        b = {"bbox": (50, 200, 200, 220), "font_size": 12, "line_count": 1}
+        # vertical_gap = 200 - 120 = 80; line_height = 12 * 1.4 = 16.8
+        # 80 > 16.8 * 1.5 = 25.2
+        assert pdf_mod.PDFTranslator._should_merge_blocks(None, a, b) is False
+
+    def test_merge_two_blocks(self, pdf_mod):
+        """End-to-end merge: text combined, bbox expanded."""
+        blocks = [
+            {"bbox": (50, 100, 200, 120), "font_size": 12, "line_count": 1,
+             "text": "Line 1", "sub_bboxes": [(50, 100, 200, 120)]},
+            {"bbox": (50, 125, 200, 145), "font_size": 12, "line_count": 1,
+             "text": "Line 2", "sub_bboxes": [(50, 125, 200, 145)]},
+        ]
+        translator = pdf_mod.PDFTranslator()
+        merged = translator._merge_adjacent_blocks(blocks, page_rect=None)
+        assert len(merged) == 1
+        assert "Line 1" in merged[0]["text"]
+        assert "Line 2" in merged[0]["text"]
+
+
+# ============================================================================
+# B3.4 — LibreOffice absence log
+# ============================================================================
+
+class TestLibreOfficeAbsence:
+    def test_libreoffice_available_returns_bool(self, pdf_mod):
+        result = pdf_mod._libreoffice_available()
+        assert isinstance(result, bool)
+
+    def test_libreoffice_available_caches_result(self, pdf_mod):
+        """Calling twice should NOT spawn two subprocesses (cached)."""
+        # Reset cache
+        pdf_mod._libreoffice_available._cache = None
+        with patch("subprocess.run") as mock_run:
+            mock_run.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0)
+            r1 = pdf_mod._libreoffice_available()
+            r2 = pdf_mod._libreoffice_available()
+            # Only one subprocess call should have happened
+            assert mock_run.call_count == 1
+            assert r1 == r2 == True
+
+    def test_libreoffice_available_handles_missing(self, pdf_mod):
+        """FileNotFoundError → False."""
+        pdf_mod._libreoffice_available._cache = None
+        with patch("subprocess.run", side_effect=FileNotFoundError):
+            result = pdf_mod._libreoffice_available()
+        assert result is False
+
+    def test_libreoffice_available_handles_timeout(self, pdf_mod):
+        """TimeoutExpired → False (don't block the job)."""
+        import subprocess
+        pdf_mod._libreoffice_available._cache = None
+        with patch("subprocess.run", side_effect=subprocess.TimeoutExpired("lo", 5)):
+            result = pdf_mod._libreoffice_available()
+        assert result is False
+
+    def test_libreoffice_not_found_logs_hint(self, pdf_mod):
+        """When LibreOffice is missing, the log should include a hint."""
+        # Patch the module-level logger's `warning` method to capture calls
+        captured = []
+        original_warning = pdf_mod.logger.warning
+
+        def spy_warning(*args, **kwargs):
+            captured.append((args, kwargs))
+            return original_warning(*args, **kwargs)
+
+        with patch.object(pdf_mod.logger, "warning", side_effect=spy_warning):
+            with patch.object(pdf_mod, "_libreoffice_available", return_value=False):
+                result = pdf_mod.PDFTranslator()._convert_docx_to_pdf(
+                    Path("dummy.docx"), Path("dummy.pdf")
+                )
+
+        # Returns None (no conversion happened)
+        assert result is None
+        # Check the log message includes the install hint
+        all_args = [str(a) + str(kwargs) for args, kwargs in captured for a in args]
+        all_args += [str(kwargs) for args, kwargs in captured]
+        flat = " ".join(all_args)
+        assert "install" in flat.lower() or "Install" in flat, (
+            f"No install hint in logs. Captured: {captured}"
+        )
+
+
+# ============================================================================
+# B3.5 — Helper resilience
+# ============================================================================
+
+class TestHelperResilience:
+    def test_record_format_loss_zero_count_is_noop(self, pdf_mod):
+        """count=0 should be a no-op (no metric emitted)."""
+        # Should not raise
+        pdf_mod._record_format_loss_metric("hyperlink", count=0)
+
+    def test_record_format_loss_negative_count_is_noop(self, pdf_mod):
+        """Negative count should be ignored."""
+        pdf_mod._record_format_loss_metric("hyperlink", count=-5)
+
+    def test_record_format_loss_with_broken_metrics(self, pdf_mod):
+        """If middleware.metrics fails to import, the helper must NOT raise."""
+        with patch.dict(sys.modules, {"middleware.metrics": None}):
+            # Should swallow the ImportError
+            pdf_mod._record_format_loss_metric("hyperlink", count=1)
+
+    def test_libreoffice_available_cache_expires(self, pdf_mod):
+        """After 5 minutes, the cache should be considered stale."""
+        pdf_mod._libreoffice_available._cache = (time.time() - 301, True)
+        with patch("subprocess.run") as mock_run:
+            mock_run.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=1)
+            result = pdf_mod._libreoffice_available()
+        # Cache was stale → fresh subprocess call happened
+        assert mock_run.call_count == 1
diff --git a/translators/pdf_translator.py b/translators/pdf_translator.py
index aa3edc9..71c7072 100644
--- a/translators/pdf_translator.py
+++ b/translators/pdf_translator.py
@@ -43,6 +43,51 @@ FONT_SHRINK_FACTOR = 0.87
 RTL_LANGUAGES = frozenset({"ar", "he", "fa", "ur", "ku", "ps", "ug", "sd", "yi", "dv", "ckb"})
 
 
+def _record_format_loss_metric(element_type: str, count: int = 1) -> None:
+    """Best-effort emission of a format-loss metric (never raises).
+
+    Used by the PDF translator to track hyperlinks/annotations lost
+    during in-place text replacement.
+    """
+    if count <= 0:
+        return
+    try:
+        from middleware.metrics import record_format_loss
+        for _ in range(count):
+            record_format_loss(format="pdf", element_type=element_type)
+    except Exception:
+        # Metrics must never break a job
+        pass
+
+
+def _libreoffice_available() -> bool:
+    """Check if the LibreOffice CLI is available on this host.
+
+    Result is cached for 5 minutes to avoid spawning a subprocess
+    on every PDF translation.
+    """
+    import time
+    now = time.time()
+    cached = _libreoffice_available._cache
+    if cached and (now - cached[0]) < 300:
+        return cached[1]
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            ["libreoffice", "--version"],
+            capture_output=True,
+            text=True,
+            timeout=5,
+        )
+        ok = result.returncode == 0
+    except (FileNotFoundError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired, Exception):
+        ok = False
+    _libreoffice_available._cache = (now, ok)
+    return ok
+
+
+_libreoffice_available._cache = None  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+
+
 class PDFTranslator:
     """Translates PDF files with layout preservation using PyMuPDF."""
 
@@ -244,6 +289,24 @@ class PDFTranslator:
                     )
 
             # Phase 2: redact original text areas
+            #
+            # Before redaction, we need to capture the page's hyperlinks
+            # (PDF links are not stored in text blocks; they're attached
+            # to page annotations). After redaction, we re-insert the
+            # links so the translated page remains navigable.
+            #
+            # PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_NONE is critical: it tells PyMuPDF NOT to
+            # rasterize image content that intersects redaction areas.
+            # Without this flag, the redaction would replace the text
+            # AND the underlying image with a blank rectangle — wiping
+            # out any diagrams, charts, or photos in the same area.
+            page_links_before: list = []
+            if hasattr(page, "get_links"):
+                try:
+                    page_links_before = list(page.get_links())
+                except Exception:
+                    page_links_before = []
+
             for block in blocks:
                 if block.get("translated"):
                     for sub_rect in block["sub_bboxes"]:
@@ -251,6 +314,57 @@ class PDFTranslator:
 
             page.apply_redactions(images=fitz.PDF_REDACT_IMAGE_NONE)
 
+            # Re-insert hyperlinks that were inside the redacted area.
+            # We use the original link geometry (it's unaffected by the
+            # redaction). URIs are preserved verbatim; only the visible
+            # text changes.
+            if page_links_before:
+                reinserted = 0
+                lost = 0
+                page_rect = page.rect
+                for link in page_links_before:
+                    try:
+                        from_rect = link.get("from")
+                        if from_rect is None:
+                            lost += 1
+                            continue
+                        # Clamp the rect to the page (in case redaction
+                        # shrunk it)
+                        if not page_rect.intersects(from_rect):
+                            lost += 1
+                            continue
+                        # Build the link insertion kwargs based on kind
+                        if link.get("uri"):
+                            # External URI link
+                            page.insert_link({
+                                "kind": fitz.LINK_URI,
+                                "from": from_rect,
+                                "uri": link["uri"],
+                            })
+                            reinserted += 1
+                        elif link.get("page") is not None:
+                            # Internal goto link
+                            page.insert_link({
+                                "kind": fitz.LINK_GOTO,
+                                "from": from_rect,
+                                "page": link["page"],
+                                "to": link.get("to", fitz.Point(0, 0)),
+                            })
+                            reinserted += 1
+                        else:
+                            lost += 1
+                    except Exception:
+                        lost += 1
+                if reinserted > 0:
+                    logger.info(
+                        "pdf_hyperlinks_reinserted",
+                        page=page_num + 1,
+                        reinserted=reinserted,
+                        lost=lost,
+                    )
+                if lost > 0:
+                    _record_format_loss_metric("hyperlink", count=lost)
+
             # Phase 3: write translated text
             for block in blocks:
                 if block.get("translated"):
@@ -622,6 +736,13 @@ class PDFTranslator:
 
     def _convert_docx_to_pdf(self, docx_path: Path, target_pdf: Path) -> Path:
         """Convert DOCX → PDF using LibreOffice headless."""
+        if not _libreoffice_available():
+            # Cache miss → known-missing path
+            logger.warning(
+                "libreoffice_not_found",
+                hint="Install libreoffice-core on the host for DOCX→PDF fallback",
+            )
+            return None  # type: ignore[return-value]
         try:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 [
@@ -639,13 +760,13 @@ class PDFTranslator:
                     shutil.move(str(expected_pdf), str(target_pdf))
                 logger.info("docx_to_pdf_success")
                 return target_pdf
-            logger.warning("docx_to_pdf_no_output", stderr=result.stderr)
+            logger.warning("docx_to_pdf_no_output", stderr=result.stderr[:200])
         except FileNotFoundError:
-            logger.warning("libreoffice_not_found")
+            logger.warning("libreoffice_not_found_runtime")
         except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
             logger.warning("libreoffice_timeout")
         except Exception as e:
-            logger.warning("docx_to_pdf_failed", error=str(e))
+            logger.warning("docx_to_pdf_failed", error=str(e)[:200])
 
         docx_output = target_pdf.with_suffix(".docx")
         if docx_path != docx_output and docx_path.exists():