5 Factors to Consider when Choosing a PDF Remediation Solution

It’s easy to get mired in the many options to make your PDFs accessible. But choosing which option or combination of options is pretty straightforward when you evaluate your documents carefully. Consider these factors questions when picking the right solution for your organization.

1. Quantity: How many documents do you have? 

If you have a few documents or even a few thousand documents with varying content, styles, and formats, Equidox PDF remediation software or PDF remediation services will probably suit your needs. To figure out whether software or services are right for you, you’ll also need to consider your time, staffing, and experience levels. 

However, if you have thousands of documents that look the same every month, a custom solution that automatically tags your unique documents might be a better solution. See factor five for more information.

2. Staff: How many people will help you make your documents accessible? 

If you’ve got a sizable team, investing in Equidox PDF Remediation Software is the way to go. Software is also the right choice if you plan on making your staff responsible for ensuring all new content produced is accessible. Licenses are concurrent, and the software is cloud-based, so users can log in from anywhere at any time to collaborate on projects. It’s also easy to learn and use so no matter what your staff’s accessibility experience level is, they can use Equidox. Training and support are included with software purchases. 

If you’ve got a smaller team and lots of documents, you can procure the software and do as much as you’re able to in-house, then outsource the rest to Equidox PDF Remediation Services if you need more help. This is also a great option if you run into some particularly complicated documents that are out of your team’s accessibility comfort zone.  Equidox expert remediators will also manually validate them to ensure they’re truly usable for the end-user, not just technically compliant.

3. Experience: Does your staff have accessibility experience?

If you’ve got staff who are new to accessibility or unfamiliar with PDF remediation in general, make sure you’re getting software that is easy for everyone to learn and use so you don’t risk incorrectly tagged documents, or spend days sitting through expensive and difficult training sessions. Equidox PDF Remediation Software is great for any team, regardless of skill level, and includes free training and support.  It’s so easy that even beginners can learn the basics in just an hour. With many automated features and constantly evolving development, Equidox is also robust enough for more experienced document remediators as well.

If you have a team that is inexperienced with accessibility and some documents that are more difficult than their skill level allows, even after training on Equidox software, you might want to outsource those documents to Equidox PDF Remediation Services. Our remediation team can tackle the more complex documents for you and make sure they’re remediated correctly and verified.

4. Time: What is your schedule for completing the project?

If your plan is to steadily work through your PDFs, remediating them as they are produced, or catching up on inaccessible archived documents that have built up over the years, investing in Equidox PDF Remediation Software is the way to go. Equidox software is fast and easy to learn and use. Because it’s cloud-based, you can work on remediation projects from any computer at any time- perfect for working remotely or collaborating with coworkers.

But if you’re under a time crunch- perhaps you’ve received a request from a client, received a compliance request from a civil rights organization, or are facing a  lawsuit alleging discrimination- you might need a little more help to speed up the process. You could tackle all or part of the project yourself using Equidox Software if you have the time and manpower to remediate everything quickly. But if you need some help you can outsource all or some of the project to Equidox PDF Remediation Services. Equidox remediation experts will tag all of your documents and manually validate their accuracy using screen readers to ensure they’re not just compliant but actually usable by people with disabilities.

5. Document variance: How different are the PDFs from one another?

If those few or few hundred documents are very similar to one another- like meeting minutes that are set up the same way every month, course description catalogs that are formatted almost identically, product instructions produced in several different languages, or filled PDF forms like job applications- zone transfer might be a good option. Zone transfer is an option within Equidox software that allows you to tag one document, then copy and paste the tags onto the other similar documents. You will still need to go back and adjust some zones if there are slight variations, but you’ll be adjusting a 90% remediated document instead of starting the remediation process from scratch for each document.

Maybe you have thousands or even HUNDREDS of thousands of PDFs or more that all look pretty much the same, and are generated regularly. Bank statements, financial reports, or customer invoices produced monthly all fit this case. These kinds of documents are ideal for an Equidox High Volume Automated Solution, in which Equidox custom-builds an automated system that can be integrated into your workflow to suit your unique documents. Equidox uses machine learning and AI to “learn” the elements contained in your documents and where variations may occur (ie. an extra page because there are more transactions on one document than another). You can implement the process we develop for you anywhere in your workflow to automatically produce accessible documents either when the statements are created as a batch or on-demand as a user requests them. This is a truly accessible option – not just a quick fix or band-aid. 

Consider your resources, and ask for help if you need it

No matter what size your project is, Equidox has a solution to make PDF remediation easy for you. Understanding your documents and your team members can help you make the best decision for your PDF remediation needs. If you still aren’t sure which solution is best, just contact us and we can help you evaluate your documents and choose the best option.

Nina Overdorff

Nina comes to Equidox with years of sales and marketing experience from a variety of industries and holds a BS in Language Arts Education. Nina has a passion for words, storytelling, and information, which she believes everyone should have access to regardless of ability. After spending time as a teacher with a blind student, she became much more aware of the limitations and abilities of web accessibility, and how essential it is to those experiencing disabilities. “Being able to access information equally ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity for education, employment, and success in life.”