Accessible PDF Documents

Do you have a PDF document that needs to be made accessible?

“1 in 5 people in the UK have a long term illness, impairment or disability”

GOV.UK

How can we help?

We’ll make your PDF documents fully accessible, addressing the common issues, including:

  • Usability for impaired vision – text size and contrast issues
  • Logical document structure – making forms and tables usable
  • Layout & simplicity, to ensure content is readable and understandable
  • Link clarity – making sure hyperlinks are defined and described
  • Image accessibility, to make sure pictures are described for the visually-impaired
  • Accessible navigation – helping people using screenreaders and keyboards to use the PDF

Get started

Send us some information about you and your PDF documents and we’ll let you know how we can help to make your documents accessible

Name*

If you can, please upload your PDF/s

We'll assess the work involved and let you know time and costs so you can make a decision. No obligation!
NB. Your documents will be deleted automatically once no longer required for assessment or work.
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Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 30 MB, Max. files: 4.
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    ACCESSIBLE PDF DOCUMENTS ARE ESSENTIAL – and mandatory in the Public Sector.

    Making your PDF accessible means more than just keeping your layout simple. Accessibility in PDF documents is essential in ensuring your content is available to all audiences on all devices.

    This is mandatory for Public Sector websites following the introduction of the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. These regulations say you must make your documents more accessible by making them ‘perceivable, operable, understandable and robust’.

    ACCESSIBLE PDF DOCUMENTS – A SPECIALITY.

    If you have existing PDF documents that currently fall short of the required standard, we specialise in adjusting PDFs to make them accessible. Just get in touch and send us an example and we will talk you through the process!

    Also, if you would like PDF documents beautifully designed and created to a fully-accessible standard, our experienced graphic designers have a lot of experience working with clients in the UK Public Sector and private companies to produce documents for print and PDF. We will work with you to design a beautiful, highly-accessible documents that you can make available online as a PDF and professionally print too.
    Stylised composite photo of user's hands at laptop with overlaid symbols of documents being convertd to PDF

    Types of businesses affected by New accessibility rules:

    NHS Trusts & Healthcare

    Councils

    Police & Fire Services

    Schools, Universities & Education

    Public Sector

    Accessibility focussed businesses

    How our service works

    1. Use the form to get in touch with us and let us know some details.
    2. We’ll respond to let you know how to send us your PDF document/s so we can check them over.
    3. We’ll review and respond within 2 working days with a quote and timeframe to complete the work.
    4. If you’re happy to go ahead, you can confirm by paying a deposit and we’ll get to work making your PDF accessible.
    5. Once the work is complete, we’ll send you an invoice for the remainder of the work.
      NB: All PDF documents sent to us will be deleted from our systems, either after the work is completed or after 14 days.

    Do it yourself

    Ensuring a PDF document is accessible involves several steps to make sure the content can be easily navigated and understood by people with disabilities. Below are key methods to achieve this:

    1. Use Text-Based Content
      Optical Character Recognition (OCR): Ensure the document text is actual text, not images of text. If you are working with scanned images, use OCR to convert the image-based text into machine-readable text.
      Readable Fonts: Use standard, readable fonts and avoid decorative or highly stylised fonts that might be hard to read.
    2. Provide Alt Text for Images
      Add alternative text (alt text) for images, graphics, and charts to ensure people using screen readers can understand the content.
    3. Tag the Document
      Proper Tagging: Use document tags to identify different sections such as headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables. This creates a logical reading order for screen readers.
      Semantic Structure: Use headings (H1, H2, H3) to indicate the document’s structure, so users can navigate through the content logically.
    4. Add Document Properties
      Fill in the document’s metadata, such as the title, author, subject, and keywords. This information helps people understand the context of the document.
    5. Ensure Proper Reading Order
      Check that the content is presented in the correct reading order. PDF authoring tools often allow you to specify this order for screen readers.
    6. Provide Accessible Links
      Ensure hyperlinks in the PDF are properly formatted, descriptive, and clickable so that users know where the link leads. Avoid using vague text like “click here.”
    7. Use Proper Table Markup
      Tables should have clear header rows, with proper markup to define the relationship between data cells and headers. Avoid using tables for layout purposes.
    8. Ensure Colour Contrast
      Make sure there is enough contrast between the text and background. This helps visually impaired users easily distinguish between different parts of the document.
    9. Avoid Using Images for Text
      Use real text instead of images of text, as these are not accessible to screen readers. When images of text must be used, include alt text.
    10. Use Accessible Forms (if applicable)
      If your PDF includes forms, make sure the form fields are accessible by labelling each field, including instructions, and providing keyboard navigation options.
    11. Test the PDF’s Accessibility
      Use an accessibility checker to verify that your PDF meets accessibility standards.
      Manually test with screen readers like NVDA or JAWS to ensure the document works well for users relying on these tools.
    12. Document Language Specification
      Set the document’s language so that screen readers know how to pronounce words and sentences correctly.
    13. Provide a Tagged Table of Contents (ToC)
      If the document is long, include a tagged ToC that allows screen reader users to jump directly to sections of interest.

    By implementing these techniques, you ensure that your PDF is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.

    And naturally if you’d prefer and would like our help, then please use the form at the top of this page to get in touch… or call us.