PDF Accessibility Guide with Apryse SDK

Ensuring PDFs are accessible is critical for making content available to all users, including those who rely on assistive technologies like screen readers. Accessibility compliance follows PDF/UA (ISO 14289-1) and WCAG standards, making documents more structured and navigable.

The Apryse SDK provides tools to helpautomate accessibility compliancewith the AutoTagging feature, which automatically applies semantic structure to PDFs, ensuring they are properly formatted for screen readers. 

• Legal Compliance → Meet WCAG requirements and reduce legal risks from government mandates such as the European Accessibility Act 
• Best Practices → Ensure PDFs are structured for assistive technologies, making content truly accessible
• Inclusivity → Broaden access to content for users with visual impairments.

• If your content is already structured—such as a Word document with headings, tables, and alt text for images—the best approach is to convert it to a tagged PDF while preserving its accessibility information.
• Ensure the source document is properly structured.
• Convert the document using Apryse SDK.
• Verify accessibility using a PDF reader or checker.

• If you have an unstructured or scanned PDF, you can use AutoTagging to automatically apply accessibility tags. Since some document elements require human validation, this process typically involves:
• AutoTagging the document using Apryse SDK.
• Reviewing the tagged PDF for accuracy.
• Manually adjusting elements where needed (e.g., complex tables, reading order).
• This method significantly reduces the manual effort while ensuring compliance with accessibility standards.

If you frequently create similar documents, using pre-tagged templates ensures accessibility from the start. This method is ideal for generating accessible PDFs programmatically while maintaining consistency.

1. Create a structured template with built-in accessibility tags (e.g., headings, tables, alt text for images).
2. Use the Apryse SDK to dynamically populate content while preserving accessibility structure.
3. Export the final document as a fully tagged PDF ready for assistive technologies.