By document type
Every document type has its own accessibility traps
An invoice fails differently from a contract. Pick a document type to see where it typically breaks accessibility and the checklist to fix it.
What makes a PDF accessible?
An accessible PDF is tagged: it carries a structure tree that tells assistive technology what is a heading, a paragraph, a table, a list, or a figure, in the correct reading order, with alternative text for images and a real document title and language. The technical bar for this is PDF/UA (ISO 14289), which operationalises the applicable parts of WCAG for PDF. A PDF that merely looks right on screen almost always fails these checks — the accessibility lives in structure a sighted reader never sees.
Why does the document type matter?
The same rules apply to every PDF, but each kind of document breaks them in its own way. Invoices and statements fail on untagged data tables and reading order; contracts on heading structure and defined terms; reports on charts with no text alternative. Pick a type below for its specific failure modes and remediation checklist — or see which national rules apply by country.
- invoicesWhy PDF invoices routinely fail accessibility — untagged line-item tables, missing reading order, images of totals — and the checklist to make them conformant.
- bank statementsBank and financial statements are dense data tables — the hardest PDFs to make accessible. The specific failure modes, and the checklist to fix transaction tables, balances and headers.
- contractsLong-form contracts fail accessibility on structure: no real headings, broken numbered clauses, and untagged signature blocks. The failure modes and the remediation checklist.