PDF remediation: AI fixes with optional human verification

PDF remediation is the work of fixing a PDF so people who use assistive technology, such as screen readers, can read and use it. It usually means adding or repairing the file's hidden structure (called tags), setting a logical reading order, writing alt text for images, marking up tables and labeling form fields. Includoc does this with AI first, shows you anything that needs a person's judgment, and offers human verification by a certified accessibility specialist when the stakes are high.

What remediation fixes

When every machine check passes, we also mark the file as conforming to PDF/UA (ISO 14289), the international standard for accessible PDFs. We never add that mark to a file that hasn't passed.

Two ways to remediate

AI fix

Best for most documents, especially when someone on your team can review the items we flag.

• Price: $1.50/page, or less with page packs: 100 pages for $150, 500 pages for $600 ($1.20 a page) and 2,000 pages for $2,000 ($1.00 a page). Credits last 12 months.
• Free start: your first 10 pages are free when you sign up.
• Included: the fixed PDF, a conformance report and a change log.
• Re-fix free: re-process the same file at no charge for 30 days.
• Limits: up to 300 pages and 100 MB per file.
• Plans: Pro includes 300 AI pages a month, and Organization plans include 1,000 or 3,000. See pricing.

Human-verified

Best for forms people use to apply for services, complex tables, and any document that has to be right the first time.

• What's included: the AI fix, plus a specialist's review against WCAG 2.1 AA and PDF/UA, a screen-reader test and a human-verified report. It doesn't use your plan's AI page allowance.
• Delivery: within 3 business days for files of 100 pages or fewer. Larger jobs get a quote with a delivery date.
• Rush: available at 1.5 times the page price.
• No surprises: we classify each page automatically and show you the breakdown and total before you pay.

How that compares

Typical human remediation vendors charge $5 to $8 a page for standard pages, and more for complex pages and forms (vendor rate compilation (opens another website), Harvard's negotiated vendor rates (opens another website)). The remediation cost calculator compares those rates with ours for your own document count.

How our process works

With human verification, a certified accessibility specialist (CPACC/IAAP or equivalent experience) also works through a WCAG 2.1 AA and PDF/UA checklist and tests the document with the NVDA screen reader. A second reviewer spot-checks 10% of files. Your report lists the reviewer's credentials.

Word and PowerPoint files follow the same steps. We fix alt text, headings, table header rows, slide titles, the title and the language in the source file, then give you both the fixed file and a tagged PDF.

What we don't do

We'd rather tell you now than after you've paid. Includoc doesn't:

• Redesign layouts or colors. We flag low contrast and other visual problems, but we don't redesign your document. Fix those in the source file.
• Create new form fields. We label and tag existing fillable fields. A scanned or flat form needs fields added first, or a new fillable or online version.
• Support XFA forms. We flag them as unsupported. Convert them to standard PDF forms (AcroForms) first.
• Write math as MathML. Equations get alt text, but we don't produce MathML or handle complex scientific notation beyond that.
• Handle PDF portfolios. Collections of files packaged as one PDF aren't supported.
• Keep digital signatures. Fixing a signed PDF invalidates the signature. We warn you before processing.
• Promise legal compliance. We give you evidence: a report that shows whether the file passes all machine-checkable PDF/UA and WCAG 2.1 AA checks, and which items need human review. Your counsel decides legal compliance.

Tools or services?

PDF remediation tools, such as Adobe Acrobat Pro and specialist desktop software, are powerful, but they take training and time for every document. PDF remediation services do the work for you, usually at $5 to $8 a page, with turnaround measured in days or weeks. Includoc is a bit of both: self-serve like a tool, with AI doing the repetitive work, and a service tier when you want a specialist's sign-off. If you already use a desktop tool, you can use Includoc for the first pass and finish in the tool you know.

Buying for a public agency

We work the way public purchasing works:

• Quotes: request a written quote for an Organization plan or a remediation project from the pricing page or our procurement contact form.
• Paperwork: W-9, certificate of insurance, security overview and our data processing addendum.
• Invoices: with your purchase order number and net-30 terms, paid by ACH or wire. Cards work too.
• Tax-exempt status: we keep your exemption certificate on file.
• Small purchases: pay-as-you-go pages work on a P-card, and Organization plans are priced to fit under many small-purchase limits.