How many of our PDFs can we archive?

It depends on your site, but past meeting minutes, old reports and superseded newsletters are often a large share. They must be kept only for reference, in an archive area, and unchanged to qualify.

Can staff do the manual part?

Yes, with Adobe Acrobat Pro and some training. Budget staff time realistically: forms and complex tables are slow.

Guides › Cost

The cheapest way to remediate 500 PDFs

Short answer: Don't remediate all 500. First move reference-only documents into a clearly marked archive (often excepted under ADA Title II), then run the remaining files through a free check, remediate simple text documents with an automated tool at under $1 per page, and pay for manual work only on forms and complex layouts. This typically cuts the cost by more than half compared with sending everything to a manual vendor.

Step 1: Inventory

Export a list of every PDF on your site: URL, title, date, page count, and the page that links to it. Many content management systems can export this; a site crawler can too.

Step 2: Sort into three piles

Pile	What goes here	What to do
Archive	Past minutes, old reports, superseded documents kept only for reference	Move to an “Archive” section, don’t change them, add a request-an-accessible-copy notice
In active use	Forms, applications, current policies, fee schedules, current calendars	Remediate
Delete	Duplicates, outdated drafts, things nobody needs (check retention rules)	Remove

In many collections the archive pile is the biggest. See do old PDFs need to be accessible for the exact conditions.

Step 3: Triage the active pile

Run each file through a checker. Ours is free and needs no account. Split the results:

Text documents exported from Word or Excel: agendas, minutes, policies, reports, fee tables.
Scans: need OCR, then tagging.
Complex: fillable forms, designed brochures and newsletters, maps, infographics.

Step 4: Automate the text documents

Automated remediation handles text documents well: tags, headings, reading order, lists, tables, title and language. At $0.45 to $0.78 per page, 1,000 pages costs $449 to $780 with our page packs. Spot-check a sample with a screen reader.

Step 5: Hand-fix or outsource the complex files

Forms and designed layouts are where automated tools are weakest. Options:

Rebuild the form as a web form (often the best result for users).
Recreate the document in Word with proper structure and export it again.
Send it to a manual remediation vendor.

Step 6: Stop the pile from growing

Every new inaccessible PDF adds to the backlog. Train authors to use heading styles and alt text in Word, run the Word accessibility checker before exporting, and check every PDF before posting.

Example budget

500 files averaging 5 pages = 2,500 pages. Suppose 60% can be archived, leaving 1,000 pages: 850 text pages automated ($449 for the Bulk pack, which covers 1,000) plus 150 complex pages done manually at around $10 each ($1,500). Total about $1,950, compared with $10,000 or more to send all 2,500 pages to a manual vendor at $4 per page or higher.

Frequently asked questions

How many of our PDFs can we archive?: It depends on your site, but past meeting minutes, old reports and superseded newsletters are often a large share. They must be kept only for reference, in an archive area, and unchanged to qualify.
Can staff do the manual part?: Yes, with Adobe Acrobat Pro and some training. Budget staff time realistically: forms and complex tables are slow.