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Scan PDF Files for Accessibility Issues
Scan PDF Files for Accessibility Issues
How to do a PDF Accessibility Scan and Request a Remediation Quote
Faith George avatar
Written by Faith George
Updated this week

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Introduction

PDF scans are done via a Remediation Quote. Order a list of issues that require attention in the PDF. This service is provided by a third-party provider, CommonLook:

Choose the type of PDF scan:

  1. Scan a PDF file (also known as a “clarity” scan).

  2. Request PDF file remediation.

Note: The Content Links count in the Inventory module shows the number of links that point to PDF files. This is not the same as PDF files that are internal and present on the site. For example, the inventory may state a higher number of PDF links than the the Accessibility module PDF file count.


Request PDF Scans

This section gives information on how to request a PDF accessibility scan.

  1. Click Domain Overview (Globe icon) on the top menu bar.

    The location of the Internal PDFs button on the left menu.

  2. Click to select a domain from the list. The domain Dashboard opens.

    An example of a domain Dashboard landing page.

  3. On the top menu bar, click Accessibility (icon of a human figure with outstretched arms).

    The location of the Accessibility button on the window menu bar.

  4. The Accessibility summary page opens.

    The Accessibility summary page.

  5. Click PDFs on the menu on the left side of the page.

  6. The list expands with more choices:

    • Internal PDFs: Select if the PDF is uploaded on the site. The Internal PDFs page opens.

      The location of the Internal PDFs button under PDFs on the left menu.

      The chart has the following sorting options:

      • Pending

      • Reviewed/OK

      • Queued

      • Failed.

  7. Action: Click to expand the list of options.

  8. Select Start PDF Accessibility scan: Select to scan this PDF.

    The PDF file moves into the Queued column.

    If the PDF is located externally, select External PDFs: The External PDFs page opens. The chart has the following sorting options:

    • Pending

    • Reviewed/OK.

  9. Click a PDF in the list to view the URL and scan information.

The scan results are imported directly into your account and are available through the Monsido dashboard.

If the scan is succesful and no accessibility errors are found, the PDF is automatically moved to the Reviewed/Ok column. Select the PDF to view the results.

If the scan is succesful and some accessibility errors are found, the PDF is automatically moved to the Failed column. Click to view the scan results and the issues detected. Repair the errors or use the PDF remediation option as described below in the Remediation Quote instructions, upload the new PDF documents, and then start a new scan.


Check the Scan Results

To find more details about the PDF from the scan results, the Quality Assurance Module can provide some additional details:

Instructions

  1. From the Monsido Domain Overview, click Select Domain.

    The location of the Select Domain button on the upper left side on the page menu bar.

    The Domains list page opens.

  2. Click Open on the same row as the domain name. The domain dashboard opens.

    The location of the Open button, on the same row as a domain name.

  3. Click Quality Assurance (the checkbox icon), on the domain dashboard toolbar.

    The location of the Quality Assurance button on the window toolbar.

  4. The Quality Assurance page opens.

    The Quality Assurance landing page on a sample website.

  5. Click Content with QA Errors from the menu on the left-hand side of the page.

    The location of the Content with QA Errors option on the left menu bar.

    The Content with QA Errors page opens.

    The Content with QA Errors page for a sample website.

  6. On the menu bar at the top of the chart, click to navigate to PDF Documents.

    The location of the Internal PDFs button on the left menu.

  7. Click a document in the list to view more information about the scan results.

    If the scan is succesful and no accessibility errors are found, it is automatically moved to the Reviewed/Ok column. Select the PDF to view the results.

    If the scan is succesful and some accessibility errors are found, the PDF is automatically moved to the Failed column. Click to view the scan results and the issues detected. Repair the errors or use the PDF remediation option as described below in the Remediation Quote instructions, upload the new PDF documents, and then start a new scan.


Remediation Quote

If any PDF files require remediation, this can be requested from within the Monsido platform. Monsido delivers the remediated documents and accessibility reports when they are ready. To include the PDF scanning tool, upgrade your account at Monsido Support .

  1. Perform an accessibilty scan as per the previous section and locate the PDF files that are non-compliant.

  2. On the same row as a PDF that is non-compliant, click to select Remediation Quote.

    This submits an order for remediation of issues that require attention in the PDF. This service is provided by a third party. A dialog box opens with the following text:

    "Document remediation for compliance to WCAG 2.1 AA, Section 508, HHS or PDF/UA accessibility standards. Document remediation requires manual verification and can range in cost. When you submit PDF documents for remediation, we will review the document and give you a firm, fixed price for the remediation. Upon completion of the work, we will also provide a compliance report. We will let you know if there is any Alternative Text (Alt-Text) required for images that are not self-descriptive or any related additional information needed to remediate the document."

    The dialog box with the text as given above for PDF remediation quotes.

  3. Click OK to confirm, or Cancel to close the dialog box without ordering the PDF remediation check.

  4. The remediated PDFs are sent to you when they are finished.

  5. Remove the old PDFs from the website and upload the remediated PDFs.

  6. Change the status of the PDFs manually to Mark as reviewed. This moves the files to the Reviewed/Ok folder in the Monsido UI.

For more information on the PDF accessibility scan service, see:


Bulk Remediation Quotes and PDF Accessibility Checks

For accounts that are upgraded to include the PDF scanning tool, it is possible to do a bulk remediation quote to include all PDFs.

  1. Click to select All PDFs.

    The menu expands.

  2. Choose one of the following bulk options:

    • Mark all as reviewed: Select this option to mark all PDF files as reviewed.

    • Request PDF accessibility check for all: Select this option to request a PDF accessibility check for all PDF files.

    • Request remediation quote for all: Select this option to request a remediation quote for all PDF files.

Contact Support for more information. PDF tracking allows users to see which files are remediated.


Additional information

For more information, see the User Guide chapters:

For further assistance, contact the Monsido support team or use the Monsido chat and help features inside the application.

The locations of the Help Center buttons on the dashboard.

Contact us

Monsido, an Optimere brand:

San Diego, CA, USA

5880 Oberlin Dr,
San Diego, CA 92121, USA

Australia & New Zealand

Suite 2.04
80 Cooper St
Surry Hills, NSW 2010

Copenhagen, Denmark

Borupvang 3
2750 Ballerup, Denmark

London, UK

14 New Street
London, EC2M 4HE

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