Manual PDF remediation vs. Paridoc.
Manual remediation fixes one PDF at a time for $5 to $15 a page. Paridoc makes every PDF on your site accessible for $0.30 to $0.45 per page per year, including the ones you haven't posted yet.
Two different jobs
Manual remediation repairs the PDF file. A specialist tags each page so assistive technology can read it: headings, reading order, table headers, image descriptions, form labels. You send files out and get tagged files back.
Paridoc leaves the PDF alone and gives every document an accessible HTML version. When someone clicks a document link on your site, that's what they get. HTML is what screen readers, zoom and phones handle best. Federal policy, in Section508.gov's words, "requires agencies to prioritize HTML and use PDFs only when necessary." Why HTML is more accessible than PDF.
Side by side
| Manual remediation | Paridoc | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5–15 per page, once | $0.30–$0.45 per page per year |
| 5,000 pages | $25,000–75,000 | $1,500–2,250 a year |
| New documents | A new job each time | Converted as they're posted |
| Changed documents | Remediated again | Converted again automatically |
| Turnaround | Days to weeks | Usually minutes |
| Staff work | Sending files, tracking them, re-uploading | One script tag; flag anything that needs fixing |
| Output | A tagged PDF | An accessible HTML version; the PDF is unchanged |
The backlog problem
Agencies that choose manual remediation almost always start with a triage list, because they can't afford to send everything. The documents below the line stay inaccessible. And the list never shrinks, because the clerk's office keeps posting: agendas, minutes, staff reports, public notices.
Paridoc has no triage line. Every document on your site gets an accessible version, whether it was posted in 2014 or this morning.
When manual remediation is the right call
Use manual remediation when the file itself has to be accessible: documents you send as email attachments, filings that must be tagged PDFs, or anything people are expected to download and keep. Many agencies use both: Paridoc for everything on the website, manual remediation for the handful of files that leave it.
See the full numbers in how much PDF remediation costs.
Questions
Is manual remediation more accurate?
A skilled specialist working carefully on one document is the gold standard. But agencies rarely have the budget to send every document, and the backlog that isn't sent stays inaccessible. Paridoc covers every document, and our team fixes any problem you flag.
When do we still need manual remediation?
When the PDF file itself must be accessible: documents you email out as attachments, files a court or another agency requires as tagged PDFs, or anything people download rather than read on your site. Paridoc does not produce tagged PDFs.
Updated September 2026
Send us your website's address and we'll count your PDFs and send you a price: paridoc@efile.systems