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Re: Average time to Remediate PDFs in bulk?

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From: Chagnon | PubCom
Date: Oct 10, 2014 9:42AM

Jordan wrote: "Does anyone recommend an average time (in hours) they use for
remediating a PDF?
I'm trying to semi-accurately estimate an hourly effort for large batches of
documents."

Define "large." It means different things to different people. Is a large
batch 10 documents or 100 documents? Are the documents 5 pages long, 50
pages, or 500 pages?

In our contracts to agencies for PDF remediation, we specifically do not
place an estimate on how long it will take to remediate a PDF. It's just not
possible because there are too many variables.

The biggest factor is how well the original source document was made, which
then affects the underlying structure and coding of the PDF, which of course
directly affects accessibility.

The version of the originating software is critical; Word 2013 makes a
better document than Word 2007. Same with Adobe InDesign. And which version
of Acrobat was used to convert the document affects the accessibility in the
PDF.

You can't see any of these items by visually looking at the PDF, so how do
you know what you'll run into when you start remediation?

And then there's Alt-text; is the graphic a complex statistical chart or a
garden-variety photo for window-dressing the document's visual appearance?
Big difference in what has to be written for Alt-text, and statistical
Alt-text has to then be approved by the author or SME.

Summary: sometimes we can remediate a 100-page PDF from Word faster than a
4-page PDF brochure from InDesign. It's all about the code, the source
document, the software versions, and the skills of the person who made the
document.

WTHK ... Who the heck knows!

--BJC

- PubCom.com - Trainers, Consultants, Designers, and Developers.
- Print, Web, Acrobat, XML, eBooks, and U.S. Federal Section 508
Accessibility.
- 508 Workshop: www.workshop.pubcom.com
- US Federal Training: www.gpo.gov/customers/theinstitute.htm