Tagsmith — Make PDFs Accessible (PDF/UA-1), 100% on Your PC
Make your PDFs pass an accessibility audit — and prove it.
Since 28 June 2025 the European Accessibility Act applies, and the standard behind it (EN 301 549) means published PDFs must be accessible: a real tag structure, a document language, embedded fonts, alt text on images and correct table headers. Most PDFs exported from Word or InDesign have none of that, and fixing them by hand in Acrobat takes hours per document.
Tagsmith does the mechanical work automatically, checks every result with veraPDF 1.30.2 (the reference PDF/UA validator), and hands you only the few items that genuinely need a human — telling you exactly which ones and why.
What it does
- Repairs PDFs to PDF/UA-1 (ISO 14289-1): tags, language, metadata, headings, links, font maps and more. Every fix is recorded against the rule it satisfies.
- Converts first: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML, Markdown and EPUB become accessible PDFs. Scans and images are read with built-in OCR (English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian).
- Validates every file with veraPDF 1.30.2. No "looks fine to me": each document gets PASS or a list of what is still open.
- Review screen: lists every figure and table that needs a description — including images with placeholder text like "image 1" that a checker accepts but a screen reader user can't use. You type it; Tagsmith writes it into a copy.
- Client-ready report: one HTML file with before/after results per document, every fix per clause and a plain-language glossary, plus audit.csv spreadsheets. Put your own name and logo on it.
- Watched folders: drop files in, they come out accessible. Plus a command line for automation.
Measured, not promised
- Real demo batch — 3 government PDFs + 1 scanned letter: 4 of 4 fully conformant, 30 fixes applied, failed checks 1836 → 0 on the EU document.
- Test corpus of 97 real public-sector PDFs (EU, Dutch national, US tax forms): 95 of 97 fully PDF/UA-1 conformant.
Measured on Tagsmith 0.3.0 (September 2026). Results are machine-verified and reproducible.
Private by design
Tagsmith runs entirely on your PC and your documents are never uploaded. It goes online exactly once — when you press Activate — to confirm your licence, sending only the licence key and an anonymous computer code. After that it works fully offline. Your originals are never modified; results go to a separate folder.
What it does NOT do
- It does not "certify". Results are machine-verified and reproducible, not legal advice.
- Alt text needs a human: Tagsmith finds every image that needs one, but only you know what it shows.
- Office, web and Markdown conversion use free tools you may already have (LibreOffice, Edge/Chrome, Pandoc). The app tells you exactly which one is missing. PDFs, images and OCR work out of the box.
- Windows 10/11 only for now. The installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows shows its standard "More info → Run anyway" warning once.
What you get
- Tagsmith 0.3.0 installer for Windows (about 155 MB download, installs without admin rights)
- 5-page Quick Start guide (PDF): install, activate, first batch, review, report, watch folders, FAQ
- Your personal licence key (on the receipt and by email)
Activation: 10 seconds
Install, open Settings → Licence, paste the licence key from your receipt, press Activate. That's it. €75 one-time, one licence = one computer, no subscription, no account. Moving to a new PC? Email hello@runoperatorco.com and we move it.
Gallery
Installer's activation screen, run/report/review, and the Quick Start — all real app screenshots.