Check that a document contains usable text

What to change

Ask the supplier to verify text usability in the actual published file rather than judging only its visual appearance.

A worked example

Illustrative example

A visitor can find the section on parking in a long information leaflet and copy its address without retyping text from a scanned page.

How to check the result

Accept when the relevant text is searchable, selectable and meaningfully readable, with further accessibility checks appropriate to the document's structure.

A mistake to avoid

Automatic text recognition can introduce errors or an illogical reading order even when the document suddenly becomes searchable.

Your action checklist

Use these checks to prepare a discussion with your team or supplier. Tick a check when you have recorded the decision or evidence, rather than when a feature has simply been promised.

Decisions to recordOpen a representative document and search for a phrase visible on one of its later pages. Confirm the search finds the intended text.Select a paragraph and paste it into a plain text area. Check that words, spacing and order survive rather than producing an empty or scrambled result.Ask the supplier to demonstrate reading and navigation with assistive technology. Text extraction alone should not be treated as proof of complete document accessibility.

Evidence, open questions and decisionsNext action and responsible role

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