Did you know that 72% of people handle financial PDF documents like bank statements and invoices every day – yet 41% report that more than half of them are improperly tagged and inaccessible? Inaccessible PDFs not only frustrate users but also put organizations at risk of failing PDF/UA compliance and WCAG accessibility requirements.
The good news? Making a PDF accessible doesn’t have to be slow or complicated. With AI-powered, template-driven auto-tagging in PDFix, you can transform even complex financial documents into fully accessible, screen-reader-friendly PDFs in minutes. In this blog, we’ll show you the solution how to auto-tag and remediate PDFs – fast, automatically, accurately, and without needing deep accessibility expertise.
The Solution: One JSON Template to Automatically Tag Them All
Using the PDFix SDK or PDFix Desktop, you can define a single Template JSON file that tells the layout recognition engine exactly:
- What to detect (headings, tables, logos, addresses, etc.)
- Where to detect it (via bounding boxes or anchors)
- How to tag it (as H1, P, Table, Artifacts, etc.)
Once configured, this single template can be applied automatically across thousands of PDF invoices or statements, delivering consistent structure and saving hours of work.
Use Case: Automated Tagging of NovaBank Statement
Here’s how we used one JSON layout template to auto-tag NovaBank statements — including dynamic headers, branded logos, customer details, tables, and footers — at scale.
JSON Snippet: Defining the Header with Nested Template
This JSON snippet defines virtual elements for tagging content on page 1 of a PDF document using the element_create function. It demonstrates two primary use cases:
- Creating a dynamic header region with a nested template
- Manually tagging the text in specific bounding box wrapping each line of the NovaBank address in a single P tags
"element_create": [
{
"elements": [
{
"bbox": [
"0",
"688",
"$page_width",
"$page_height"
],
"element_template": {
"template": {
"pagemap": [
{
"rd_sort": "2",
"rd_sort_direction": "2",
"statement": "$if"
}
]
}
},
"type": "pde_header"
},
{
"bbox": [
"88.05127716064453",
"527.709228515625",
"325.1794738769531",
"677.7356567382812"
],
"text_flag": "new_line",
"type": "pde_text"
}Detecting Continuous Multi-Page Tables with Anchors
In multipage bank statements, tables often span several pages — the structure varies: one statement might contain a 2-page table, while another could include a 40-page table. The JSON template system uses anchors to dynamically detect the start and end points of each table.
This means a single template can be applied across thousands of documents, accurately identifying differently sized tables in each file based on the rule system defined in the Templates.
]
},
"statement": "$if"
},
{
"comment": "Tag continuous table",
"elements": [
{
"end_bbox": [
"0",
"$ANCHOR-Footer_top",
"$page_width",
"$ANCHOR-Footer_top"
],
"flag": "continuous",
"name": "INITELEM-Table",
"start_bbox": [
"0",
"$ANCHOR-Table_bottom",
"$page_width",
"$ANCHOR-Table_bottom"
],
"type": "pde_table"
}
],Anchors like ANCHOR-Table and ANCHOR-Footer are created using regex patterns in text_line_update
],
"text_line_update": [
{
"comment": "Create ANCHOR-Table",
"flag": "anchor",
"name": "ANCHOR-Table",
"query": {
"$and": [
{
"$0_text": {
"$regex": "^Transaction Details"
}
}
],
"param": [
"pde_text_line"
]Why Use the Automation and PDFix Template System?
- Tag thousands of PDFs automatically using one smart, reusable template
- Ensure consistent tagging across invoices, bank statements, and reports
- Improve semantic tagging accuracy for headings, tables, images, and more
- Eliminate manual remediation—no more fixing tags one file at a time
- Enhance PDF accessibility with screen-reader–friendly, PDF/UA-compliant output
One Template, Thousands of Tagged PDFs
Once your JSON template is complete, apply it via:
- PDFix SDK CLI – perfect for batch jobs or server-side automation
- PDFix Desktop – test the template and fine-tune visually
Try tagging your bank statement with a sample JSON today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to auto-tag PDFs like invoices or bank statements?
The most scalable way to auto-tag structured PDFs is by using a template-based layout recognition system like PDFix. You define a single JSON file that tells the engine what to tag and where, then apply it across thousands of files without manual editing.
Can I tag PDFs automatically for accessibility (PDF/UA)?
Yes. PDFix supports automatic PDF/UA-compliant tagging using semantic elements (<h1>, <p>, <table>, etc.). With the right JSON template, you can generate accessible documents that pass compliance checks without manual tagging. Read more about PDFix Template logic – a rule based layout engine defined in JSON.
How does the PDFix template system work?
The template is a JSON configuration file that defines elements by position, text pattern, style, or anchors. PDFix SDK uses this file to recognize and tag structures like headers, tables, and footers across any number of PDF files. Read more about Layout Template.
How is the Layout Template created?
Is this Template system good accessibility solution for bank statements or invoices?
Yes, it’s ideal. Bank statements and invoices usually follow a predictable layout. PDFix templates are perfect for batch-tagging structured documents like monthly financial reports, utility bills, or receipts.
Can PDFix be integrated into our document pipeline?
Absolutely. The PDFix SDK can be embedded into any document automation pipeline (Windows, Linux, or cloud-based). Deutsche Bank, for example, integrated it without disrupting their existing workflow.
What tools are required to create or test the PDFix Layout Template?
You can use PDFix Desktop for visual layout analysis and template creation, then run batch operations using the PDFix SDK CLI or your own script. No coding is needed to start.
Where can I find examples or Layout Templates?
You’ll find all working examples on GitHub under PDFix_SDK_Example_Templates.
