This company has over 35 years of industry experience and specializes in typesetting and editorial support for publishers. Over the years, they have expanded to broader European markets. With a growing focus on digital accessibility and in response to rising EU accessibility regulations, the client now delivers content across diverse formats to meet modern reader preferences.
With the rise in digital content consumption, the client aimed to partner with an eBook development service provider capable of delivering WCAG 2.1 Level AA-compliant ePub3 content in line with the European Accessibility Act. Their goal was to ensure that educational, entertainment, and informational materials were adaptable, compliant, and accessible across prominent devices and assistive technologies.
The client’s shift toward accessible digital publishing required more than a simple file conversion. Transforming inconsistently formatted assets into WCAG 2.1 AA-compliant ePub3 files meant addressing structural gaps, unifying content frameworks, and meeting strict regulatory and assistive technology compatibility requirements—all without disrupting delivery timelines.
The client’s older digital assets were poorly structured, making it difficult to meet modern accessibility standards. Converting them into semantic HTML5 required a hybrid approach—leveraging automation for bulk parsing, initial tagging, and format standardization, while using manual digital content remediation to correct semantic hierarchy, write meaningful alt text, handle complex content (tables, multimedia, equations), and ensure final WCAG compliance for assistive technologies.
Existing content lacked a standardized templating and tagging framework. This inconsistency created delays during conversion, as each file required individual adjustments to align with accessibility guidelines. A unified template system was necessary to speed up processing and maintain uniformity across future projects.
All deliverables needed to meet WCAG 2.1 AA and EPUB Accessibility 1.1 standards, while ensuring compatibility with a wide range of assistive technologies such as screen readers and text-to-speech tools. This meant implementing rigorous multi-stage testing and validation processes to guarantee both technical accuracy and user accessibility.
We deployed an end-to-end content remediation and conversion workflow with an offshore team of 23 experienced programmers. This team processed 25,000–30,000 pages per month, consistently meeting SLA-driven turnaround times of 4–5 working days per title.
Every title was developed in strict adherence to WCAG 2.1 Level AA and EPUB Accessibility 1.1 standards. This guaranteed both regulatory compliance under the European Accessibility Act and readability across supported devices and platforms for diverse audiences.
We applied semantic HTML5 elements (e.g., headings, paragraphs, lists, table markup) to create a logical and meaningful document structure. This enabled screen readers and other assistive technologies to interpret and present the content accurately, allowing users to navigate by sections, headings, or specific content elements rather than reading the document line-by-line.
Every non-text element, such as images, charts, and multimedia, was given a descriptive alt text so users with visual impairments could understand the content. Navigation landmarks (like main, header, and footer tags) and ARIA roles were embedded to enhance programmatic navigation. For multimedia-rich content, media overlays synchronized text with audio narration, providing a dual sensory experience for readers who benefit from both visual and auditory input.
ePub3 content conversion included configuration for multi-language content while allowing readers to switch seamlessly between language versions. Accessibility features like dynamic font resizing, reflowable layouts (where text adapts to screen size without horizontal scrolling), and high contrast display modes were added to the multi-language ePub3 files to cater to users with varying accessibility needs, improving readability across devices.
We optimized the content for cross-platform compatibility, ensuring that accessibility is maintained regardless of the device or reading environment. The ePub3 displayed and functioned flawlessly on popular e-readers (Kindle, Kobo, iBooks), mobile apps, desktop browsers, and assistive tools like JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver.
Before delivery, every ePub3 file underwent automated accessibility validation with Ace by DAISY to detect compliance gaps, and EPUBCheck to verify technical correctness of the file structure. Post-automation, our accessibility specialists manually reviewed flagged issues, ensuring the final output met both functional usability and technical compliance requirements.
25,000–30,000 pages converted per month – 65% increase in monthly production capacity compared to the client’s previous in-house output
100% conformance with WCAG 2.1 AA and EPUB Accessibility 1.1 standards.
Achieved 4–5 working days per title, cutting the average delivery time by 40%
SunTec India enabled us to meet strict accessibility compliance deadlines while scaling our publishing output. Their precision and reliability have given us the confidence to consider them a trusted partner.
- Vice President
Ensure your content meets global accessibility standards. Outsource ePub3 conversion services with accessibility (AA) compliance to SunTec India.