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Checklist for Using PDFs on the Web

Appendix C -- Checklist for Using PDFs on the Web

July 2006 (Updated March 2007), EPA Web Workgroup PDF Subcommittee

Note: All directions assume you are using Adobe Acrobat 7 Professional.

1. Determine whether PDF is the appropriate format to use
   
   
2. If you are creating the PDF yourself, start with a "clean" original document. Keep the format as simple as you can and use styling built into the word processor. This makes it easier to tag the document for accessibility.
• Avoid placing graphics, text or tables side by side.
• Use standard fonts.
• Use styles, like Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.
• Use the function for creating bulleted and numbered lists rather than formatting list items manually.
• Use tabs and columns rather than spaces and tables for laying out your text.
• Add alt text to graphics.


3. Create a PDF using Convert to Adobe PDF. Start with any authoring software (Word, Excel, etc.).
   If you are creating the PDF from an MS Office application, choose Adobe PDF > Change Conversion Setting and select Enable accessibility and reflow with Tagged PDF. Click OK. Now Select Adobe PDF > Convert to Adobe PDF.
   (Do not use File > Print > Adobe PDF that you used in previous versions of Acrobat unless the Adobe PDF menu is unavailable in your authoring software.)



4. Create a Document Description. Search engines use metadata from the Document Description in their search results.
• Open the Document Description File > Document Properties (or Ctrl-D)
• Select the “Description” tab and fill in the items required in the Web Standard "PDF: When to Use and Creating Document Metadata".


5. Create Bookmarks. Select text and use Ctrl-B to insert a bookmark.



6. Set the Initial View to show bookmarks. File > Document Properties. Select the “Initial View” tab. Under “Document Options, Show:” select Bookmarks Panel and Page.



7. (Optional) Create Web links from URLs in text. Advanced > Links > Create from URLs in document.



8. If you break a large document into sections,
1. Identify each section on the first page. Include:
• EPA logo or "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency" spelled out
• Title of full document
• Title of chapter/section/appendix or description of what smaller file contains (e.g., "Final Rule: pages 750-828")
• EPA publication number of full document, if applicable
• Date of document (month and year)
2. Offer the whole PDF as well as the sections (and include source information on the full document file, too.)

Accessibility Steps

1. Tag Your Document: (NOTE: You can skip this step if you converted your original document as a tagged PDF, e.g. in Word.)
• If you are creating the PDF from a Microsoft Office application, choose Adobe PDF > Change Conversion Settings and select "Enable accessibility and reflow with Tagged PDF". Then select OK. Now create the PDF using Adobe PDF > Convert to PDF (or the Convert to PDF icon).
• If you are using an existing PDF, tag the file for accessibility using Adobe Acrobat (Advanced > Accessibility > Add Tags to Document)
2. Run a Full Check: (Advanced > Accessibility > Full Check), then look at the report it generates and see what you need to fix.
3. Decide whether to finish making the PDF accessible or make the content accessible another way.
4. If you decide not to make the PDF fully accessible,
• Use HMTL instead of PDF or
• In addition to the PDF, provide the content in a more accessible format, such as HTML or a text file (ASCII text), or
• Provide contact information.
5. If you will be making the PDF accessible, keep going:
6. Check the Reading Order: Check the reading order and correct what doesn’t make sense (Advanced > Accessibility > Touch Up Reading Order)
7. Include Alt Text for Images: Add alternate text for images (View > Navigation Tabs > Tags, select the image that needs alt text, then from the Tag window select Options > Properties and fill in the Alternate Text)
8. Run a Full Check Again: Repeat step 2 and see what you still need to fix.
9. Fix any accessibility errors identified. (see adobe.com/enterprise/accessibility/ for more info)

Follow EPA’s PDF linking standards.

"How they get those ships inside the bottles (PDF) (24 pp, 240K About PDF), November 1992"

• title of the document
• PDF
• number of pages
• file size
• a link to the about PDF page (epa.gov/epahome/pdf.html)
• dimensions for large pages (e.g. for a poster)
• contact information if needed

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