... in the world of Technical Communication

I have a rant. Why do I keep coming across PDF files that are not accessible? How do you expect me to navigate through a 133-page document that does not include a TOC nor does it include PDF bookmarks? I’d really prefer NOT to scroll page by page slowly scanning the headings for the topic I’m interested in. Wouldn’t it be easier (especially since you created headings in the first place) to simply add bookmarks? Please, I’m begging you. I’m cross-eyed from all the scrolling, and I think my mouse is going to go on strike. It likes to click not scroll.

Now, I’m not arguing that all PDFs should be 508 compliant (although this would help). All I’m asking is for a little help. Bookmarking is one of the easiest things you can do to help make your PDF more usable. Especially if you used Word to create the source document, adjusting the conversion settings to bookmark your heading styles is a snap. (What? You didn’t use Styles for your 133-page document! That’s a whole other topic to explore.) For now, let’s pretend that you used Styles and move on….

Before you convert the document though Adobe Acrobat (I’d recommend using the Word plug in to more easily control what’s converted), click the Adobe PDF menu then choose Conversion Settings. Click the Bookmark tab and check (or uncheck) each Style you want converted to a heading then click OK. Poof! You’re ready to create your bookmarked PDF. Let Adobe do its magic and marvel over how all your headings are now conveniently accessible from the bookmarks panel in Adobe Reader. Isn’t that easy?

Now for accessible text. I’ll admit; this can take a little more work. If you’re working in Word, Adobe will automatically convert all hyperlinks in the source document. This means all your references and hyperlinks are automatically converted! It can’t get any easier than this. (You should check them before your conversion to make sure they navigate to the correct spot. Word sometimes anchors these incorrectly.) 

If you’re working in Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress, you’ll have to set up each reference link. The nice thing about these programs is that you can set up one “link style” then apply it each time you need that link. This is extremely handy when your document has the same link sprinkled throughout (such as a website or email address). When you’re ready to convert, Adobe Acrobat will automatically convert all your links during the PDF-ing process. Ta-Da!

See how easy it can be? Why not give it a try? Maybe your mouse is more like mine – more clicking, less scrolling, especially when it comes to 133-page PDFs.