CUE standard
PDF publishing principles
The following principles form part of the CUE standard and are the initial steps in addressing the broader issues surrounding PDF publishing. These principles have been designed to tie in with the CUE standard and aim to provide Queensland Government agencies with a framework for presenting a consistent approach to publishing PDFs whilst adhering to the requirements of whole of government standards in relation to accessibility.
Related implementation resources should be used to assist in applying the principles.
Principles
Do not use PDF to publish information other than for -
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legislation or quasi-legal information including forms which require the document layout to be retained by law;
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documents whose primary purpose is for downloading and printing and not intended to be read on screen (at content owners discretion); or
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image-based documents such as maps, where there is no alternative appropriate format for displaying the resource.
It is recommended that documents are assessed for suitability of publishing online in PDF format. This may require consultation with authors and print and online publishers to determine the most appropriate format/s and to ensure a coordinated effort. Factors to consider are the document type, number of pages within document, number of diagrams and images related to the content, intention to be read on screen or most likely printed, the target audience and if the document will be read in its entirety or just sections referred to.
The following principles apply when publishing PDFs online -
Linking to PDF files
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PDF documents larger than the recommended size limit of 200kB should be divided into smaller files and linked to from a HTML cover page. The context of the document should be taken into account before division. For some document types this limit may not be suitable and agencies may develop internal policies to ensure that a size limit of between 200kB to a maximum of 500kB is imposed where appropriate.
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To enable printing, the full PDF document may be made available for download
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The HTML cover page should link to alternative version/s of the document in HTML, RTF or text only
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Provide download details including file type, file size and a descriptive title and summary of the document
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Hyperlink the title of the document to the PDF
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In the case that the user cannot access the PDF for any reason, provide a phone number, fax number, e-mail, postal address or a link to the agency contact us so that an alternative version of the document can be obtained, see the linking example.
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Do not link directly to the PDF file, link to the HTML cover page
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Use text only or the appropriate PDF file icon only as outlined in Adobes Permissions and trademark guidelines (http://www.adobe.com/misc/linking.html#pdficon) as an indication of a link to a PDF file
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Notify the user that Adobe Reader is required to view PDFs, with a link to http://www.adobe.com/products/
acrobat/readstep2.html via a text link 'Get Adobe Reader' or the appropriate 'Get Adobe Reader' web logo (http://www.adobe.com/misc/
linking.html#readerlogo) (see the recommended PDF notification text for HTML cover pages) -
Provide a link to a page with instructions on how to download and save PDFs, including a link to the Adobe online conversion tool (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/
access_adv_form.html) and a link to download the latest Adobe Reader (http://www.adobe.com/products/
acrobat/readstep2.html) (see the recommended text for PDF help)
File size
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Replace PDF cover sheets with a stripped down version, with only required images and text, this will assist in keeping files sizes to a minimum and limit excessive printer usage
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Save PDF files at no more than 72dpi
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Use appropriate tools and settings to minimize file size (see the Creating PDFs implementation resources)
Alternative formats
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Provide alternative formats such as HTML, RTF or a text only version,
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Adobe's online conversion tool (http://www.adobe.com/products/
acrobat/access_adv_form.html) can be used as the basis of conversion to an alternative format -
Validate and check that documents convert effectively using this tool
Document properties and security
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Set security properties so that PDF documents can be printed and converted online to other formats by allowing graphics and text to be selected
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Complete document description properties to assist with searching (see the Creating PDFs implementation resources)
Other
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Crop pages to the appropriate paper size, usually A4 to allow for printing
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Embed custom fonts into the PDF file
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Do not hyperlink to external URLs or other PDF files within the PDF, print external absolute URLs instead
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Create Acrobat bookmarks within the PDF for navigating large documents
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Include an Acrobat bookmark within the PDF to the HTML cover page