ID Step 6: Learn Special Considerations for Publications

Articles in this Section

Introduction
PDF or Website?
Layout
Typography
Document Structure

Introduction

The information covered in this course on creating accessible InDesign documents applies to publications as well.

Be sure to review the entire course and master the fundamentals before working with multi-page documents.

PDF or Website?

Digital publications are magazines, reports, briefings, or other multipage documents.

They are saved as PDFs and hosted online. They can also be printed. They must be accessible.

Publications are professionally designed and not editable by users. (See Self-Serve Resources if you want to create a Word publication that you can maintain independently.)

Digital PDF publications are not a replacement for webpages. Good user experience design prioritizes the users’ needs and gets them the information they need as quickly as possible. If we can avoid “burying things in a PDF,” we should do so. However, there are things PDFs can do that websites cannot. The correct choice depends upon your project goals.

Review what PDFs and websites can do to determine the best choice for your project.

Feature	Website	PDF
Interactive Elements (hyperlinks, phone numbers, text or page anchors, et cetera)	Yes.	Yes.
Printable	Not well. Most webpages print poorly.	Yes – beautifully, and professionally.
Accessible	HTML is the most accessible format.	A PDF is the second most accessible format– assuming it is designed properly.
Responsive on different size devices	Yes. The user can customize the way they want to view the information through their browser settings.	No. PDFs are fixed sizes (for example, the size of a sheet of paper or a slide.) Users have some control on text reflow and zoom settings but not as seamlessly as they do on websites.
Photos and visuals	Yes.	Yes.
Video	Yes.	Yes, but not very well – a bit convoluted to get them to play and increases the file size significantly.
Accessible Infographics	Yes – if prepared properly and presented in (2) formats – live text and visual.	Yes, within the same document and in (1) format.
Easy for users to access?	Yes. It requires only (1) click to open the webpage and read it.	Sort of. It depends on the user. Users must click a link to get to the PDF. Click to access the PDF. Click to download the PDF, then find the PDF on their computer. Or, wait for the PDF to pass the virus scanner in email. Open the PDF. Save a copy of the PDF, and then find the PDF on their computer.
Quick to update?	Yes. Websites can be updated dynamically and are are responsive, so the text simply reflows.	No. PDFs are dependent upon a page size, so the entire layout often has to be reworked to accommodate new text. The entire accessibility process has to be redone on each new version.
Who can update?	Anyone with website access and CMS training can make updates.	Those with specialized skillsets build accessible PDFs.
Easy to maintain version control?	Yes. Updates overwrite what is already on the webpage, so the information is always current.	No. New versions must be published, and users have to be told to delete the old one and access the new one.
Looks good on mobile	Yes, because the site is responsive.	Not really. It’s a document, and you have to download it on your phone and then go find the PDF in your files.
Limitless design options	No. UTA webpages are constrained by Sitecore components. We cannot offer custom web design.	Unlimited creative options within the bounds of accessibility and brand compliance.

The article “6 Reasons You Should Stop Using PDFs” offers reasons PDFs may be convoluted for users.

This KB article provides instructions how to automatically open PDFs in Acrobat.

Layout

You may need two versions of the publication– one for print and one for digital use.

For print: This version should be formatted with signatures (multiples of four pages) and include crop marks and spreads for professional printing. If you include images that span across spreads, such as a landscape photo that fills the right page and covers part of the left, you’ll need to adjust for optimal viewing on a single page in digital format.
For digital: This version should be formatted with single pages for easier viewing on screens or printing on standard letter-sized paper. All relevant information should be visible on a single page.

For more information on professional book design, see Parts of a Book by TCK Publishing.

Typography

Since your publication is designed to present long-form text for detailed reading, it’s essential to choose the right font size and a legible typeface.

Review the information presented in Accessible Typography.

Document Structure

Repeating Page Elements

Repeating page elements like headers, footers, and page numbers should be set on parent pages or marked as artifacts.

Users accessing your PDF with a screen reader don’t need to hear “2025 Annual Report, Office of Accounting, Page 10” on every page.

Use text variables to make your work easier.

Review information about artifacts.

Tables of Contents

Use an automatic table of contents (TOC) to generate a clickable TOC at the start of your document.

Edit each hyperlink in the TOC to use “inherit zoom” to honor the user’s preferred view settings.

Editing the TOC breaks the bookmark functionality, so create a second TOC and drag it off the visible page area and into the pasteboard to generate PDF bookmarks.

Leader dots in tables of contents may not be voiced. Screen reader users will hear “dot dot dot dot dot” ad infinitum if you use automatic leader dots. Use a character style with dots set in underline instead.

Review the information on TOCs.

Course Sections

Course Overview

Prerequisite: Understand Inclusive and Accessible Content

Resource: Checklist for Accessible InDesign Documents

Resource: 90-Minute Workshop Video