How to save a document as PDF
- Click the ‘File’ tab and then click ‘Save as.’
- Select ‘PDF’ as the ‘Save as type.’
- Select the ‘Options’ button.
- Check the checkboxes that say, ‘Create bookmarks using headings’ and ‘Document structure tags for accessibility.’
How to save as PDF and include title metadata
PDF considerations
If you have created an accessible Word document and want to save it as a PDF, the accessibility information will stay intact if you convert it correctly. See ‘How to save as PDF’ above.
Scanned PDF documents
Sometimes PDFs are strictly images, and screen readers cannot access the content at all. For example, when you use a photocopier to physically scan a document to send as an email, that content is one big image inaccessible to screen readers.
Print to PDF
When you are saving a document to share, do not use the ‘Print to PDF’ function. When you are saving PDFs, follow the instructions above so all readers can access them.
Adobe also has a built-in accessibility checker that you can use to identify accessibility issues in a PDF document.
For more information, see Microsoft Support: Create Accessible PDFs.
Documents with signatures
A document that requires a physical signature will be scanned and therefore will not be accessible. Include a copy of the original PDF or Word document. Digital signatures are accessible.
PDFs for readers with print disabilities
People who have dyslexia or other cognitive differences may access content by modifying documents to suit their own reading requirements. For example, they may change the font or spacing. Since you cannot adjust PDFs, they are not very accessible and can pose challenges for some readers. If you must use PDFs, try to make other formats available. At a minimum, indicate that other formats are available upon request.
Creating PDFs in Adobe Acrobat
Refer to the PDF Accessibility in Adobe Acrobat Pro guide to create accessible PDFs within Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Resources
- Adobe: PDF Accessibility Overview
- Adobe: Create and verify PDF accessibility (Acrobat Pro) – Walks through Acrobat’s built-in accessibility checker.
- Adobe: Creating accessible PDFs – How to create an accessible PDF.
- PDA/UA Foundation – Creates standards for accessibility in PDFs.
- PDF Techniques for WCAG 2.0 – Shows applications you can use for creating an accessible document. Word and Adobe are the most accessible.
- TGPI – PDF Accessibility
- Accessible Forms in Acrobat – A comprehensive guide to building accessible forms from WebAIM.
- Microsoft Support: Create Accessible PDFs – How to save a variety of Microsoft formats correctly as PDF.
- PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC) – Online accessibility checker.
- Reviewing and Repairing Accessibility in Acrobat – How to repair the reading order and how to ensure tables are accessible in Acrobat.
Videos
- Video: How to Design a Form in Microsoft Word for PDF
- Video: How to Make a PDF Form Accessible
- Video: Tags and Accessibility
- Video: Top 10 PDF Accessibility Errors and How to Fix Them (The volume of this video is quite low, so you will need to raise the volume on your device to hear the content)
- Video: TPGI YouTube Video on Intro to Accessible PDFs