Exporting to a PDF

Word is used to create source documents that often are converted to PDF before being posted on the web. Learning how to use Word's toolset and following best practices laid out in this training will make your PDF exports very accessible to assistive technology.

Instructions for Exporting to PDF

1. Click the Acrobat tab in the Word editing ribbon
   1. If you do not see the Acrobat menu, ensure that Adobe Acrobat Pro is installed on your system
2. Click the Preferences button
3. Ensure that the checbox for Enable Accessibility and Reflow with tagged Adobe PDF is selected
4. Leave advanced tagging unchecked
5. Ensure PDF/A Compliance is set to None
6. Click Ok to save your settings
7. Click the Create PDF button in the Acrobat menu
8. Save the file with an accessible label when prompted

Your file will then export into a tagged Adobe PDF. This file will be roughly 85% - 90% accessible depending on the type of data being exported.  Below are a few examples of data that won't always export accessibly:

• Complex tables with column and row headers
• Layout tables
• Improperly created column layouts (typically layout tables)
• Form fields
• Images without alt text
• Images of text

This type of content will need to be remediated using the tools in Adobe Acrobat.

Exporting to PDF on Mac

1. Select File
2. Select Save As...
3. Select the File Format menu
4. Select PDF under Export Formats
5. Select the Best for electronic distribution and accessibility radio button
6. Select Export