Difference between revisions of "Create an Accessible PDF"

At Evergreen, we distribute a lot of instructional material in the form of PDFs (Portable Document Format).

• When selecting or creating PDFs for use as course materials, make sure the document features OCR.
• Optical Character Recognition is "the mechanical or electronic conversion of scanned images of handwritten, typewritten or printed text into machine-encoded text."
• OCR is a simple preset that must be selected within Acrobat Pro before starting your scans. Read about OCR and recommended scanning presets below.

Using PDFs from Other Sources

There may not be a lot you can do if you are using a PDF from another source (such as journal articles or scanned photocopies) but there are a few elements you should look for when selecting PDFs to assign.

• Use Original Documents Only You cannot create accessible PDFs from printed copies because they are not high enough resolution. OCR will usually fail.
• Clear, readable text. Text may be inaccessible if it is warped, in an unusual font (such as Curlz or Handwriting), or is covered by handwriting/drawing. Students may be using software that uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) in order to convert text to audio, if the characters aren't clear, the audio will be convoluted.
  
• Large font. Some individuals can read large type if there is a high contrast (e.g. black font against a white background or vice versa).
  
• Page numbers. Page numbers, particularly located at the top of pages, help students navigate where they are in the text.
  
• Straightforward structure. Many screen readers scan text from left to right, top to bottom. PDFs which include minimal break-out text boxes, tables, wrap-around text, etc., are generally accessible to students.
  
• Few images and alternative content. It goes without saying that students with visual impairments may not be able to access an image but this applies to other content as well: graphs, tables, diagrams, etc. Captions and descriptions for visual-based content can provide students with information they might have missed otherwise.
  

How to Make Accessible PDF Docs

Please note: This process assumes that you are using Adobe Acrobat Pro, version 9 or higher, on either a Windows or Macintosh computer.

Scanning Process

• Turn on scanner
• Place first page on scanner bed, aligned according to size and scanner layout
• Start Adobe Acrobat Pro from the Start Menu or Launcher
• Navigate to File > Create PDF From Scanner. Select "Configure Presets."
  • On a Mac you are automatically prompted with the presets option screen below.

• Ensure that Optical Character Recognition is selected.
  • DPI must be 300 or higher to ensure the character recognition process is successful.

• If you select the "options" button next to the OCR checkbox, you are able to change the OCR type from "ImageScan" to "ClearScan."
  • ClearScan OCR will keep the file size low while maintaining quality.
  • Adobe has an excellent writeup about these options.

Converting an existing PDF

• Open the PDF in Acrobat Pro
• Select "Recognize Text In This File" from the right hand side bar
• Click "Edit" on the pop up window to ensure you have the following settings
• English US - ClearScan - 300DPI
• Click OK
• Save the file
• Re-open the file
• Go to File > Save As Optimized PDF. Ensure compatibility is set to Acrobat 10x on the right side
• Save

Need help? Contact the Academic Computing Help Desk at 360-867-6231 or create a help desk support ticket.