Creating accessible PDFs can be complicated, as there are many different ways to produce a PDF document.
PDFs can be generated:
- Directly by software applications, or
- By converting a source document (such as Word or InDesign files) into PDF format.
Ideally, accessibility will be considered at the source document stage. However, it’s possible to make a PDF partially accessible at the PDF stage, with additional support.
Creating an accessible source document
The source of a PDF plays a significant role in its accessibility. The best approach is to make the source document or template accessible before it’s converted to PDF format.
To make the source document as accessible as possible, focus on three key areas:
- Design
- Content
- Code.
Design
Getting the design of a document right is crucial to ensure everyone can easily access, read, and understand the content. It’s especially important for people with mild visual impairments, reading or learning disabilities, and mobility impairments.
To help make PDF documents accessible to everyone, use:
- Colours with good contrast
- Easy to read typography, and
- Simple layouts.
Colour
Make sure text and images have good colour contrast so people can see your content easily.
Text colour and background colour need to meet the recommended colour contrast ratios:
- At least 4.5:1 for standard text
- At least 3:1 for large text.
Using the Nationwide brand and secondary colour palettes appropriately will meet most colour accessibility requirements by default.
You can check contrast ratios using the Colour Contrast Analyser app from TPGi.
Typography
Use the relevant Nationwide fonts and styles so content is easy to read and conveys our visual identity.
To let your content ‘breathe’ and be easier to digest, make sure it’s:
- Left-aligned
- Has sufficient leading (that’s space between lines)
- Avoids using capitals or italics for blocks of content
- Makes good use of whitespace
Go to the accessible typography guide on the Nationwide Brand Hub for more advice and guidance.
Layout
Make your documents easy to read online by making the layout as simple as possible.
Complex designs can be challenging for people using assistive technologies. For example, columns and grids may not group the information or provide the right structure for the content to make sense.
To keep it simple and easy to follow, structure the content using:
- single-page layouts
- bookmarks
- sections
- headings
- lists
- paragraphs.
Go to our page layouts guide for more information.
Content
Content plays a vital role in the accessibility of documents – and communications in general.
To help make PDF documents easy for everyone to read and understand, use:
- clear and simple language
- inclusive language, and
- a logical structure.
Clear and simple
Use everyday language that’s clear and simple so everyone can understand it.
Many adults find reading difficult, so:
- Write using Plain English, and
- Aim for a reading age of 9-11 years old.
Use our HELP principles on the Nationwide Brand Hub to guide how you write and structure your information.
Inclusive
Use language that includes everyone. Language should not discriminate based on race, gender, sexuality, culture, religion or ability.
Our inclusive language guides on the Nationwide Brand Hub include specific examples, information and advice to help you write more inclusively.
Logical structure
Make sure our members and colleagues can access information quickly and easily by structuring it carefully. It should be easy to follow when read from top to bottom.
- Understand people’s needs
Think about what your audience needs to know and what tasks they need to do. - Use headings to break up the content
This helps people quickly scan read to find what they are looking. - Write clear and concise headings
They should provide a title for the content following them. - Write clear, informative links
Use natural language rather than the full URL. For example, ‘Financial Conduct Authority’ instead of ‘https://www.fca.org.uk’. - Provide alternative text descriptions for images and charts (where appropriate)
Alt text lets people who can not see the content understand the information. Go to the alt text guide for more details.
Code
For people using assistive technologies to read and understand a PDF, it must be:
- structured correctly (using tags), and
- have a logical reading order.
PDF tags are similar to the HTML code used for structuring web pages. They’re added as a separate non-visual layer in the PDF document.
To add the relevant tags to your document, you must adjust how you create the source document.
- If you’re using Word or InDesign
You can use the accessibility features to format the content and add the correct tags when converting the document to a PDF. - If you’re automatically generating a PDF using a software application
You’ll need to apply accessibility adjustments to the template or code.
Once you’ve converted the source document to a PDF, you may still need to make minor adjustments to the tags and reading order. The conversion process sometimes misinterprets the tags in the source document (depending on the software used). This can affect the accessibility of the final PDF document.
Without Adobe Acrobat DC, this is impossible to adjust the tags and reading order at the PDF stage, so you may need the Communisis Studio team to help. The Communisis Studio team provide artwork requirements for Nationwide, including print and direct mail, infographics, email, illustrations and PDFs.
Please get in touch with Kay Morse (kay.morse@nationwide.co.uk) in the Studio team for further support and advice on PDF documents.
What if you can’t adjust the source document?
If you can’t adjust the source document for the PDF, don’t worry. You can make the PDF partially accessible with support from the Communisis Studio team.
The Communisis Studio team can support with the accessibility of PDF documents. They can apply an “accessibility layer” to a PDF document to help make it partially accessible. The ‘accessibility layer’ is a non-visible layer that includes the tags to provide structure. This makes sure people using assistive technologies can access and read the PDF.
If the PDF document needs frequent updates, the “accessibility layer” will need to be re-applied each time the content changes.
Limitations
The ‘accessibility layer’ does not make the document accessible for everyone.
Some people may still find the document challenging to access. For example, people who are colour blind, have cognitive disabilities or low vision. This is more likely if accessibility wasn’t considered in the content and visual design.
Also, making accessibility adjustments at the PDF stage is not a sustainable long-term solution. It is often difficult, time-consuming, and expensive.
Working with suppliers
If you work with suppliers who provide PDFs, you’ll need to:
- make the supplier aware of our accessibility standards for documents, and
- ensure the documents they produce are accessible for everyone.
If a supplier cannot provide an accessible PDF, you can ask Communisis Studio to make the document partially accessible.
Please check our guidance on Working with PDF suppliers for more information.
Further support and advice
If you need support making your documents accessible, please get in touch with:
- Emily Coward in the Accessibility team (emily.coward@nationwide.co.uk), or
- Kay Morse in the Studio team (kay.morse@nationwide.co.uk).