When (Not) to Use PDFs

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a popular file format, but it can raise some significant challenges when it comes to accessibility. You absolutely can use and share PDF files, but you need to do so carefully, and PDFs won’t be the best choice in all situations.

Summary

When are PDFs a good choice?

In general, PDFs may be a good choice when:

• You’re working with
  • Print-ready documents that require precise formatting
  • Individualized documents (for example, a formal letter)
• You need to make something available as a document you can share rather than an online resource. (A report, for example, or perhaps a guide that’s only relevant to certain people and wouldn’t make sense to post online.)
• You can ensure the PDF will be created accessibly when you first export it. (Some apps do a good job exporting accessible PDFs, whereas others don’t.)

What apps can export accessible PDFs?

Here are some apps that can export accessible PDFs:

• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Google Docs
• Google Slides
• Adobe InDesign

Just because you’re using one of these apps doesn’t mean your PDFs will be accessible! To create an accessible PDF using one of these apps, you will need to:

1. Ensure your original document is accessible (in whichever app you made it in), and
2. Export to PDF in a way that preserves accessibility.

In Microsoft Word, for example, there’s a special process you have to go through to ensure your exported PDFs are accessible.

If you’re working with Google Docs or Slides, it is important that you use the Grackle extension to first test your document and then export to PDF.

Please note that at this time, designs in Canva do not reliably export to accessible PDFs. While Canva can be a great tool for making images, we generally don’t recommend using it to create PDFs. To learn more about Canva and accessibility, please read Accessibility Tips for Canva.

When are PDFs not a good choice?

PDFs do have accessibility limitations, especially when compared with web content (HTML).  In particular, PDFs can present significant accessibility barriers when dealing with:

• Forms
• Complex table structures

Additionally, HTML is likely a better choice than PDF if: 

• You want to offer the most accessible and adaptable experience.
• You think people might read your content on their phones or other mobile devices.
• You will later make updates or revisions.

PDFs are difficult to edit (or make accessible later on)

You may like to use PDF files because they are difficult to edit and feel unchangeable. However, this can be a double-edged sword. If a PDF file isn’t accessible when you first create it, it can be challenging later on to make it meet accessibility standards.

In some cases, it may be possible to edit an inaccessible PDF and make it accessible, but this requires specialized software and training — and even then, it can still take a lot of work.

For this reason, if you are working with PDFs, it is important you make the PDF as accessible as possible when you first create it.

What should I use instead of PDF?

First, consider sharing your original document with others, especially if you are working in:

• Microsoft Word (.docx)
• Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx)
• Google Docs
• Google Slides

Although those apps can export accessible PDFs, you can offer a more flexible and adaptable experience by sharing your original documents, especially in the case of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.

We recommend making content available in HTML if possible. At SCU, this likely means making a webpage in:

• TerminalFour
• Camino

PDF forms are notoriously problematic. For forms, please create a digital form through:

• Google Forms
• Qualtrics
• Maxient

Third-party PDFs

The advice above is focused largely on documents that you create yourself. However, sometimes you may receive PDFs from a third party. Ideally, PDFs you receive should meet the university’s accessibility standards, and you should be safe to share those with others.

But what should you do if you receive an inaccessible PDF from a third party?

First, see if the resource is available in a more accessible file format (such as Microsoft Word) or is available as a webpage. If so, share that instead.

For shorter and/or simpler documents, it may make sense for you to copy and format the material so that you can make it available in another format, such as Microsoft Word (.docx) or a webpage (HTML).

If those tactics don’t work, you will need to make sure the PDF is remediated to meet accessibility standards before sharing it with others.

We will work to provide more role- and domain-specific advice elsewhere, but hopefully this page is a helpful starting point for thinking about when PDFs are appropriate and when other file formats may be a better choice.