PDF News and Tips
December, 2004

Adobe pulls out the stops for Section 508

Since 2001, Section 508 requires Federal agencies and contractors to deliver electronic content that's accessible to users with disabilities. (See the regulations pertaining to PDF documents on the section508.gov website).

With Acrobat 7.0, Adobe provides a set of powerful tools to help content authors and managers ensure accessibility for almost any PDF file.

Acrobat 7.0 includes an advanced Accessibility Checker, an intuitive Reordering Tool that makes light work of correcting most PDF files. The Tagging Interface is also improved. Overall, the new tools make complex layouts, forms, tables and figures far easier to tag.

The new Accessibility Checker is an improvement on the previous version, with a clever interface to help identify problems. The documentation behind the Checker is not, unfortunately, up to the potential of the utility. The dense help script won't tempt users into exploring the tagging process. Still, this feature alone is worth the upgrade to Acrobat Professional 7.0!

For impaired users, the new Accessibility Setup Assistant makes it easy to change how PDFs work on their systems. Documents can be made to open to the last page viewed, itself a major usability enhancement. Interpretation of untagged files has also been strengthened.

Need to get on track with accessible PDF quickly? Learn how DSI can help!

DSI successfully completes 5 years of United Nations Yearbooks CD-ROMs

Since 1996, Document Solutions has specialized in meeting the most demanding requirements for document imaging and electronic publication production. Our services are optimal for publications, manuals, marketing materials and library projects from 100 pages to 1,000,000 or more.

In 2004, DSI completed a 5 year contract to produce the Official United Nations Yearbook CD-ROM.

Including every Yearbook ever published by the UN, the project began with publication-quality scans of over 55,000 pages. The subsequent conversion to ultra-small PDF files focused on the customer's requirement of retaining the original page while keeping the final product to only 2 CD- ROMs.

Averaging under 8kb per page, the dense text of the Yearbooks still packed the CDs to the brim. DSI included Acrobat's full-text search system and a linked subject index. With complete bookmarks and a smart interface, the collection works on both Windows and Mac platforms.

If you'd like a copy of the UN Yearbooks on CD-ROM, it's available direct from United Nations Publications.

Learn more about DSI's Disc Development Services!

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Today's Tip: Acrobat 7.0 is coming!

Six months earlier than it's usual 24 month release cycle, Adobe's flagship desktop electronic document software will shortly be released as Acrobat 7.0.

The first thing users will notice is how fast "A7" loads. Almost (but not quite) in the blink of an eye, Acrobat is ready and waiting for you! It's a dramatic improvement.

The list of changes to the Professional version of Acrobat is substantial, far more so than with Acrobat Standard. The highlights include:

• The ability to allow Reader users to add comments!

• New security features to track and restrict file access with Certificates or Adobe Policy Server

• New accessibility tools, including new intelligence for conversion macros and automated tagging of untagged PDF.

• A seemingly mature Forms Designer package (which needs more study, we'll report back...)

• Improved OCR, and image enhancement built-in!

• Headers and footers are now far easier to manage

• The list goes on...

It's easier to create PDF files, review documents, and improve control over your content. Now, users of Adobe Reader can attach files, save form data, and participate in online document reviews based on the rights your specify. Adobe Designer is now integrated with Acrobat, for powerful intelligent forms. There's tighter integration between Acrobat and popular office and engineering software too.

What else? Language support has been extended, file attachments can be edited, searched, and saved and there's a new autosave that prevents loss of work in case of a power failure. Acrobat's new accessibility features really help make accessible PDF a reality for impaired users.