Creating PDF files is one of the most common tasks for office workers. Because PDF files can be read on almost any device and system, this format is widely used. Additionally, PDF files keep the data of the original files unchanged and can be searchable or password protected.
PDF files can contain substantive guides, useful e-books, leaflets, brochures, and offers with quotes. They are also a great tool for creating operating and procedure manuals, regulations, price lists, etc. From the point of view, PDF is an ideal format. Its proper preparation will bring benefits in the form of an increase in the level of traffic, and will also translate into the website’s CTR rate rise.
Basics of Good PDF Presentation Design: Fonts, Colors and Layout
1. Fonts
A visual appealing PDF presentation is also a text that appears on the screen in the form of words and sentences written in a specific typeface. How to choose specific types of fonts for the texts we want to display, or sometime you may wonder how to find font in a PDF file?
The type of font you choose has a significant impact on the perception of your PDF presentation. Here are some tips:
- Legibility: Choose fonts that are easy to read from a distance. Sans-serif fonts such as Arial or Helvetica are usually good choices.
- Style and Tone: The font style should match the tone of the presentation. For example, formal presentations require formal fonts.
2. Colors
Colors are one of the most important elements of any presentation. They influence the emotions and attention of recipients, as well as the readability and understanding of the content.
3. Layout
Presentation layout is more than just the arrangement of texts and images on a slide. It is the way in which these elements are organized to convey specific information.
- Rule of Thirds: Divide the slide into three parallel sections: header, body, and footer. This makes it easier for your audience to follow your presentation.
- Spacing and Margins: Maintain consistent spacing and margins on all slides. This will make your presentation look more organized.
What are interactive PDFs?
These are modern documents that go beyond static texts and images by introducing dynamic elements. They contain hyperlinks that enable navigation between pages or external sources, buttons to activate actions such as opening a link or playing a sound, as well as forms that the user can fill out directly in the file.
Additionally, interactive PDFs can contain multimedia that enrich the content and provide a more engaging reading experience. There are also available tables of contents and tabs that make it easier to navigate through the document, which make interaction with it more intuitive and pleasant – even when we are dealing with a large file.
Preparing content for editing
Before we start editing in earnest, we need to make sure that our content is properly formatted. It is recommended to use clear headings, paragraphs and lists, which will facilitate later online editing. It is also worth checking whether all graphic elements are in the appropriate formats and sizes.
We recommend avoiding the use of complex layouts that may make converting to PDF more time-consuming.
Document configuration
When configuring our file, let’s take care of the appropriate page settings, margins and orientation. At the same time, you should carefully check whether the content is displayed correctly on different devices and in different browsers (this can vary greatly).
Finally, we remind you to adjust security settings such as passwords and user rights if they are required.
Adding multimedia
The document seems “boring” and bursting at the seams with text? There is a way to change this! To add selected media, select the appropriate option in the PDF creation program to upload audio, video or image files. We need to make sure that the media is compressed appropriately so as not to increase the size of the PDF file.
Any compression can also be performed using these PDF programs that are more advanced. To help readers understand the context of our media, we may also add descriptions or captions.
Inserting hyperlinks
Do you care about sources or links to data and research? Adding hyperlinks in PDFs is very easy – just select the text or image you want to link to, and then add the appropriate hyperlink by pointing to the target URL or local document. For this feature, it’s worth making sure that our hyperlinks are logical and understandable to other team members/readers.
Creating tables of contents
Creating a PDF is not only a matter of entering as much data as possible, but also presenting it in a legible way. To make it easier for readers to navigate through the document, we need to add a table of contents and navigation aids such as bookmarks or buttons to return to the home page.
Remember that the table of contents is clear and easy to navigate, allowing you to quickly reach each section of the document. The easier it is to navigate through our file, the more useful it will become for the average user.
Which PDF creator program should you choose?
- If you are looking for a solution that offers rich PDF feature packages, you should narrow your choice to tools such as: Adobe Acrobat, SwifDoo PDF, and so on.
- If you are looking for a free solution, you should narrow your choice to online tools such as: Smallpdf, iLovePDF, etc.
- If you are looking for a minimalist solution in terms of functionality, because your PDF will be dominated by text, you should narrow your choice to tools such as: Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or Powerpoint.
- If you are looking for a solution that has a free database of various graphics, you should narrow your choice to: Canva, Xara, etc.
Summary
Even in the case of large documents, it is possible to sort them effectively and give them an aesthetic look. People who use the Office suite on a daily basis can change the appearance and content of their files with just a few clicks. By using appropriate editing tools available online, we can do it quickly and without much effort.
PDF editor solutions offer a convenient and intuitive method for creating and optimize documents, while ensuring flexibility and mobility. Thanks to them, creating professional and visually attractive PDFs does not require long hours spent in front of the computer.
