PDF Checklist

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File Setup

Does the document file name not contain spaces and/or special characters?
Is the document file name concise, generally limited to 20-30 characters, and does it make the contents of the file clear?
Have you set your document language?
Have the document properties for your PDF file been set for Title, Author, Subject (AKA Description), Keywords, Language, and Copyright Status?
Have track changes been accepted or rejected and turned off?
Have comments been removed and formatting marks been turned off?
If there are more than 10 pages, did you add bookmarks or include a table of contents? (Note: table of contents must be added in source program. See Create a Table of Contents in InDesign or Create a Table of contents in Word.

Does the document utilize recommended fonts (i.e., Times New Roman, Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, or Calibri)?
Are headings organized in a hierarchal and logical fashion, with consecutive headings (i.e., no missing heading levels)?
Is the list style being used in Word or InDesign, as opposed to manually typed characters (e.g. Hyphens, numbers, or graphics)?
Content is clear and concise?
Is all text logical in the Reading Order tool view?
Do all URLs contain descriptive hyperlinks (i.e., avoid generic phrases like "click here"; instead, use phrases that let users know about the content of the linked page prior to selecting it)?
The color contrast ratio between foreground text and background color is sufficient. (You can use the color contrast analyzer or another tool.)

All images, grouped images, and non-text elements that convey information have meaningful alternative text.
Complex images (charts, graphs, diagrams, etc.) have descriptive text near the image (such as a caption or long description).
The document does not contain images of text whenever possible (text within images disappear when images are not available). If images of text are used to convey information, that text is present in alternative text or in a nearby description.
If color is used to emphasize important text, you have also used an alternative to color to convey information.
If sensory information (e.g., shape, size, color, visual location, orientation, sound, etc.) is used to convey information, you have provided an alternative method to convey that information.

Do all data tables in the document have designated row and/or column headers in table properties?
Does the table header repeat at the top of the table as it goes from one page to another?
Are data cells set so they do not split across pages?

Did you use the built-in Acrobat accessibility checker in the program used to create the PDF, or in Adobe Acrobat, has that been run and does it pass?
When there is no other way to make the content accessible, you have provided a separate accessible version of the document near the original version.
Contact the Accessibility Network if you are having trouble.