Tips for creating PDF files

General information on the PDF format

The Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format that enables files from a wide range of applications (word processing, graphics, etc.) to be displayed on different computers – even those running different operating systems – always in the same layout as the original source file. To view PDF files – regardless of which word processing or desktop publishing programme they were created in – you do not need the software used to create the file, but rather a ‘viewer’ such as Foxit PDF Reader or Adobe Reader. PDF is now the standard for exchanging digital documents.

This guide will help you optimise your academic publication as a PDF. The aim is to create a file that is easy to read, easy to search and useful to other researchers.

Important notice: These instructions are intended as a general guide. The exact settings may vary depending on your version of Word and your PDF programme.

Why is this important?

  • Accessibility: A well-structured PDF is accessible to all users.
  • Re-use: Metadata and internal links make it easier for others to cite and use your work.
  • Search engine optimisation: A searchable PDF is more easily found by search engines.

Preparing the document for conversion to PDF

To generate a PDF file from the word-processing file of your work, it is strongly recommended that, where possible, the PDF file be created on the computer on which the publication was written. On other computers or monitors, the layout of your work may be displayed differently, and page breaks, graphics and tables may ‘shift’! In the worst-case scenario, the table of contents may no longer be correct after conversion.

If you need to use a different computer, you may need to ‘manually’ adjust the document layout before creating the PDF file:

  • Paragraph and page breaks: You can adjust the layout using ‘forced page breaks’; inserting blank lines usually does not produce the desired result and can cause formatting errors.
  • Colour management for illustrations, diagrams, etc.: Graphics should be provided in CMYK mode for letterpress printing, rather than in RGB mode. The entire document can be converted to CMYK at the latest when the PDF file is generated. There are corresponding settings for this in PDF software.

Below, we explain how you can create a PDF file from Word.

Step 1: Prepare the Word document

Before you create the PDF, please bear the following points in mind:

  • Structure: Make consistent use of the Word style sheets (Heading 1, 2, 3, etc.). This is crucial for the automatic creation of bookmarks and automatically linked tables of contents in the PDF.
  • Links: Include external links to relevant websites that are active. You are also welcome to add internal links to other sections of your document. These will be carried over into the PDF and make it easier to reuse the PDF document.

You can find further information on formatting in our formatting guidelines.

Step 2: Export a PDF directly from Word

This is the simplest method:

  • Click on "File" > "Save As" and select "PDF" as the file type.
  • In the new window, please adjust the settings under "Options..." and "Tools" as follows:

    • Options:
    • Tools: Make sure that, under ‘Optimise Web…’ and ‘Compress Images…’, you have set the options so that the images are compressed at the highest possible resolution.

PDF creation software

If you have the opportunity to use Acrobat Professional at the university, this is highly recommended, as it is generally straightforward to apply the presets required for the series there. Staff at the University of Münster can obtain the software via their department’s IT support office (IVV) or the CIT: https://www.uni-muenster.de/IT/services/arbeitsplatz/software/adobe-acrobat-pro.html.

Alternatively, there are various free programmes that you can use online or download.  FreePDF, PDF24 and PDFCreator, amongst others, are well suited for generating PDF files from word processing programmes such as Microsoft Word.

Some word processing programmes, such as LaTeX, already have a user-friendly PDF export module built in, in which the necessary settings may need to be adjusted. Guides on creating PDFs with LaTeX can be found on the RWTH Aachen Universtity website, in Sascha Beuermann’s guide, or in desktop publishing programmes such as Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress, which generally include a PDF export function.

Merging several PDF files into a single file

If you have created several PDF files – for example, if you have sections of a document with different page numbering or without pagination – you can merge them using the PDF programme or insert pages.

Please ensure that all fonts have been embedded when saving the file and that the security settings have not been changed!

 

Done!

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Service

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the ULB’s Service Point for Publications