Do
- Use the layout options if you want to move where the text sits on the page
- Use indents and spacing to move the position of text on the page
- Use page/section breaks to leave a space and start on the next page
- Use portrait rather than landscape where possible
- Use left-aligned text
Do Not
- Use tables to layout your document
- Use text boxes to position text on the page
- Use text boxes - These are treated as images so any text in them would be missing for assistive technology.
- Press return multiple times to move to the next page
- Use more than one column - this can cause issue with screen readers in pdf
- Provide information in Headers or Footers
- Use landscape unless unavoidable
- Use centred (some exceptions) or justified text
Indents and Spacing
Use indents and spacing to move the text on the page. This can be used when setting the placement for your main document heading/title or to make sure numbered lists are sitting the way you want them to.
You can set the spacing before or after paragraphs to adjust the space between headings and paragraphs instead of pressing return multiple times.
People who have dyslexia may see text merge or distort. To help make text easier to read, you can increase white space between sentences and paragraphs.
Headers and Footers
Screen readers do not scan Headers or Footers so people who use screen readers could miss out on important information.
Anything in the Header or Footer should not be important to providing information or context in your document.
Borders
In the Paragraph section in the Home tab on the ribbon, you can use borders to provide decoration to text like shading or boxed outlines. Do not use tables to create this effect.
Using the borders formatting instead of a table means a screen reader will read it as text only.
Page layout
- Try to keep documents in portrait rather than landscape to avoid the need to scroll sideways when reading the document on a smaller screen.
- Avoid using more than one text column on a page to prevent issues with reading order for assistive technology. This will also create a better experience for people using a smaller screen.
Alignment
- Use left-aligned text for the main body.
- Do not use justified text, as it causes readability issues.
- Avoid Center-aligned text for longer, multi-line text. It interrupts the natural reading flow and makes it hard to find the start of each new line.