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Re: PDF vs. HTML

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From: Jared Smith
Date: May 21, 2004 4:01PM

And to add to the comments already submitted, making the conversion
from HTML to PDF is MUCH easier than going from PDF to HTML. We need
to rethink the processes for developing media that will be on both
print and the Web.

Starting with properly formatted HTML allows for:
1) An extremely easy conversion to PDF. Just open the HTML in Word (or
whatever), then save as PDF.
2) Document structure for the PDF is correct, assuming you've
structured the HTML correctly. This allows the PDF to be natively
accessible in most cases and relatively easy to make accessible in
others.
3) It is easy to provide both the accessible HTML and the (optionally
accessible) PDF.

Still, there is the argument of having print-ready media look the
same, blah, blah, though I think it is a relatively weak argument in
nearly all cases and one that can most often be overcome by good HTML
design.

Jared Smith
WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind)
Center for Persons with Disabilities
Utah State University