U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Communication Standards and Guidelines

Linking to PDFs

Link Styles

Link to PDFs using one of the following styles:

• Title of Document (PDF 54 KB)
• Title of Document (PDF 54 KB)

If a PDF is more than one megabyte in size, link as follows:

• Title of Document (PDF 1.3 MB)
• Title of Document (PDF 1.3 MB)

Tips

• Do not use decimals with KB, e.g. 13.3 KB should be rounded up to 14 KB

• Do not link the parentheses if you are only linking the PDF information and not the title

• You may add a page count to provide more information, e.g. (PDF 54 KB, 64 pp)

• If you link to a PDF in body copy, try to put it at the end of a sentence, e.g.
  See the fact sheet for consumers (PDF 50 KB).

Linking to Adobe Reader

Per Section 508, all pages with a link to a PDF must also have a link to Download Adobe Reader  (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html). Follow the guidelines below on where to add the link.

Pages with only one or two PDFs

• Add "Download Adobe Reader." immediately after PDF link, e.g.
  See the fact sheet for consumers (PDF 50 KB). Download Adobe Reader.

Pages with several PDFs

• Add one of the following sentences before the PDFs are listed as appropriate:

  • The following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

  • Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs.  Download Adobe Reader.

Pages with PDFs in the right column

• If the PDF links on a page are only in the right column, the link to "Download Adobe Reader" should be in the right column below any news, events, or other content but above the feature.

• If there are PDFs in the center column as well as the right column, the "Download Adobe Reader" should be in the center column only.