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mrl2-cleveland
Participant
August 7, 2020
Answered

Suggestions for creating a “mobile friendly PDF” from a highly designed 24 page booklet ?

  • August 7, 2020
  • 3 replies
  • 2700 views

I would certainly appreciate any input on creating a "mobile friendly PDF" from an InDesign file that is primarily designed as a 24 page 'highly design booklet."  The PDF is desirable as it is a universal format, as it doesn't require any online connection which might not be available .   Converting to an HTML designed page is not an option and in EPub file would be too cumbersome for some users.

 

It doesn't have to be highly interactive, just looking for best practices for converting the design and maybe some basic navigational techniques viewing optimization techniques?

 

Any and all thoughts are appreciated.



 

 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Derek Cross

As there are different aspect ratios used on smart phones and tablets you need to choose one and put up with some letterboxing on some devices. Maybe a 16 x 9 ratio. Personally, I choose A5, which seems readable on most devices and is a handy size for printing (in the UK). You might include navigation arrows on the pages (previous/next page), but it may not be worth it on a short booklet.  In the Export to Interactive PDF dialogue box, I choose Pages (not Spreads), Viewing: Fit Height and for Layout: Single Page Continuous, and check which is the best resolution. Before committing yourself it’s worth setting up a couple of test pages to try on different devices and check things like size and leading of fonts used for the text for readability.

3 replies

James Gifford—NitroPress
James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
April 18, 2023

PDF and mobile-friendly are not really compatible things, even with a simplified layout.  Trying to get the most compatible aspect ratio is about the limit of what you can do. 

 

I'd reconsider one of the other formats. Each has strengths and drawbacks, but ID, especially with CSS formatting, can do an excellent export right from the print document.

 

This is one of the very few places I'd actually recommend EPUB, optimized to a simple vanilla reader like the browser plug in EPUBreader.

BobLevine
Community Expert
BobLevineCommunity Expert
Community Expert
August 7, 2020

PDF is a pixel perfect format. There is no such thing as a mobile friendly PDF.

There are far too many mobile devices in various sizes, shapes, resolutions and aspect ratios to even bother trying to make them fit a screen perfectly.

T
Tech29468988j512
Participant
April 18, 2023

But, the simplified view helps a lot in pdf. 

Derek Cross
Community Expert
Derek CrossCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
August 7, 2020

As there are different aspect ratios used on smart phones and tablets you need to choose one and put up with some letterboxing on some devices. Maybe a 16 x 9 ratio. Personally, I choose A5, which seems readable on most devices and is a handy size for printing (in the UK). You might include navigation arrows on the pages (previous/next page), but it may not be worth it on a short booklet.  In the Export to Interactive PDF dialogue box, I choose Pages (not Spreads), Viewing: Fit Height and for Layout: Single Page Continuous, and check which is the best resolution. Before committing yourself it’s worth setting up a couple of test pages to try on different devices and check things like size and leading of fonts used for the text for readability.

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