Are Soft Returns read by accessibility readers?

[SamaraEsther]

When we use soft returns/line breaks in InDesign and export the document as a PDF, will accesibility readers read those soft returns, either as a character or a hard break?

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

Hmm.

Several questions for you.

First, define "read."  Do you mean are they verbally announced by screen readers? Some sort of sound?

No, all returns are silent.

However, they may or may not cause mis-communication and confusion to the person who has to listen to the text, understand it correctly, and comprehend it.

The text on each side of the return could run-on together as one word because usually there isn't any punctuation to change the the voicing with a slight pause or dropping of the voice.

So it's best to avoid them, especially when they are mid-paragraph, such as to control bad hyphenation or line breaks. Find other ways, preferably via a paragraph style.

Second question: why are you concerned only about the effects of them on screen reader users? They have drastic negative effect on those who must use magnificaiton software and programs for reading disorders, both of which need flowable, responsive text rather than something that's peppered with these breaks.

Third question: why call them "soft" returns? Since they hardwire the text into a particular visual format, they're hardly soft in any definition of the word. The true name for them is "manual line break within a paragraph" and they kill any concept of responsive design in the document.

Aim to create responsive designs that can adapt to any technology that reads the file.

[SamaraEsther]

Hello! Thank you for your response!

That is what I meant by reading it, so thank you!

the Art Director I work for occasionally uses them in the brochures we make to break the line of text where she wants, usually in the middle of a sentence without punctuation on either side of the break. We would want it to be read as a continuous sentence though, not a separate line/thought.

I was concerned about them because we're starting to make our documents better for accessibility and screen readers are the only thing they've brought up so far. I guess I didn't know that once it was in a PDF, the returns mattered in terms of magnefication, I'm not super familiar with accessibility unfortunately.

How would I program a paragraph style to break a line exactly where I want it to in order to have a responsive doc?

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

Thanks for being so concerned about accessibility, @SamaraEsther. Sure wish your art director was just as concerned!

Using manual line breaks to control line endings and hyphenation breaks is a huge accessibility barrier for all assistive technologies. There are much better ways to control line endings in the InDesign layout:

• A character style that sets "No Break". It can be applied to force content NOT to hyphenate.
• A character style that sets  -05 tracking. Use it to tighten up a schootch to fit more copy.
• Adjusting the hyphenation settings in a paragraph style. Some options are more/fewer hyphens in a row, reduce the hyphenation zone to 1 pica.
• Adjust the composer settings in a paragraph style. Switch to single-line compuser rather than the default paragraph composer.
• Adjust the right margin in a paragraph style to allow more/fewer characters on a line.

Generally, when you can do it with a style, it doesn't affect accessibility. But when you do it as a manual override, you create accessibility problems.

Maybe time for some accessibility classes? <grin>

[edv-roman]

Well, the problem really is, that the same document will be used for reflowing text, screen-read text and regularly read text. Manual line breaks (if used correclty) will benefit visual users a lot. There are some workarounds for InDesign as you mentioned, but they will not cover all cases. 

The thing I want to say is: You say linebreaks are bad, but you it seems only take the perspective of assistive technology. It seems you're missing the fact, that those documents are for visual users as well. Those could be either non-impaired users, but also people with cognitive problems, dyslexia etc. Having hyphenation (especially bad one) or bad breaking text will be a barrier for such people, and using soft returns will aid them. Hyphenation can be hard to read, but can also help to read. There's a reason they came into existence, and it wasn't only to save space. 

The problem is, that with accessible PDFs we're really mixing data and visual presentation. A pure-text HTML document ("tagged") could have perfect reflow and perfect screenreadability. But that does does not mean, that it would be ideal for visual people. As long as we're not separating content for every user group, there will never be an ideal solution.

So long story short: I understand, that soft breaks are not ideal for screen readers or reflowing text, but that does not mean, that they're a bad thing per se. 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Well... this topic is two years old, and it is about soft returns' effect on accessibility, so I'm not sure it's the best place for you to go a little sideways with the discussion.

But I'll say that I largely disagree with you. Soft returns are a poor practice, often verging on a hack, that cause a cascade of problems in all document formats. It's a sloppy method, usually acquired at the "hacking around in Word" stage of learning, either before learning to use styles or even after styles have been rejected as "fancy stuff I don't need."

In intensely style-driven layout — that is, InDesign, and Word as it should be used for anything more complex than a memo — line-returns, soft breaks, whatever are a break from both the style method and the affected style; they are all but unmanageable with style parameters and become a hurdle or roadblock to any kind of smooth format management. This is true in layout for print, often a problem in ordinary PDF export (just for plain visual use), and once you get into any medium that is looking at the document structure instead of its simple visual arrangement — more advanced PDF, any e-book export — they are flat out grit in the gears. Their use is firmly rooted in the no-styles, print-only, stick stuff on the page model of layout, not anything more professional or organized.

I won't go so far as to say they should never be used. But given their outlying, interrruptive nature, my rule for some time, both for myself and for anyone I'm advising, is "use them like they cost $100 each." That is, use them ONLY for, say, breaking long headings or text in pullouts where elaborately setting up a specific style would be absurd overkill. But never in body text or any kind of running content just to move things around, when styles should be adjusted to achieve that result within the managed framework of layout design.

(I run into the strongest arguments from those trying to get poetry into EPUB/Kindle; they will furiously maintain that the only way to get the author's intent is with a plethora of tabs, spaces and line breaks. The correct answer is "if it takes six styles, so be it.")

And then there is preserving accessibility, which is downstream from the more advanced export models, and of increasing importance. It's way past time to stop throwing this hack into documents, for this reason alone  — because it affects a large subset of readers, not just the designer struggling with an export problem.

[Willi Adelberger]

My question is, why do you need forced return. What do you want to afford?

[SamaraEsther]

Hello!

I work for an Art Director that uses soft returns to make text look more appealing/even I guess? We do have paragraph styles with GREPs that make sure there are at least 12 characters on each line, and also use Balance Ragged Lines occasionally, but it seems like she still needs to use the forced breaks. I guess I'm not entirely sure how to use paragraph styles to get a line to break exactly where we want it without the soft/forced returns. 

[Willi Adelberger]

Work with paragraphs and paragraph styles.

[SamaraEsther]

I'll have to do some tutorials on those. I know the basics, but not how to make things break exactly where I want

[Willi Adelberger]

Very important are:

• Space before and after and between paragraphs of the same style
• Keep Options

Forced Return cause a lot of additional work. There are cases where they are useful but they are very rare.

[Joel Cherney]

Breaking text "exactly where you want" is not really what Indesign does. It uses a few different kinds of "paragraph composers" which lay your text according to algorithmic processes. Getting the rag you want (or that your art director wants) is more a matter of learning what will happen to your whole paragraph when you try all the techniques that Bevi and Willi outlined. And when I say "all" I mean all. Take a sample file and try all the variations that Bevi outlined, and in an afternoon you will have a much better skillset to achieve your art director's desired appearance on top of a more accessible infrastructure. 

[Joel Cherney]

I often find that Indesign users without technical expertise (or with outdated technical expertise) tend to use text manipulations that are hard to work around. Your art director is using a manual line break to achieve their preferred rag. Probably looks great! I see this a lot, as a translation wonk who works with lots of old art-director types who learned all their skills in the service of print.

Take the advice of Bevi and Willi, both in the use of styles, and also to seek some classes or other education. As a beginner, if your goals are all set by your 20th century art director, you'll wind up learning some bad habits that will be hard to unlearn later. I have been in your shoes before, and I know how hard it can be to work for someone with a good eye for aesthetics without an appreciation for good infrastructure. Good luck!