Hyperlinks, buttons and fillable PDF forms in Layout by Zaweba
Add hyperlinks, bookmarks, cross-references, buttons and fillable PDF form fields in Layout by Zaweba, then export an interactive PDF.
A PDF read on screen can do far more than a printed page. Links can take readers to a website, a contents page can jump to each chapter, a booking form can be filled in and sent back. Layout by Zaweba adds these interactive parts inside the document, and the interactive PDF export carries them into the file.
Hyperlinks and where they can point
A hyperlink can point to a URL, a page in the document, an email address, a file or a text anchor. Web links suit brochures and reports that mention a website. Page links let a reader jump from an index entry or a mention of a chapter to the right place. Email links open a new message to the address. Text anchors mark a precise spot in the text, so a link can land on a particular paragraph rather than the top of a page.
Bookmarks and cross-references
Bookmarks appear in the PDF viewer's sidebar as a clickable outline of the document. For a long report or a manual, they let readers move round without scrolling through every page.
Cross-references point to other parts of the document, such as "see page 42", and update when pages move. In an interactive PDF they become working links too.
Buttons and presentation mode
Buttons go to a page or a URL. A row of buttons along the edge of every page in a catalogue can take readers to each section; a button on a digital brochure can open the shop's website.
Page transitions add movement between pages when a document is shown full screen in Presentation mode, which can turn a layout into a simple slide show without leaving Layout.
Fillable PDF forms
Interactive PDF export can include form fields: text fields, check boxes, radio buttons, list boxes, combo boxes and signature placeholders. Booking forms, membership applications, feedback forms and order sheets can then be filled in on screen and saved, instead of printed, written on and scanned.
Text fields take typed answers. Check boxes suit yes or no choices. Radio buttons offer one choice from a group. List and combo boxes give a set of options to pick from. A signature placeholder marks where a signature goes.
Getting interactive PDFs right
Design for the screen. Interactive PDFs are read on monitors, tablets and phones, so make links and buttons clear and large enough to tap.
Make links look like links. Readers need a visual hint, such as a colour or an underline in the text style, that something can be clicked.
Order form fields sensibly. People move through a form in order, so lay fields out in the order they'll be filled.
Test the PDF in a viewer before sending it out. Click every link, try every button, fill in every field.
Use the Interactive PDF preset for these files. A press PDF is for printing and doesn't need the interactive parts.
Mistakes people make with interactive documents
Sending a print PDF and expecting the links to work is common. Export with the interactive preset.
Links to web pages that later move break silently. Check them before each new edition.
Fields too small for real answers frustrate people. Leave room for long names and addresses.
Forgetting accessibility is easy. Buttons and links benefit from clear text, and the tagged PDF includes links so assistive technology can find them.
The same document can produce a press PDF for print and an interactive PDF for screen. Buttons also work in EPUB and HTML, and in slides exported as .pptx, where button jumps become jumps between slides. Build the links once and use them in each output that supports them.
