Digital Backpack - Recommendations and best practices for uploading resources Follow
In this article:
General specifications for uploading Digital Backpack resources
When you upload a resource to the Digital Backpack, it goes through a digitization process in order to be converted into a format that is easy for students to read, accessible and responsive to any device.
In order for the digitization to work correctly we ask you to make sure that all documents:
- are uploaded as a PDF - this is currently the only file type we accept
- have embedded fonts - there is some helpful information on how to check if your fonts are embedded in the PDF here.
- have searchable text - this means that the text on the page is not embedded in images. To check if the text is searchable see this section.
- have a 200-300 dpi image resolution
- have one print page for each PDF page
For stitched PDFs (all pages in a single PDF) the file:
- should not exceed 500 MB in size (If your stitched PDF exceeds 500 MB, please supply individual page files.)
- must be assembled in the sequence that you would like the pages to appear in the digital edition
- must include all pages
- should have the pages numbered (labeled) as they should appear; each page label must be unique
Single page files:
- should be labeled sequentially so they may be sorted by name for automated merging, with the exception of cover or insert pages
- supply no more than one PDF file per page (please do not include multiple revisions of the same page)
- include a layout file or assembly instructions if there are inserts or other ambiguous assembly sequence (e.g. for cover or insert pages)
Uploading resources FAQs
Q: Can I send PDFs with CMYK color settings? Or do you require RGB?
A: We can work with either CMYK or RGB color settings.
Q: Can I send a low-res or web-optimized PDF?
A: No, the minimum resolution is 200 dpi.
Q: Can I stitch or merge all my pages together and send a single PDF for my issue?
A: Yes.
Q: Why do you require searchable text?
A searchable text is critical in order:
- For students to be able to use the search function within the digital reader.
- To ensure that links contained within the text can be automatically and correctly recognized.
Q: How do I test for searchable text?
A: In Acrobat, select the text selection tool and hover over any text on the page.
- If the flashing text cursor icon does not appear, and lines of text are not selectable then the text is an image or vector, e.g.:
- If the text icon appears, click on a line of text and highlight, then create a bookmark (Ctrl B on the PC; Command B on the MAC).
- If it is searchable, the text you selected should appear in the Bookmark tab. If the resulting bookmark instead shows unreadable boxes, the font is not properly encoded and should be replaced.