TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Monique Semp asked about adopting the current standard for showing hyperlinks in blue in PDF docs:
"Iâm pretty set on adopting this, but am undecided whether to also use the numeric underline? I think the hyperlink underline is more typical in HTML/Help systems, but even in a PDF, the underline makes the link stand out that much more. As well, the corporate branding colors Iâm stuck with use blue for âaccentsâ, so blue headings, bullets, table titles, and the like. And so adding the underline helps prevent the link from getting lost. Thoughts?"
________________________________________
Monique:
In some of my most recent jobs, the only docs provided to customers were PDFs. I agree that if (even some of the) customers or users can be expected to use the docs online, then the cross refs and links should be clearly visible (as well as active and clickable). I'd definitely format the links with underlines, especially given that other text highlights in the same document would also be blue.
Margaret Cekis, Johns Creek GA
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Visit TechWhirl for the latest on content technology, content strategy and content development | http://techwhirl.com