PM Employee Intranet: Desktop Publishing and Technical Transfer

Updated 11/04/2009

As more document preparation utilizing photos and desktop publishing are being done in-house by Plant Materials Centers, it is helpful to know some of the tricks to obtain good quality images and publications. When publications are posted to the Plant Materials (PM) Web site in PDF format, they must meet Section 508 accessibility requirements. Documents must also be designed following USDA and NRCS design standards. This page is intended to assist PM document authors and staff to prepare and process publications and documents that meet accessibility and design requirements. Following these guidelines will prepare documents to be easily searched and identified and will also facilitate document processing for Plant Materials Operations and Management System (POMS).  The best way to ensure your documents are accessible is to design them appropriately from the start.

• Section 508 Compliance - USDA Target Center
• What is Section 508? - USDA Target Center
• Accessibility Training Resources and Guidelines - Information and training resources for Plant Materials Program document authors and staff.
• Alternative Text - Alternative text must be applied to photos, objects, and hyperlinks for accessibility purposes.
• File Naming Guidelines - Follow these guidelines for naming documents submitted to the NPMC.
• File Properties - Follow these guidelines for adding file properties to all documents submitted to NPMC.

These documents may require Acrobat Reader

Interim policy for technical documents - (PDF; 20 KB) Mar 2007
This interim policy takes effect immediately.  Distribution of all technical documents will follow this procedure.  This will be placed in the manual for subsequent review.
NRCS Plant Materials Program Manual (HTML)
Title 260, NRCS Visual Management Handbook Design Standards - (260-VI-VMH, First Edition, March 2008)
USDA Visual Information Standards: (PDF 409 KB) Print, Exhibit, and Presentation Media Specifications and Uses
Style Guidelines for Media Materials (PDF 107 KB) - USDA Office of Communications
U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) Style Manual - 30th Edition, 2008 (HTML)
General Guidelines for Preparing Plant Fact Sheets and Plant Guides (HTML)
Artwork, Logos and Graphics (HTML)
Guidelines for using Artwork, Logos and Graphics (HTML)
USDA Non-Discrimination Statement (HTML)

Alternative Text

Important: Add Alt text to pictures and hyperlinks

• Alternative text (alt text) is a textual description of an object, image, or hyperlink.
• Hyperlinks should have alternative text if they are in shown URL format. To add a alternate text to a hyperlink highlight the URL and right click >Hyperlink Properties > Tool Tip > Enter Tool Tip Text
  Example: If the hyperlinks shows (http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov) the Tool Tip Text could read "Go to the Plant Materials Program Web site."
• Hyperlinks must show the fully qualified URL (http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov) as opposed to  (plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov)
• The preferred method for hyperlinks is to add the hyperlink to the text description. Then it would not necessary to add alt text to the link (Plant Materials Program Web site)
• In most applications, you can right click on an object, image, or hyperlink to set alternate text properties.
• In Microsoft Word, right click on the graphic, choose Format picture > Web Tab > Alternate Text - add descriptive text.
• Avoid using graphical elements that serve no purpose to the document.

File Properties

Important:  Plant Materials Program documents require file properties to be added to documents submitted to the Webmaster for processing to the NPMC.
Tip:  Configure MS Word to automatically prompt you to add file properties. Open Word > Tools > Options > Save tab > X - prompt for file properties

• MS Word and other MS Applications - With the document open, go to File > Properties > Summary tab (MS Word)
• Adobe Acrobat:  Description >Metadata (Adobe Acrobat)
• Title:  Enter the document title
• Author:  Enter USDA NRCS PMC Name. Do not enter individual's names.
• Subject:  Enter a descriptive paragraph that describes the document's contents. Note: This information is displayed by Internet Search Engines when returning search results.
• Key Words:  Enter key words and search terms that describe the document's purpose, separate each by a comma.

File Naming Guidelines For PM Documents

Important: Follow this file naming convention for Plant Materials Program documents.

• Don't exceed 15 total characters in the file name.
• Don't use spaces or characters other than a dash or underscore in the file name.
   
• The file name should begin with the state where the PMC or PMS is located followed by pmc or pms
  Example: ndpmc, ndpms, mtpmc, nmpmc, etpmc, stpmc, lapmc, flpmc, etc.
   
• Identify the publication type with the two letter Publication Type Code from POMS Publication Types, Description, and Codes.
  Example: Release Brochure = rb, Technical Note = tn
  *Naming is different for Plant Fact Sheets and Plant Guides
   
• Identify the publication fiscal year.
  Example:  Fiscal year 2010 = 10
   
• Identify the document with a brief name, word, or acronym that further identifies the document.
  Examples:  ig = Indiangrass
   
• This example file name ndpmcrb10ig.pdf follows the naming guidelines illustrated above. It easily identifies the document as an Indiangrass Release Brochure published in FY 2010 by the Bismarck PMC.
• The electronic file name entered in POMS must match the PDF document file name submitted to the Webmaster for processing to NPMC.
• Send only the final approved PDF document for processing to the NPMC.  It is not necessary to send both the Word and PDF document.

*Important:  Follow the General Guidelines for Preparing Plant Fact Sheets and Plant Guides when naming Plant Fact Sheets and Plant Guides.