1. Types of color - Each page in the document will ultimately be converted into a single image for storage in EDMS. Based on the content of a page, there are three color formats that the resulting image may have:
   1. Bitonal – the image literally contains only black and white. For example, plain text on a white background. Bitonal is preferred because it will result in the smallest file size.
   2. Grayscale – contains black, white and all the shades of gray in between. In many contexts, this is what people are actually referring too when they use the term black and white (i.e. a black and white movie). Grayscale images will not display properly in EDMS.  To fix the EDMS display error for pages that contain grayscale images you can edit the footer or page number, setting the font to a navy blue on each page that has grayscale images included.  EDMS will display because there is at least one color on each page.
   3. Color – contains colors other than black, white and gray.
2. Creating documents
   1. Make as much of the document bitonal as possible.
      1. Do not use decorative color content that appears on every page of a document. Examples include logos and company letter head.
      2. Use text formatting (bold, italic, underline) or font size for emphasis rather than using color.
      3. Avoid using shading in tables (use formatting or borders to draw attention to table elements).
      4. Unless other legal or regulatory restrictions exist, sign transmittal letters and forms in black ink.
   2. Avoid grayscale content
   1. Do not use shades of gray as the background or border color of a table. Rows or cells that need be highlighted can be indicated with the use of different borders (bold, double lines, etc.). If use of shading is absolutely required, use other colors.
   2. Do not use fonts or other content with shadow effects.
   3. Do not convert color images to grayscale to reduce file size.
   4. If the use of grayscale content is unavoidable (for example, if you need to include a grayscale picture) include color content on the same page.
   3. Inserting images (pictures, maps, etc.)
      1. Flatten the layers in an image before inserting it into the document.
      2. Reduce the resolution of the image to the minimum required for legibility. This is especially important when importing pictures from a digital camera.
   4. Page size
      1. Avoid custom page sizes when possible.
      2. Avoid pages larger than 11" X 17" (e.g., maps/drawings).
   5. Number of pages: No more than 999 pages per PDF. If a document has over 999 pages, break it up at natural points, such as Sections/Appendices. If laboratory data submittals are voluminous, please include these as an Appendix in a separate file on the CD. Font size: Should be at least 10 point.
   6. Signed Transmittal Letter: Include immediately behind report/plan cover page or, if a small submittal, as the first page.
   7. If the document consists of multiple volumes, each volume must be included as a separate file (PDF) on the CD/DVD. File names for each volume must be the same except volume number (e.g., RFI Report for Tank 234 Area – Volume 1, 2, 3, etc.)
3. Scanning documents
   1. General scanner settings
      1. Scan all documents at 200 DPI.
      2. Scan all documents as bitonal whenever possible.
      3. If bitonal will not capture the content of the document scan in color.
      4. Do not scan in grayscale.
      5. Performing OCR on the documents is not recommended. Documents will be converted back into images in EDMS.
   2. Scanner dependent settings – use these features if they are available with your scanning hardware/software configuration
      1. When scanning bitonal content on colored paper, drop out the color of the paper.
      2. Use hole fill features on documents that have been punched for binding.
   3. Quality Control
      1. Ensure that all pages are in the proper orientation.
      2. Ensure that there is not unnecessary black space around the edge of documents by selecting the appropriate page size or using cropping.
      3. Delete blank pages
      4. Check for loss of content from any image cleanup features used. Be especially careful of despeckling features removing punctuation such as periods and decimal points.
4. Converting electronic documents to PDF
   1. Use any features your software offers to explicitly flatten the document. For example, Adobe Reader and Acrobat have a "Print as Image" option in the advanced print settings. This will flatten the file when printing to PDF.
   2. Do not digitally sign or certify the document.
   3. Do not set security restrictions on the document.
   4. Do not include embedded comments or other annotations
   5. Do not use the "Optimize Scanned PDF", "Reduce File Size" or "PDF Optimizer" features in Adobe Acrobat. Avoid similar features in other products.

NOTE:  These guidelines are subject to change.  If you have any questions or problems you can contact Mike Miller at 225-219-3737 or email at: _DEQ-WWWRemediation@la.gov

Providing the information in the format requested will expedite our mail process and ensure that all correspondence received is assigned and filed accurately.

Thank you for your cooperation.