MEDA Text to PDF: Best Settings for Formatting and Layout

MEDA Text to PDF: Best Settings for Formatting and LayoutConverting plain or structured text into a PDF that looks professional requires attention to both the conversion tool and the document settings. MEDA Text to PDF offers flexible options to control typography, layout, and file structure so your PDFs look consistent across devices and print correctly. This guide covers the best settings and practical tips for formatting and layout when using MEDA Text to PDF, whether you’re creating reports, ebooks, forms, or print-ready documents.

For standard documents, select US Letter (8.5” × 11”) for North American audiences or A4 (210 × 297 mm) for international use.
Use landscape orientation for wide tables or presentations; otherwise, stick with portrait for text-heavy documents.
Set consistent page margins. A good default is 1 inch (25.4 mm) on all sides for readability; for print-bound books use inner margin (gutter) of 0.5–0.75 inches.

Choose a readable serif or sans-serif font depending on purpose: serif fonts (e.g., Times New Roman, Georgia) for long-form reading, sans-serif (e.g., Arial, Helvetica, Roboto) for on-screen content.
Use 12 pt body text for comfortable reading. For dense documents, 11 pt may be acceptable; for presentations or handouts, increase to 14–16 pt.
Line spacing (leading): 1.15–1.5 for body text; single spacing can feel cramped.
Paragraph spacing: add 6–12 pt after paragraphs instead of manual blank lines to keep layout consistent.

Define clear heading styles (H1, H2, H3) and map them before conversion so MEDA preserves structure. Example sizes: H1 = 18–24 pt, H2 = 14–16 pt, H3 = 12–14 pt.
Use bold or semi-bold weights for headings; avoid excessive capitalization.
Create a consistent indent/spacing approach for lists and blockquotes; use hanging indents for bibliographies.

Embed fonts to ensure consistent rendering on all devices. MEDA usually has an option to embed all fonts — enable it.
Prefer widely available fonts if file size is a concern. If using custom fonts, embedding is essential to avoid substitution.

Use high-resolution images: 300 DPI for print, 150 DPI for screen-only PDFs.
Set image compression to balanced settings (e.g., medium JPEG quality 70–85%) to reduce file size without visible degradation.
For tables, use gridlines and consistent cell padding. Avoid very narrow columns; allow text wrapping.
Convert charts and diagrams to vector formats (SVG/PDF) when possible to keep them sharp at any scale.

Configure running headers/footers with dynamic fields (title, chapter name, page number). Place page numbers in the footer right or center.
For books, start page numbering on the first page of actual content and use roman numerals for front matter if needed.

Add document metadata (title, author, subject, keywords) for searchability. MEDA allows you to set these fields during conversion.
Enable PDF tags/structure for screen readers; set logical reading order and alt text for images.
Create a selectable text layer (not a scanned image) so users can search and copy text.

Use linearized (web-optimized) PDFs if the file will be viewed online — this allows page-by-page downloading.
Balance image and font embedding settings to control file size. For large reports, consider embedding only necessary fonts and downsampling high-resolution images to 150–200 DPI.

If your document contains forms, set form field properties (tab order, field types, validation) before conversion so MEDA preserves interactive behavior.
For fillable PDFs, test fields in multiple PDF readers (Adobe Reader, Foxit, browser viewers).

Misaligned text or spacing: confirm consistent paragraph styles and reset overridden formatting.
Missing fonts: ensure fonts are licensed and embedded. If embedding fails, substitute with similar system fonts.
Large file sizes: downsample images, enable compressed object streams, or avoid embedding full font families.

Create and reuse templates with these settings for consistent results across conversions.
Always preview converted PDFs on multiple devices and viewers.
Keep an editable source version (e.g., .docx, .md) so you can adjust formatting and reconvert quickly.