ELLAWord documents
A Word file is the best starting point. Its structure is there for ELLA to use, so everything else, from braille to large print, starts better.
What ELLA uses
- Heading styles. Real headings, in order, give navigation, chapters and structure in every output.
- Lists made with list tools.
- Tables with a header row.
- Picture descriptions (alternative text).
- The document language.
- Link text, footnotes and form fields.
What ELLA can fix
When these are missing or wrong, ELLA can add or repair them and tell you what it did. It makes a repaired copy for you to download. Your original file is left as it was.
Help ELLA by authoring well
- Use the Heading styles in Word's style gallery. Do not make headings by making text bold and bigger.
- Use the list buttons, not hand-typed dashes or numbers.
- Make tables with the table tool. Mark the first row as a header. Do not use tables to lay out a page.
- Write short, specific descriptions for pictures that carry meaning, and mark decorative ones as decorative.
- Set the language of the document and of passages in another language.
- Write links with words that say where they go, not "click here".
- Put equations in with Word's equation editor, not as pictures.
Track changes
Accept or reject tracked changes before you upload, so the file holds only the text you want in the result.
Old .doc files
ELLA accepts the older .doc format as well as .docx. A .docx file gives the most reliable result, so if a .doc file is refused or the result looks wrong, save it as .docx and upload that instead.
Ask for what you need
"Fix this file's accessibility problems and keep the layout" and "make large print at 20 point" both work. See upload a document.
Still stuck?
Browse the help centre, or contact support and say what you were trying to do.