Best practices for document setup

File Types

Diligent Boards accepts Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe PDF and common image file formats (.jpg, .bmp, .png, .gif). Video file formats cannot be uploaded to Diligent Boards. Uploaded documents with embedded video media or Flash content will be rendered as static PDFs.

Document Size

The maximum recommended document file size is 12MB, with optimal results for files under 10MB, as network bandwidth limitations can delay the time it takes to render or download content for large files. Converting a large file to a PDF document will usually reduce file size while retaining sufficient visual quality.

Scanned PDF Documents

Whenever possible, it is preferable to upload original file sources or converted PDFs instead of scanned PDF documents. Scanning a document to PDF format reduces text quality, removes any native indexing from the original file and may change document orientation. A scanned PDF is essentially a photographic image of a document, which can create a larger file size and make text difficult to read (depending on scan quality). Since the document is an image, any text in the file will not be searchable by default. Additionally, you may need to rotate a scanned PDF to match the original document or file orientation.

Password Protection

Documents that are password protected or otherwise access-restricted cannot be uploaded to Diligent Boards unless those restrictions are removed.

Margins & Spacing

If allowable, document margins can be reduced to maximize screen space. Large document margins can reduce the amount of content visible on the screen, requiring the user to adjust the page zoom to read the content.

Page Setup & Page Break

Page setup and page break options can be adjusted in the original file to control what content appears on each page of the document. These settings are especially important when working with Excel documents, as large spreadsheets will break columns or rows onto separate pages.

Custom Fonts

Custom, non-standard fonts in uploaded documents may not display correctly in Diligent Boards. As a workaround, documents can be converted into PDF format so that custom fonts are embedded in the exported file. If your documents frequently contain custom fonts, contact your Customer Success Manager to discuss additional options.

Device Size & Resolution: iOS, PC, Mac

Diligent Boards uses a default page width protocol that scales documents to fit any display size or type, reducing (though not eliminating) the need to format documents for specific devices or displays.