Failure to satisfy the specific USPTO requirements for any PDF attachment may result in the TEAS form not validating. For the USPTO to accept any PDF attachments, the PDF file must satisfy the following:
- be a valid PDF format. It is not sufficient that the file simply be named using a PDF extension (.pdf), because that does not by itself create a valid PDF file.
- be version 1.3 or newer.
- have an overall size under 30 MB. While no page limit exists, each PDF file cannot exceed 30 MB.
- Not contain security settings (e.g., self-sign security, user passwords, and/or permissions) that would prevent the USPTO from opening, viewing, or printing the file. All security settings must be deactivated (e.g., encryption, master passwords, and/or permissions) prior to upload to TEAS.
- Not contain any embedded scripts and/or executables, including sound or movie (multimedia) objects, prior to upload to TEAS.
- Not contain any multimedia (e.g., sound, video, animations, slide shows); 3-dimensional models; or multi-page objects (e.g., Excel spreadsheets), prior to upload to TEAS. While the overall PDF file would upload, the other internal object will be “stripped” out of the file, and will not be viewable.
- be named properly. The file name can consist of any upper or lower case letters or numbers, but must end in .pdf. It can also include the following: _ , -, and . [excluding the commas shown here]. No spaces are allowed in the actual PDF file name, but spaces are permitted in the file path. The name can be up to 256 characters long, including the .pdf portion; however, you are encouraged to use the shortest name possible. [NOTE: Similarly, for JPG files, while the name can be up to 256 characters, including the .jpg portion, you should use the shortest name possible, as that helps ensure a successful upload to TEAS].
- use one of the following formats for any images within the PDF file: GIF, BMP, TIFF, JPG and/or PNG. No other image formats are supported. However, the image may include black-and-white, color, and/or grayscale.
- use one of the following fonts, to ensure proper upload to TEAS:
- Courier (Regular, Bold, Italic, or Bold Italic)
- Times (Roman, Bold, Italic, or Bold Italic)
- Helvetica (Regular, Bold, Italic, or Bold Italic)
- Symbol
- Zapf Dingbats
NOTE: Fonts not listed above must be embedded within the PDF document, and the fonts listed above should be embedded. In addition, all fonts should be set to “subset.”
- be free of worms, viruses or other malicious content. Files with malicious content will be deleted.
- be “single layer.” Documents with multiple layers must be flattened prior to submission, to convert all overlapping areas in a stack of transparent objects into a collection of opaque objects. Any invisible layers will be lost when processed by the USPTO.
- NOT contain any active hypertext links, or any internal/external links. While you may textually reference a URL as a disabled link, it cannot be presented as an actual hyperlink.
- be saved at 300 DPI.
- be no larger than 14 x 14 inches. If any page within the entire PDF file exceeds this size limitation, the entire PDF file will be blocked from upload.
NOTE: If you need assistance resizing PDF pages or reducing the DPI, please forward the PDF file to TEAS@uspto.gov, for resizing/reduction within one (1) business day.