Learn about Adobe Acrobat and PDF Format - Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) - little background on PDF - Viewing PDF files

Learn about Adobe Acrobat and PDF Format - Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) - little background on PDF - Viewing PDF files

A little background on PDF

Viewing PDF files

Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)

A standard adopted by governments and enterprises worldwide, Adobe PDF is a reliable format for electronic document exchange that preserves document integrity so files can be viewed and printed on a variety of platforms.

When you come across a .pdf file on a web site, and click on it, three things might happen:

• Your click will load the Acrobat Reader Plug-In for your browser (a plug in is a piece of software that extends the capabilities of your browser - sort of like a accessory package for your car, such as power windows & locks). You can navigate and print this document.

PDF or .pdf files is an acronym meaning Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format. PDF files have the ability to be viewed and printed, using Adobe Acrobat Reader (which is a free software program).

The benefit of .pdf files comes from their usability on virtually any system (PC, Apple, Unix).

Adobe has recognized that not everyone uses the same software, or even the same version of a software package.

• Your click will bring up a dialog box that asks you to save the .pdf file to your hard disk drive. After you save the file to your hard drive, you can view and print it by double clicking (or single clicking - depending on how you have your machine set up). If you get a message that your operating system does not recognize the file, then you need to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader

By 'writing' a .pdf file, anyone can view the document you created, while retaining all the formatting. The printed version of a .pdf file should look identical to the printed version from the software the file was created in.

• If you find that clicking on the link does not load the plug in, chances are you do not have the plug in installed, or set up correctly. Follow this link to get free Adobe Acrobat Reader