Frequently
Asked Questions About Adobe Acrobat and PDF Files
What is Adobe Acrobat?
What is a PDF?
Why would anyone want
a document in PDF format?
What do I need to
read a PDF?
How do I get Acrobat
Reader?
How do I install
Acrobat Reader?
How do I download
and view a PDF file?
I have the Reader,
but I'm having trouble accessing, printing, and/or saving PDF files
I need more help!
What is Adobe Acrobat?
 Adobe Acrobat Reader is a
free program from the Adobe company that allows you to read PDF
files. Reader can also come as a plug-in (a small helping program)
for your Web browser. See What do I need to read
a PDF? , below. Adobe Acrobat Exchange is a program you can buy
to create and manipulate PDF files.
What is a PDF?
PDF stands for "Portable
Document Format." A PDF is NOT a word processing file: you
can't open it in your word processor. This also means you
can't type on or add anything to an Acrobat (PDF) file — you can
only read it or print it out. Documents created in all sorts of
applications, from word processing to spreadsheet, graphics to page
layout, can be saved as PDFs. The document names end (or should!) in
.pdf.
Why would anyone want a document in PDF format?
Web pages can look slightly different depending on the web
browser, the version of the web browser, and the type of computer.
Sometimes documents have to look exactly the same in every
instance. IRS tax forms are an excellent example of this. By saving
documents in Adobe Acrobat format, the person who creates the file
is assured that the file will look exactly the same and print
exactly the same, no matter who reads it or what kind of
computer she uses.
What do I need to read a PDF?
Adobe Acrobat files (PDFs) are read with -- surprise! -- the
Adobe Acrobat Reader. This program, or application, is available for
Macintosh, Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows 3.11,
Windows NT, OS/2, UNIX, LINUX, Sun SPARC, Silicon Graphics, even DOS
... pretty much any type of operating system you can shake a stick
at.
How do I get Acrobat Reader?
First, download the
version of Adobe Acrobat that matches your operating system.
Free Macintosh and Windows versions are available here.
NOTE: Remember where you've saved the download!
How do I install Acrobat Reader?
The Adobe Acrobat Reader
is software, which means that like any other
software, you have to
install
it.
The
Adobe
site will walk you through the installation process. Because there
are so many possible combinations of operating systems out there,
there's no real good way to explain here how to install software on
your computer. In addition to Adobe's site above, you could check
out your manual for instructions or ask a technical support person
in your office.
How do I download and view a PDF file?
Once you've installed the
Acrobat Reader software, you are ready to download and/or view any
PDF document.
Downloading a PDF
NEWER BROWSERS (4.0
and above): Later browsers such as Netscape 4.0 and Internet
Explorer 4.0 should automatically recognize a link to a PDF file.
- Click on a link to a PDF file
- One of two things may happen
- the browser will give you the option of opening the Acrobat
Reader and displaying the selected file, or saving the selected
file to disk (your computer) for later viewing.
If
you choose to save the file to disk, follow the instructions for
viewing a PDF, below.
- the browser will open the PDF file within the browser window
itself, allowing you to print directly without downloading
OLDER BROWSERS (3.0 and below):To view a PDF file, you
will first need to download it to
your computer and save it. There are two ways to download
a file.
- Method #1: Click on a link to a PDF file
- a gray dialogue box will pop up and give you the option of
opening the Acrobat Reader and displaying the selected file, or
saving the selected file to disk (your computer) for later
viewing
- save the file to disk (remember where you saved it)
- follow the instructions for viewing a
PDF, below.
- Method #2: Right-click (click and hold on a Macintosh)
on a link to a PDF file.
Viewing a PDF
To open and view an Acrobat document, you'll need to open
or start up the Acrobat Reader program, by double clicking on the
program icon, using your start/programs menu, or any other method
you use on your computer to start a program/application.
Once you have started up the Reader program, you open PDF
files/documents the same way you do anywhere else: go to the file
menu, find the document, and open it, peruse it, and print it at
your leisure.
That's it!
Problems
With the Adobe Reader
You will often find that although you have the Adobe Reader on
your computer, you still have difficulty accessing, printing, and/or
saving PDF files. This is most likely due to the fact that the PDF
file was created in a version of Acrobat that is more recent
that the version of your reader. In order to fix this problem, you
must download a newer version of the Acrobat Reader. Updates
for the reader can be downloaded for free, on
the
Adobe website.
I need more help!
Confused? Lost? Stuck? Don't panic! You have some options for
assistance.
- Ask your neighbor. Chances are, there is someone in
your office who can help you — either a technical support person,
or a computer-savvy coworker. (Maybe even your 12-year-old niece
with her own web site). Someone close by will be able to help
you the fastest because they'll be most familiar with the kind of
computer and operating system you're using and should be able to
walk you through the process.
- Online assistance. Help is also as close as your web
browser. Check out the following documents at the Adobe site:
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