Help for PDF documents
What is a PDF document?
PDF stands for Portable Document Format. Devised by Adobe, it is a reliable format for electronic document exchange that preserves the layout and appearance of documents so they can be viewed and printed on a variety of computer platforms (Windows, Mac, etc).
Problems opening PDFs
If you’ve downloaded a PDF document, but you cannot open it, the most likely reason is that you do not have Adobe Reader (formerly known as Acrobat Reader) installed on your computer. Or you may have an old version, in which case you should upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Reader.
Adobe Reader is a free program that enables you to view and print PDF documents, and (if you wish) to view them within your web browser.
How do I obtain Adobe Reader?
You can download the installation (setup) program for Adobe Reader from the Adobe website — go to http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2_allversions.html and choose the appropriate version of Adobe Reader for your computer operating system. Alternatively, go to http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html and the latest version for your operating system will be selected automatically — all you have to do is click the ‘download now’ button and follow the instructions.
However, be aware that the full version is a large download (over 30 MB for version 9.0). This is OK if you have broadband, but the file will take a long time to download over a dial-up connection.
An alternative is to buy a computer magazine such as PC Pro. Many such magazines have the Adobe Reader installation program on their cover CDs.
The PDF document opens in my browser (e.g. Internet Explorer)
This is normal — modern browsers automatically open PDF documents in the browser window if Adobe Reader is installed. You can save the PDF document from the browser’s File menu or by clicking the ‘Save a Copy’ button on the Adobe Reader toolbar.
Alternatively, if you right-click on the link to a PDF document and choose ‘Save Target As …’ or ‘Save Link Target As …’ from the context menu, the PDF document will be saved to disk rather than opened. This can be especially useful for a large PDF document that you wish to save for future reference but do not need to view now.
