Help on PDF documents

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, Linux 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 www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html and choose the appropriate version of Adobe Reader for your computer operating system.

However, be aware that the full version is a large download. This is no problem if you have broadband, but the file will take a long time to download over a dial-up connection. You can choose to download the basic (cut-down) version if you use dial-up.

An alternative is to buy a computer magazine such as PC Pro or Personal Computer World. Many such magazines have the Adobe Reader installation program on their cover CD/DVDs.