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Why We Use Adobe Acrobat PDF Files
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Why do we use PDF files?
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PDF stands for Portable
Document Format. It is a way to save a document so
it can be viewed and printed out in the way the author
intended, regardless of whether you're on a Macintosh,
a Windows PC or a Unix machine. PDF files are made using
a program called "Acrobat" by
a company named "Adobe".
The strength of PDF files is the ability to display a
document in precisely the format in which it was created
- regardless of whether or not you have the software package
that was used to create it. In addition, you can print
complex, formatted pages from an Acrobat document and have
them look exactly the same as if they were professionally
published (minus the glossy paper of course).
Acrobat files are also small, typically half the size
of an equivalent Microsoft Word file, so they load more
quickly from the Internet.
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Does it cost money to use Acrobat?
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Yes and no. The "Acrobat
Reader" is completely free, and that is what
you need to install so you can read our files. In order
to get people to use the format, the folks at Adobe decided
to give the "reader" away for free.
So we had to buy software to create the PDF files, but
you don't have to buy anything to read them.
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Is CTMS the only organization that uses
Adobe Acrobat in their web site?
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Absolutely not. Acrobat is a standard format for publishing
documents on the web. You will find it used by government
agencies (like the IRS,
the California
Department of Motor Vehicles, among others), colleges,
and by corporations for applications, forms, reports, and
other documents where consistent formatting is important.
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What's the process for installing Adobe
Acrobat?
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- First, you need to get
your hands on the software.
- Then you need to install the software by clicking on
the filename and answering any questions that are asked.
- Once you've done that, it may ask you to re-boot your
system (shut it down and then turn it back on again).
- Then you will have a new program option (called Adobe
Reader) and when you click on an Acrobat link in your
web browser, it will automatically load the reader for
you.
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How do I get Adobe Acrobat?
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There are a couple of ways.
1. Download it from one of the following Internet sites:
Adobe | Download.com | Tucows | ZDNet
2. Obtain it from a "free" CD attached to the
cover of most Internet magazines
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Will I get a virus if I install the
Acrobat Reader on my computer?
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No. Absolutely not. Adobe and
other reputable software repositories like Download.com, Tucows or ZDNet are
committed to providing you with useful software that is
virus-free.
To avoid getting a computer virus, make sure you use virus
protection software (like Norton
Antivirus or McAfee
VirusScan) and do not open any files sent to you via
e-mail from people you do not know.
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Okay I understand all of that, but I need
more detailed instructions on what it is, how to install
it, etc.
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That's fine. Click on this
link here and you will be taken to Adobe's website
where they have all sorts of instructions.
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