This section
of the site is "under construction"
The following is an extract from the Adobe site describing a
very useful tool - the PDF file
"PDF is an acronym for "Portable Document Format." PDF is a file format
created by Adobe that
lets you view and print a file exactly as the author designed it, without needing to have
the same
application or fonts used to create the file. Since its introduction in 1993, PDF has
become an
Internet standard for electronic distribution that faithfully preserves the look and feel
of the original
document complete with fonts, colors, images, and layout.
Before the PDF file format existed, people exchanging electronic documents needed to have
the
same application and fonts used to create the documents to see them exactly the way they
were
designed. Now, you can create PDF files using Adobe Acrobat. (Note: Adobe Acrobat is not
the
same thing as Adobe Acrobat Reader. See the "Description of Adobe Acrobat"
section below.)
You can then deliver PDF files to your readers, and they can view and print them, exactly
as you
designed them, using free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.
Here is an example of a typical use for PDF files:
1. You create a document in any application on a computer that has Adobe Acrobat
installed.
2. You create a PDF version of your document using Adobe Acrobat.
3. You distribute the PDF file. For example, you e-mail it, post it on a Web server, or
copy it to a
floppy disk or network server.
4. Your reader receives the PDF file. For example, the reader receives the file as an
attachment via
e-mail, downloads it from your Web site, or copies it from a floppy disk or network server
to a
computer.
5. With the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, your reader can view and print the PDF file, which
looks
and prints exactly as you saw it on your own computer. No additional applications, fonts,
or files
are needed.
The PDF file format offers many advantages, including:
- PDF files are compressed to produce smaller file sizes, which reduces file transfer time
and
required storage space.
- PDF files can link to text, graphic, sound, and movie files.
- PDF files can be indexed so that you can easily search their contents.
- PDF files can be duplicated and distributed at a lower cost than paper-based documents.
- PDF files have form features that enable you to create a form, which readers can fill
out on-screen
and submit electronically.
- With the proper Asian-language (i.e., Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and
Simplified
Chinese) font kits available for free from Adobe, your readers can use non-Asian language
computers to view and print documents containing Asian-language characters.
For more details about the Adobe PDF file format, see About Adobe PDF on Adobe's
Web site."
