Learn How To PDF

 Here are some common questions I am asked about PDF files.


What is PDF?
PDF is an acronym for Portable Document Format.  It is an open standard that was first developed by Adobe Systems.

What is the purpose of a PDF file?
When you turn change your document to the PDF format, then you are ensuring that on whatever machine it is viewed on, it will look exactly the same.  You don't have to worry about what it will look like on a Apple computer or on a Sun Solaris computer.  As long as the computer you want to view it on has a PDF viewer, you can view the document and it will look the same as the original.  Let me give you a few situations where using a PDF file is necessary.

• You chose a font to create your document because of its aesthetics.  If you tried viewing the document on a computer that did not have that font installed, it can not display the document correctly.  You would have to download the font, before the computer could display it.  If you converted your document to a PDF file, then it wouldn't matter what fonts where available on the other computer.  It would look exactly the same as the original document.
• Your friend sent you a document that was created in OpenOffice.  You have Microsoft Word installed and do not have OpenOffice installed on your computer.  You will not be able to open the document.  Even if you could convert from OpenOffice to a Microsoft Word format, there will still be subtle differences in the new file file.  College students face this problem.  A student might have a writing assignment that has to be a minimum of 5 pages long.  The student wrote his 5 page assignment in OpenOffice but has to print it out at school where the computers have Microsoft Word installed.  When he opens the converted document, he discoveres that his 5 page document turned into 4 pages.  No content is missing, but the document rendered differently in the new format.

 How do I open a PDF file?
A PDF Viewer is required to open a PDF file.  Here are two easily installable PDF Viewers:

• Adobe Reader
• Foxit Reader 

BEWARE:  Adobe reader is often packaged with other unnecessary software, like Internet Explorer toolbars, and Anti-virus Software.

Why would I want to turn a document into a PDF file?
Besides the above situations, another practical reason to convert your document to a PDF is to insure the integrity of the file.  Because there is no widely available software to modify PDF files, you can send and publish documents and know that they are not easily modified.

How do I turn my document into a PDF?
Depending on your situation you have a few options.  If you are using Microsoft Office 2007, you can download a add-in that will give you the ability to save your document in a PDF format.

•  The Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS Add-In Download Page 

However, if you are using an older version of Office or a different program entirely, you will have to install a PDF writer.  These work by adding a "virtual" printer to your list of available printers.  When you print to this virtual printer instead of making a physical copy of the document,  the PDF software converts the document to a PDF file and asks you where to save it.  There are two popular software packages that have this feature:

• Adobe Acrobat
  
• CutePDF
  

Adobe Acrobat is not the same as Adobe Reader.  Adobe Acrobat is going to cost more than 100 USD depending on what version you get.  CutePDF on the other hand, is free.

What is an XPS file?
An XPS file is a competing document format created by Microsoft. 

If I didn't answer your question, you can leave one in the Comments