Help

Frequently Asked Questions
How to View a PDF File
To print in printer friendly mode

What is PDF?
PDF stands for Portable Document Format (PDF).
PDF files are valuable for distributing documents with the layout preserved that will work regardless of what platform, browser, software applications, or printers you have.

What do I need to view or print PDF files?
Abobe Acrobat Reader. It's free and can be downloaded at the Adobe site.
Adobe Reader download

Where can I find out more about Reader or the portable document format (PDF)?
Try the Adobe website at: http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/main.html

Saving a PDF file to disk
There are two ways you can view PDF files published to the Web. In any case you will still need to have Adobe Reader installed on your hard drive.

The first way to view a PDF from this Web site is to right-click on the pdf icon (PDF Icon ) and choose "Save Link As". Other sites may have a link, which is underlined text that points to a file. A dialog box will pop up that will allow you to pick the location you want to save the PDF file to. It is recommended that you create a folder and name it "pdfs", "ris pdf files", or something else that makes sense to you. Downloading to a common location will make your pdf files easier to locate in the future.To create a new folder, click on the New Folder icon illustrated below in Figure 1.1 for Windows 95 and Figure 1.2 for Mac:

Figure 1.1: Windows 95
Save dialogue box on PC

Figure 1.2: Mac
Save dialogue box on a Mac

After you download the PDF file, you will need to open Acrobat Reader to view the pdf document. In Acrobat Reader, go to the File menu, choose "open", and double-click (or single click and then click on the "open" button) on the file you saved.

Configuring Your Browser to Automatically Save or Open a PDF file
The second way to view a PDF file from the Web is to configure your browser to automatically open the file when you click on it. You first need to have Adobe Reader installed. In Netscape, go to the Edit menu and choose "preferences." Click on the "+" box next to Navigator until it show a "-" box with options under the main heading. Under Navigator, click on Applications. You should see a listing of applications in the "Description" window. You will see a listing for "AcroEx32 File" in the Description window. Click on "AcroEx32 File" and then click on edit. A window (Figure 2.1) will pop up.

Figure 2.1
Edit Menu in Browser Preferences

Notice in the gray box labeled Handled By that you have a few choices. If you want to have a pdf file automatically save to disk when you click on it, select the Save to Disk radio button. If you prefer to have Acrobat Reader automatically open in Netscape when you click on a PDF link, choose the radio button next to Application: and type in the location of Acrobat Reader on your hard drive. You can also click on the browse button to find where Acrobat Reader resides on your hard drive. When you have found it, double click on it to make it show up in the text box. Click on ok in this window and the Preferences window. Now you are set to view your PDF files through
Netscape Navigator.

To print in printer friendly mode: click on the PDF icon above. This will open the PDF file. Click on the PDF printer icon PDF printer icon. Then click on the "OK" button after you check to see if the name of the printer is the correct printer.

 

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This material is based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2001-38857-01200.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

 


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