Help with PDF files

PDF stands for ‘Portable Document Format’.  V/Line uses PDF files on its website where it could be useful to download an article from our site.

 

 

Why we use PDF

 

We use PDF files for several reasons:

 

·         No specialised software required (e.g. Microsoft Word) to view PDF

·         Software to read PDF files is available free of charge (see link below)

·         PDF documents are easy to save to your computer for future reference

·         They can be easier to print than web pages.

 

 

How you know a file is PDF

 

We will put a PDF graphic -  - next to hyperlinks e.g.

 

This is a dummy hyperlink (PDF, 500KB)  

 

500KB means a file that is 500 Kilobytes in size (i.e. you will download 500 kilobytes of data). 

 

MB is Megabyte = approx. 1,000 kilobytes. 

 

Large files can take some time to download if you are using a slower Internet connection, so please be patient!

 

 

Why PDFs open in a new window

 

PDFs open in a window that looks slightly different to a ‘normal’ web page.  As a result, people often close the window once they have reviewed the page, expecting to return to the web page they were originally viewing.

 

To save you having to then reopen a web browser and navigate your way back to where you were, we open PDFs in a new window, which you can close when you’re finished.

 

 

How to make PDF documents larger/smaller

 

Adobe Reader has various tools you can use:

 

 

	Save a copy of the document on your computer.
	Print a copy of the document
	Search – find a particular word or phrase in the document
	‘Hand’ tool - click once to select tool then ‘click and drag’ to move the page up and down.  (Recommendation – just use the scroll bars as you do normally!)  Click the tool again to deselect.
	‘Zoom’ tool - click once to select the tool then click on the document, where you want to zoom (can be used more than once).  Click the tool again to deselect.
	‘Fit to width’ – click once to adjust the page size so the page adjusts to the width of your screen.
	‘Fit to height’ – click once to see the document at full height.
		Possibly the most useful tool.  Click the ‘ - ’ button to make the document smaller or the ‘ + ’ button to make it larger.  You can also click the drop down arrow and select the size you want.

 

 

Downloading PDF reader

 

It is likely that you will have ‘Adobe Reader’ (formerly ‘Acrobat Reader’) on your computer, so you will probably have everything you need to download and read PDFs.

 

If you find you’re having trouble downloading or reading PDFs, you can download Adobe reader (new window)*.

 

 

 

* Notes:           V/Line cannot accept responsibility for the content of other websites.

                        You do not need to download Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition when you download Adobe Reader.