How to use Acrobat Reader to read and print Portable
Document Format (pdf) files
Portable Document Format (pdf) files can be read (viewed) and
printed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader .
This page provides you with the following information:
How to read a pdf file
If Adobe Acrobat Reader is already installed on your computer:
If this software is installed on your computer, then clicking
on the name of the pdf file that you want to read will launch
the software automatically and the document will appear on your
screen.
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If you have the software on your computer but you are unable
to read the document:
You may not have the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader
and you will need to install it (see below).
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If Adobe Acrobat Reader is NOT installed on your
computer or you need a later version of the Adobe Acrobat
Reader software:
TWO STEPS to perform:
1. Download
2. Install it (through File Manager or Window Explorer)
Step One : Download - the software is free and you can download
it yourself.
1. You can download the Reader from the Adobe website by clicking
the 'Get Acrobat Reader' button. Select the appropriate version
of Adobe Acrobat Reader from the Adobe website and download.
Step Two: To install the software
1. Exit your browser (Netscape, Explorer, etc).
2. Find the file you downloaded using Windows Explorer.
3. Double click on that file.
4. Follow install instructions as they appear on the screen.
5. Once installed - close the window.
6. You now have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your system.
You can open your browser and read the pdf files.
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Tips on viewing documents
Moving around the document
You can use the scroll bars at the side or the forward and back
buttons on the bar above the document to move around the document.
Enlarging or reducing the size of the text in the document
If you want to enlarge the text or a chart, you can click on
the magnifying glass that has a plus sign then click in the area
of the document you want enlarged. To decrease the size of the
text or a chart, you can click on the magnifying glass that has
a minus sign then click in the area of the document you want
reduced. To return to the original size, use the magnifying glass
(e.g., if you have reduced the size and want to go back to original
size, then click on the magnifying glass with the plus sign then
click in the document). When you have finished with the magnifying
glasses, you can click on the hand symbol.
Appearance of patterns in charts
When displaying charts, some of the patterns may not look right
- this is because of the screen resolution on your computer.
They should be fine when you print the document. You can get
a closer look at charts (or anything else in the document) by
using the magnifying glass (see above).
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How to print a pdf file
To print, click on the printer icon - this is the icon on the
left in the bar just above the document. You can also print using
the Netscape print command if you prefer. Whichever method you
use, the printed document will look the same.
REMEMBER to use the 'shrink to fit' option (on the print dialogue
box). If you forget to do this, the print may be huge on the
printed document!
To print the entire document, on the print dialog box that appears
when you click on the printer icon, check that all the pages
are indicated for printing (this is the default) then just click
on the OK button.
To print part of the document, on the print dialog box that
appears when you click on the printer icon, indicate the pages
to be printed then just click on the OK button.
To change various printer settings, such as the orientation
of the paper (landscape or portrait), on the print dialog box,
click on the set-up button and make the changes you want, click
OK then click OK on the print dialog box. |
