Adobe Acrobat Reader
Tutorial Objectives:
After completion of this tutorial you will:
* understand why you need Acrobat Reader
* download the latest version of Acrobat Reader
* be able to view electronic documents on your computer
What is Adobe Acrobat Reader?
Adobe Acrobat Reader is free software from Adobe that allows you to view, navigate, and print PDF files across all major computing platforms.
What is a PDF File?
A file with an extension of .pdf is a document in Portable Document File format.
A PDF file enables you to convert any document you have created with another program (such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) into an "electronic document" that can be distributed over a network quickly and easily. PDF files also enable any PC, Macintosh, or UNIX user on the network to view the "electronic" document in its original format, regardless of the programs and fonts installed on their computer.
Although HTML is currently a popular method for publishing information electronically over an Intranet or the Internet, it is a programming language and often requires special skills and knowledge. Getting documents to look the way you want them to appear can be a difficult and time-consuming task, if not impossible with HTML. The appearance of an HTML document can vary considerably both on screen and on the printed page, depending upon the Web browser, the monitor, the font size, and the printer being used.
If you open a PDF file using Acrobat Reader you can:
- Open the document on screen
- Read the document from beginning to end, or quickly skip around to various pages or topics in the document
- Use the document to give an on-screen presentation
- Search for specific information within the document
- Listen to sound clips and watch video clips, if included in the file
- Select and copy information from the document and paste it into a document created with a different application program
- Print all or just certain pages of the document
Advantages of Acrobat Reader
- It is easy for non-technical people to create, distribute, and access PDF files
- No extra hardware is required (no sound cards, CD-ROM drives, or scanners)
- Acrobat Reader software is free, so anyone can read the documents
- You can print all of the document or only the portion you need
Acrobat Reader software may already be on your computer. If it isn't, you can download it from Adobe's Web site.
After connecting to Adobe's Home page, follow the directions on the screen. You can print the instructions and read all the steps before you start downloading.
NOTE: When asked where to save the file, save any file you are downloading in the c:\temp directory. Wherever you decide to save the file, make sure you take note of where the file is being saved.
WRITE DOWN THE LOCATION!