PDF Format

PDF stands for Portable Document Format. This is a very common format for downloadable documents on the internet. The advantage of the PDF format is that you can be almost 100% certain that you will be able to view and print out the document in exactly the same format it was originally, without having to worry about what type of computer you have (Mac or IBM), what fonts you have, what type of printer you have, etc. PDF is very good at preserving things like images, multiple columns, different font sizes, etc. This makes it an excellent format for distributing documents with a lot of formatting, such as application forms, newsletters, and reports with embedded images.

The biggest disadvantage of the PDF format is that you have to get a separate program to open the PDF file, because word processors such as MS Word or Word Perfect can not open PDF files. But the good news is that this special program, called the Adobe Acrobat Reader, is free and there are versions for both the Macintosh and IBM.

Once you have the Acrobat Reader installed on your machine, whenever you click on the name of a PDF file on a web page, the file will download to your computer, and the Acrobat Reader will start and open it up. You can also save a PDF file to your hard drive and open it later with the Acrobat Reader.