Go back to home pageWHY USE PDF FILES???
We have started posting items such as our formats and forms in Portable Document Format (PDF). We have done this in response to school leaders who report they have difficulty down-loading association forms. PDF format will allow you to see and print the documents just as we have designed them.
Acrobat Reader Software
Adobe Acrobat Reader is free, and freely distributable, software that lets you view and print Portable Document Format (PDF) files.
Description of PDF
PDF is an acronym for "Portable Document Format." PDF is a file format created by Adobe that lets you view and print a file exactly as the author designed it, without needing to have the same application or fonts used to create the file. Since its introduction in 1993, PDF has become an Internet standard for electronic distribution that faithfully preserves the look and feel of the original document complete with fonts, colors, images, and layout.
Before the PDF file format existed, people exchanging electronic documents needed to have the same application and fonts used to create the documents to see them exactly the way they were designed. Now, you can create PDF files using Adobe Acrobat. (Note: Adobe Acrobat is not the same thing as Adobe Acrobat Reader.) You can then deliver PDF files to your readers, and they can view and print them, exactly as you designed them, using free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.
Here is an example of a typical use for PDF files:
1. You create a document in any application on a computer that has Adobe Acrobat installed.
2. You create a PDF version of your document using Adobe Acrobat.
3. You distribute the PDF file. For example, you e-mail it, post it on a Web server, or copy it to a floppy disk or network server.
4. Your reader receives the PDF file. For example, the reader receives the file as an attachment via e-mail, downloads it from your Web site, or copies it from a floppy disk or network server to a computer.
5. With the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, your reader can view and print the PDF file, which looks and prints exactly as you saw it on your own computer. No additional applications, fonts, or files are needed.
The PDF file format offers many advantages, including:
- PDF files are compressed to produce smaller file sizes, which reduces file transfer time and required storage space.
- PDF files can be duplicated and distributed at a lower cost than paper-based documents.
For more details about the Adobe PDF file format, see About Adobe PDF on Adobe's Web site.
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