.PDF stands for Portable Document Format.

.PDF is a way of saving a document that protects the format so that it will look exactly the same when viewed on any computer or when printed - whether using Mac/PC or Internet Explorer/Netscape Navigator.

Some versions of Word and various Adobe packages including Illustrator enable you to create a .PDF document, but generally you will need to buy Adobe Acrobat writer software. If you would like to have a test run the Adobe website offers a .PDF writing facility (http://www.adobe.com/products/tryadobe/main.html#atmosphere) where you can convert up to 3 documents to .PDF for free.

To view a .PDF, all you need is the free Acrobat Reader to be installed on your machine (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html).

The benefits:
• The file size of a .PDF is significantly smaller than other formats - particularly when saving graphics. This is very important when emailing files or including them on your website.
• Anyone can open a .PDF file using the free Acrobat reader software regardless of their system setup.
• .PDF files always display and print correctly regardless of operating system or printing device.

Quick Tips for viewing .PDF
• Copy and Paste You can Copy and Paste from a .PDF document if it was created from a file i.e. Word or Excel. Select the "T" (for text) icon and then copy and paste as you would in any document. NOTE: You can’t Copy and Paste if the document was created from a scanned image.
• Searching within a .PDF file Select Tools - Find or use the Binoculars icon and enter your search term. It is important that the search term and spelling match the way the term appears in the document i.e. a search for "Milton Rd" will not locate anything if the entry in the .PDF is "Milton Road". However a search for "Milton" or even "Milt" will locate Milton, Milton Rd and Milton Road.

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