Contents of this Page

• What is a PDF file?
  
  
• What tools or software do I need to convert my file to PDF ?
  
  
• What if I don't have Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Distiller, or any other tool to use for conversion?
  
  
• How do I fine tune/compress/optimize my PDF file?
  
  

PDF stands for Portable Document Format. This format was developed by Adobe^® and is a unique cross-platform file format. The PDF documents will look exactly as you intended and can be viewed by anyone using the freely distributed Adobe Acrobat^® Reader™ across a broad range of hardware and software.

What tools or software do I need to convert my file to PDF ?

Some word processors when installed, integrate Adobe^® products at the time of installation so that files can be output directly into PDF format. You should first take a look at the word processing software you are using to see if this option exists. If it does not, you will need to have one of the following:

• Adobe Acrobat^® — software that allows conversion of any document into a PDF format.
• Acrobat® Distiller — software that allows the creation of PDF files with sophisticated, high-end print publishing features. Adobe Distiller interprets PostScript files (.ps, .eps) into PDF file format.
• Acrobat® Capture — software that takes a scanned document and converts it to PDF format.
• Other PDF Tools — this site offers other conversion tools, tips, latest techniques in the PDF arena.

What if I don't have Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Distiller, or any other tool to use for conversion?

Adobe offers the use of their PDF conversion hosting service for free. You can sign up for a free trial and create 5 Adobe PDF files for free. The URL to this site is https://createpdf.adobe.com/

How do I fine tune/compress/optimize my PDF file?

Here are some helpful links to learn how to make your PDF file as small as possible and still functional and readable.

http://www.adobe.co.uk/epaper/tips/acr5optimize/main.html

http://www.espere.org/pdffile.htm#reduce