PDF files make great delivery trucks.

One of the efficient ways to transfer files  through the web or email is through  PDF files. If you have information in a Word Document, Publisher file or some other format, the person receiving it has to have the same software installed to view it the way you sent it. PDF files also work well when you want to supplier viewers with a printer-friendly copy of information on a web page that uses a lot of fancy factors that don’t print well.

Converting it to a PDF file is always a good alternative to insure that most people will be able to see it the way you intended. PDF files should appear exactly the same on every computer. PDF readers are widely available. PDF files can contain the graphics and text exactly as author placed them in the original document before converstions. Restrictions can be placed on how much the viewer is able to copy, change, or print the original pdf.

Programs that convert files to PDF can range from very sophisticated to very simple. I have Adobe Acrobat 8.0, although the truth be told, I usually opt out for more simple means of creating a PDF. However in Adobe Acrobat 8.0, files can be combined, forms created, and files can be password protected and restrict printing.

I tend to use a print option version of PDF converter. On my personal computer I have PDFCreater. Whenever I want to convert something to a PDF I just select File>Print and then select PDFCreater as the print option. It’s installed just like any printer. There are others options. I am an instructional designer at Palm Beach Atlantic University and the PCs in our media lab all have CutePDF which is a free download. CutePDF operates much same way as PDFCreater, creating the PDF as a function of the Print Command. I’ve also been satisfied with PrimoPDF.com. You can easily find more options by placing Print Files to PDF in your favorite search engine. You might want to study the characteristics of a couple such programs and maybe test-drive them.

Technologically yours,

Rick