Portable Document Format
Why we use PDF
Many IES products placed on our website are created in Portable Document Format (PDF). They are most commonly denoted by the above icon. PDF is used because it maintains the original look and feel of large documents, and allows us to place more publications on the web in a quick and efficient manner. Further, PDF products are independent of platforms, applications, and distribution media.
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How to obtain a PDF Reader
Versions of Acrobat Reader exist for all major computer platforms, including Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows ME, Windows 98, Macintosh, Sun, UNIX and several other operating systems. To download the reader, you'll need a computer and a Web browser (such as Mozilla's Firefox or Internet Explorer) connected to the Internet. If you are using a dial-up connection to access the Internet, it may take you extra time to complete the download. Please follow the instructions on the Adobe Acrobat download page to install the Acrobat Reader.
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The following are the System Requirements for Acrobat Reader 7.0:
Windows System Requirements
- Intel® Pentium® processor
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Home Edition (Service Pack 1 or 2), Windows 2000 (Service Pack 2), Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Windows Server 2003, Vista, or Windows NT (Service Pack 6 or 6a)
- 128MB of RAM (256MB recommended)
- Up to 90MB of available hard-disk space
Macintosh System Requirements
- PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor
- Mac OS X v10.2.8, 10.3, or 10.4
- 128MB of RAM (256MB recommended)
- Up to 110MB of available hard-disk space
- Safari 1.2 browser supported for Mac OS X 10.3 or higher
Download the Adobe Acrobat Reader software now! This reader is free of charge.
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Having problems with PDF Files?
Should you experience PDF files appearing as a blank window within Internet Explorer after downloading and are using Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4.0 or earlier, please upgrade to a later version.
If this does not resolve the issue please follow the following steps:
Use the "Save Target As" or "Save Link As" option to download the PDF file directly to your hard drive and bypass the Acrobat Reader plug-in.
- Using the right-side mouse button click on the file (click on the title link) you are interested in.
- Select the "save target as" option in Internet Explorer, or "save link as" in Netscape.
- Save as type should be "Adobe Acrobat Document" or "all files."
- Make sure you name the file (or accept the name supplied).
- Know the location of where you are saving it.
- Hit save.
- Use the Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the file after downloading.
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Accessibility and PDFs
Adobe Systems, Inc. is producing various products designed to make PDF documents accessible to persons using screen reading software. Their accessibility web pages describe their efforts. They also have a free downloadable accessibility plug-in called, MakeAccessible. This plug-in runs under Microsoft Windows 95 OSR 2.0, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows NT 4.0 with SP 5 or SP 6, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. Each system should have at least 64 MB (128 MB recommended) of RAM per processor, 200 MB of virtual memory, and 870 K of disk space available. The MakeAccessible Plug-in creates a tagged Adobe PDF file from an untagged PDF file. This allows a PDF document to be read by a screen reader.
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Other Acrobat Add-ons
Once you've downloaded and installed the Acrobat Reader, you'll be able to view PDF files simply by clicking on the link to the PDF file in your browser. Either the browser will handle the PDF file, or it will bring up another program for viewing the PDF file. Either way, a window will appear that contains buttons that work only for PDF files. Use these buttons to navigate through the file.
If you want to print the PDF file, you must use the print button located within the Adobe Acrobat viewer (usually this is just above the document on the left side). Use of the browser print button or the browser's "File, Print" command will not result in a correct printout.
The WWC website supports byteserving. Byteserving, also known as page-at-a-time or byte-range downloading, enables you to view a PDF file from a Web server before the entire file is downloaded.
Note: Acrobat 6.x doesn't byteserve PDF files smaller than 250KB on a fast modem connection (that is, broadband or LAN). However, Acrobat always byteserves PDF files on a slower modem connection.
Once you get byteserving working, if you'd like the full document to be downloaded in the background even as you browse through it, select the "Allow Background Download of Entire File" option in the General Preferences of the Acrobat Reader.
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IES Product Disclaimer
Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government.
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|Institute of Education Sciences