| What are .PDF
documents? |
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.PDF stands for Portable Document Format.
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It creates and
protects the format of a document so that it will look exactly like the printed version
when viewed on a computer.
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.PDF documents
are created with Adobe Acrobat software, and to use them, you need to have Acrobat Reader
installed on your machine. |
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Acrobat Reader is free and
can be downloaded through the links provided on this site.
Such as:
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Read the Adobe instructions
carefully because after it is downloaded it needs to be installed onto your machine.
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"Adobe Installation Instructions
1.Click on one of the links above to download the Acrobat Reader installer application.
You may need to use the "Save Next Link As..." or "Save to Disk" functions of your Web browser.
2.After the download is complete, quit your Web browser.
3.Double-click the newly downloaded file.
4.Follow the instructions on your screen." - from Adobe Reader's download
instructions |
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How can I use .PDF
documents? |
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When you click on a .PDF document, a
pop-up box may appear or your Adobe Reader will begin to run.
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You can choose to open the document or
save it to your hard drive and then open it. |
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Recommendation: open it
rather than save it. If the document is valuable to you and you plan on using it again,
you can always save it when you close the file. |
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Opening a .PDF document is like opening a
book. You should first see the cover or page one.
There may be an index on the left side of the screen which will allow you to jump to the
chapter or section which interests you. |
What are Interactive .PDF forms? |
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These .PDF documents have been created so that you can use them just as you would in a
typewriter. Save the forms to your computer, fill in the forms online, and then print. |
How can I use Interactive .PDF forms? |
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When the hand 
turns cursor into a text bar, you may type into the field and then tab
to the next one. Some interactive fields have a slight gray frame around
them so that they are easier to find.
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The information will not be saved if you are using
Adobe Reader. |
Navigating in Adobe
Reader |
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Adobe
Reader Toolbar
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As in any toolbar, you can use the icons (in the program, hold the cursor over them
for a description of function) or use the drop-down menus. |
| Quick Tips |
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Copy and Paste
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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. |
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You cannot Copy and Paste if the document was created from a scanned
image. |
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Printing
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Don't print the
entire document unless you want ALL of it. |
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At the bottom of
the screen is a box with page numbers in it. These are the pages
in the file; not the pages of the document. Get the page you want
to print in the window and then check the number of the file page.
This is the page number(s) that you should tell your
printer to print. |
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Searching
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Select Tools> Find or the Binoculars icon |
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The search term and spelling must match the document entries.
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i.e., a search for "Ft. Fairfield" in our Fiscal Survey will not locate anything because the entry is "Fort Fairfield." However, a search
for "Fairfield" or even "Fair" will locate both Fairfield and Fort
Fairfield. |
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