Free Adobe PDF File Concepts (Portable Document Format) - Pennsylvania

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PDF File Concepts - Page 1

Adobe PDF File Concepts
(Portable Document Format)
Adobe Software's pdf file format is a means of storing text and graphics in an universal format that will print and display exactly as desired regardless of the monitor or printer utilized. In order to create a pdf file, one must have the appropriate Adobe software installed. To display or print a pdf file, one needs either the full Adobe Acrobat program (PDFWriter) or a special Adobe program called the Acrobat Reader. The Acrobat Reader, as the name implies, allows you only to read and print the file/document - it will not allow you to change the fixed portion of the document and at most, can allow you to fill-in various blanks/boxes and/or click on check boxes in a document and then print or save the document with those actions included. Print to PDF This approach assumes a file/document has been created in MS Word or WordPerfect, and one wishes to convert that file to the pdf format. Here we "print" the file to a special program that converts it to pdf instead of actually printing it. This approach will only work if the user has installed some form of pdf conversion software on his or her system. As part of such installation, the conversion program will configure itself with existing word processing programs (Word and/or WordPerfect) in a manner such that the conversion process is activated by using that program's Print function. 1. 2. a. b. c. Open the original document (in WordPerfect or Word) Activate the programs Print function: Click on "File" on the application's menu bar triggering a drop down menu. Click on "Print" in the drop down menu. The "Print Dialog Box" appears. Select "Acrobat PDF Writer" or "Acrobat Distiller " (depending upon the actual Adobe software installed) as current printer selection and click the Print button.

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September 16, 2002

CM/ECF Training

PDF File Concepts - Page 2

MS Word's Print dialog box is displayed above.

WordPerfect's Print dialog box is displayed above.
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CM/ECF Training

PDF File Concepts - Page 3

The "Save PDF File As" screen/dialog box appears. d. e. f. Enter an appropriate name for the PDF file - since this action provides a new file extension of pdf, you could keep the original name. Choose the appropriate directory by clicking in your Save in: box Click on the Save button to print and save to PDF.

Note: Be sure to note into which folder you saved the file. Later, from within CM/ECF, you will have to browse to that folder and select the file. Note: You have now created a copy of the original document/file and saved it in the pdf format. If the original document is ever changed, you would need to repeat this process to create a pdf formatted file for the then updated original! 3. If signature(s) are needed, print a copy of the document, get it signed and keep this original signed document at your office. Please see the signature requirements of the Electronic Case Filing Procedures. Note: If there is a need to create a pdf document with the signature(s) included, print the original, get it signed and then scan it back into the computer (or save it) in pdf format.

Note: See the section below on Embedded Fonts for some important software settings.

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September 16, 2002

CM/ECF Training

PDF File Concepts - Page 4

Insert PDF Pages This approach is for users who have purchased the full Adobe Acrobat product - not just the Acrobat Reader program. This option allows you to insert page(s) from one pdf file into another pdf file. Instructions: 1. Open the existing PDF file that will receive the inserted page(s): a. Access Adobe Acrobat and locate the file. b. Note the page in which you want to insert (before or after). Now Insert the page(s) from the other PDF file(s): a. Click on "Document" on the Adobe Acrobat menu b. Click on "Insert Pages" from the drop down menu. The "Select File To Insert" window appears: c. Locate and select the PDF file from your directory. d. Click on the "Select" button. The "Insert Pages" window appears. e. Indicate the location/page (before, after, first, last, etc.) to insert the PDF file. f. Click on the OK button . Note: Continue this process until all pages have been appended. Move PDF Pages Use the following instructions to move pages around within a pdf document utilizing the full Acrobat product: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Open existing PDF file. Click on the Thumbnails tab (on the left margin of the screen.) This should show all the pages in the PDF file. Click and hold the page to be move and Drag the page to place in the new location. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all pages are placed in the order you want the document to read. Save the PDF file. a. Click on "File" from Adobe Acrobat's menu. b. Click on "Save" from the drop down menu.

2.

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September 16, 2002

CM/ECF Training

PDF File Concepts - Page 5

Embedded Fonts To ensure that all fonts are included when printing to pdf files, fonts must be embedded. If you use the PDFwriter to create PDF files: 1. 2. 3. Click on File, Print and select the PDFWriter as the printer. Click on the Properties button, and click on the `Font Embedding' tab and click the box for `Embed all fonts'. Click OK. Note: You should only have to do this once and this setting will become part of your PDFwriter defaults, to verify this just repeat the process and ensure the box is still checked. If you use Adobe Distiller to create PDF files: 1. 2. 3. Click on File, Print and select the `Acrobat Distiller' as the printer. Click on the Properties button, and click on the `Adobe PDf settings' tab and click the box for `Do not send fonts to Distiller' so that the check mark within the box goes away. Click OK.

Note: You should only have to do this once and this setting will become part of your Distiller defaults. To verify, repeat the process and check to see if the box is still unchecked.

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September 16, 2002

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PDF File Concepts - Page 6

How do I reduce the large file size of scanned PDF documents? If after uploading your scanned PDF documents to CM/ECF, CM/ECF slows down or becomes inoperable, the problem probably is that the PDF files that you attached are too large. Generally, we're trying to keep the file size of PDF documents under 2 megabytes (2 MB; which is equal to 2,000 KB or kilobytes). You will need to check the file size of the PDF file and split the file into smaller files if the file is larger than 2 MB. Reducing the File Size - Breaking A Large pdf File Into Smaller Files This process assumes you have the full Adobe Acrobat program installed and not just the Acrobat Reader. While you are in Adobe Acrobat, you can reduce the PDF file size by following these steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. In Acrobat, open the file. Click on Document, Extract pages. Select a range of pages to delete from the original document and to save as a different file name. Check the box that says "Delete Pages After Extracting". The deleted pages will appear in the Acrobat window. Click on File, Save As and save this portion of the original file with a new file name. It is advisable to use the original file's name, but to append a suffix such as Part 2, Part 3, etc. for each new segment. (The original document still is present; you can see it by clicking on Window and selecting it from the bottom of the drop-down list. Don't forget to save it because it will have fewer pages and be a smaller file size.) Do steps 2-5 as many times as necessary to reduce the original document into individual files of less than 2MB. Docket the PDF attachments to CM/ECF as you normally would - attaching each of the files comprising the entire original document in the appropriate order.

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September 16, 2002