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Tips for using PDF files

Why use PDF?

PDF gives you the original layout as the printed version of the pages, but with the electronic access and colour of the HTML version. The whole document is one file so it is easier to move around, including by e-mail. And it is somewhat more amenable to being downloaded for reading at leisure off-line, or printing your own copy on your colour or monochrome printer at home (see below).

What do I need to view and use the PDF file?

You need to have downloaded and installed a copy of the Acrobat viewer from Adobe. The files are for Acrobat version 4 (PDF-1.3); if you have version 2 or 3 you will need to upgrade. Later versions of Acrobat will read version 4 files.

How do I download it?

If you have installed Acrobat as a plugin for your browser, the pages will be displayed in your browser like a web page. If you want to download the file to look at later, use the right mouse button in most browsers and select "Save As" or "Save Target As" or whatever terminology your browser uses.

If there is a choice of format, such as Source or Text, select Source. (If you select Text, the Acrobat Reader may report that the file is corrupted, and unrepairable.)

How do I print it for best results?

To keep the file to a manageable size, the pictures are low resolution and highly compressed, so some may appear a bit pixellated, especially big pictures.

Your home printer's margins are likely to be smaller than what we can achieve printing professionally. To avoid losing bits around the edges select the "Shrink to Fit" option on Acrobat's Print dialog. Also in the Print dialog, if you select Setup and then Properties, you may find your printer has a "centre on page" option or similar, and selecting this will improve the appearance.

The pages are designed for double sided printing. You may like to print the odd pages first and then the even pages on the reverse, or put odd and even pages back to back before stapling.

There seems to be a bug in Acrobat where some of the pictures acquire a black line down their right edge. Sorry about that, not much we can do about it.