PDF Documents - What are they?

PDF stands for Portable Document Format. This is a format that allows files to be stored and downloaded in an electronic format. There are many advantages of this format - it is commonly viewable by most computers on most platforms; is a good method of putting a document on the web without losing formatting and styles; it allows the viewer to keep a copy of a file; and the software needed to view the files is free and easily available.

How can I tell if it is PDF file?

Many files on the Southern Cross University website will be in PDF. The link will normally show the name of the file, state that it is a PDF file and show the size of the file, eg: Filename [pdf: 48k] NOTE: this link won't work, it is an example only.

Why does file size matter? When you download material from the internet, the bigger the file, the longer it takes to download it. You can also tell if the file extension ends in .pdf that a file is a PDF document.

What do I do now?

If you DO have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed, you can set the Preferences in your web browser to automatically open this application when you select a PDF file to view and/or save to disk.

If you DO NOT have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your hard disk, you must download it to your computer before you can read the PDF versions of the specified materials. Please follow the instructions below.

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader

Downloading consists of transferring a copy of a program, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, to your computer. Once you have completed the download, you run the installer program to install the full program on to your computer, so remember where you put the installer on your hard drive!

Note: Downloading the Reader program will take several (or many!) minutes, depending on the speed of your Internet connection.

If you are a currently enrolled student, or staff member, you can download a copy of the Reader from the computing website. Go to http://study.scu.edu.au/casc/. You will need a valid username and password.

Alternatively, you can go to the Adobe website and follow the on-screen instructions.

Reading PDF Documents

Ensure Adobe Acrobat Reader is properly installed on your computer.

1. Go to the web page that has the link to the PDF document you want to download.

2. Click once on the link to that file and a small window will appear.

3. Choose where you wish to save the file on your hard drive.

4. Click on OK.

5. The file will then be copied on to your computer.

6. Alternatively, the file may automatically be saved onto your computer.

The Preferences section of your web browser can affect the method of downloading and viewing PDF files, so don't forget to look at that option.

Where do I get more information?

The Adobe website has an excellent source of information and user forums if you are interested in more information about this software and type of delivery.

RTF Documents - What are they?

RTF stands for Rich Text Format. RTF is a file format for encoding graphics and formatted text to permit easy transfer between different applications and operating systems.

RTF supports graphics, different fonts, highlighting, and paragraph and table formatting.

Most word processors will accept and generate RTF files.

Problems Downloading from the Web?

Before you start make sure you have Microsoft Word and a Netscape compatible browser installed on your computer.

What you will be doing is downloading a file, saving it on to your hard drive or desktop and then opening the file using Word.

For a MAC

Hold down the "CTRL" key and select the link. Select the option "save this link as..." (or "download link to disk ..." if you are using Internet Explorer) and choose where you want the file saved. You can then open this file from Word, or find the file and double click to open.

For a PC

Right click on the link and the select the option to "save link as". Choose where you want the file saved. You can then open this file from Word, or find the file and double click to open.