Help with Reading Portable Document Format Files (.pdf)

Many documents on this site are in Portable Document Format (PDF).  These documents ensure that you will be able to obtain publications in their original format, regardless of what type of computer, browser, or operating system you use to access the Internet.  In order to view, navigate through, and print PDF documents, you must first download the free Adobe Reader software.

Portable Document Files (PDF) we post will work best with Acrobat version 5 or later.  If your Adobe Reader is version 4 or earlier, you should upgrade to Adobe Reader version 5 or later.  This will ensure that you do not experience any problems viewing and printing certain images in these PDFs.  If you do not upgrade to Adobe Reader version 5 or later, you will see a warning message when you open a file, indicating that you can still view and print the file but may not be able to view or print some images.

Visitors using screen readers, or requiring alternate versions of Adobe Acrobat, may find it useful to visit Adobe's alternate reader download page.

Tools to convert PDF documents to HTML or text, and thereby improve accessibility for users who are blind or otherwise visually impaired, are also available at the Adobe Web site.

Difficulty Viewing PDF Files

Once in a while people report difficulty viewing a PDF (Portable Document Format) file in its entirety. While it appears that pages are missing from the file, they actually are not. We have found the following solutions to be helpful:

• Upgrade to the most recent version of the Acrobat Reader; for Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later - Download file and then read it.
• Right-click on the link to the desired PDF file and then choose Save Target As from the pop-up menu.
• In the dialog box, specify a name and location for the PDF file, and then click Save.

Open and click Browse.
Choose All Files from the 'Files Of Type' pop-up menu.
Select the PDF file you saved and click Open. The Acrobat Reader should open the PDF file inside the browser window;
OR for Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later - Modify Browser Settings.

• Open Acrobat Reader.

Click the Edit menu option.
Click Preferences.
Click Options (Reader 5) or Internet (Reader 6) on the left.
Under Web Browser Options, uncheck Display PDF in browser and Allow fast web view.
Click OK.
Close Acrobat Reader.
For Netscape Navigator - Download file and then read it.

• Right-click on the link to the PDF file, then choose Save Link As from the pop-up menu. In the Save As dialog box, specify a name and location for the

 PDF file, and then click Save. Choose one of the following options to open the PDF file:
* In Navigator 3.x for Windows Open File.
* In Navigator 4.x for Windows, choose File > Open Page, and then click Choose File.
Choose either All Files or Acrobat files from the Files Of Type pop-up menu. Select the PDF file you saved and click Open;
OR for Netscape Navigator - Modify Browser Settings.

• Open Netscape.

Click the Edit menu option.
Click Preferences.
Click Applications (Netscape 4.x) or Helper Applications (Netscape 6.x and 7.x) under the Navigator heading.
Click the New Type button.
Enter the following information:

• Description of type: Portable Document Format

File extension: pdf
MIME type: application/pdf
Application to use: (This depends on the version of Reader you are using but it should be something like c:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe.)
Click OK twice.
Close Netscape.