About the Adobe PDF Format

What is the Adobe PDF Format? The PDF format is a proprietary file format developed by Adobe, Inc. to allow electronic documents to be viewed and printed on a wide variety of computer equipment. Whether you use an Apple Macintosh, a Windows PC, or a UNIX workstation, you can display a PDF file on your computer and print it on your printer -- and the document will look just as good, and will be just as true to the original, regardless of what computer and software you use. (Incidentally, "PDF" stands for "Portable Document Format".) Why does St. Ignatius publish some documents in PDF format? There are two reasons. The first was mentioned above: the PDF format is a great way of delivering consistently high-quality, attractive documents to users with different types of computers. The second reason is to use human effort effectively. The St. Ignatius web site is a product of the cooperation of the parish staff and volunteers. Producing web pages in the usual web format (HTML) is a long and tedious process. In contrast, a PDF file can be produced instantly, at the push of a button. By using PDF files, St. Ignatius can free the parish staff and volunteers to concentrate on improving the scope and content of the web site instead of hand-translating individual documents into HTML. How do I view PDF files in my web browser? In order to view PDF files, you must have installed on your computer either (a.) the Adobe Acrobat Reader; or (b.) the complete Adobe Acrobat application (which includes the Reader); or (c.) other software that reads PDF files, such as the "Preview" application that is supplied with Macintosh OS X. The following discussion addresses the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is what most people use. The Acrobat Reader is probably on your computer already. If you're not sure, just click on the link to any PDF file on the St. Ignatius web site. If the Acrobat Reader has been installed on your computer, the Reader will open the PDF file inside your web browser's window. (If you're a modem user, please be patient -- although the Reader itself will start immediately, it may take a minute or two for the PDF file to finish downloading.) If the Acrobat Reader is not installed on your computer, then a PDF file will not open when you click on it. Instead, your web browser will typically ask you if you want to download the file; just reply NO to this prompt. Your next step is to obtain a copy of the Acrobat Reader. How do I get the Acrobat Reader for my computer? You can download the Reader program FREE from Adobe's web site (click here to download). The Reader is available for Macs, Windows PCs, UNIX/Linux workstations, etc. Be sure to select the right version for your computer, and to follow the instructions provided. At a minimum you will need to (a.) download the Reader program to your computer, and (b.) install the Reader on your computer after downloading. Once you've installed the Reader, you should have everything you need to view and print PDF files on the St. Ignatius web site -- and on the thousands of other web sites where PDF files are used. It didn't work! Where can I get help? If you're a registered St. Ignatius parishioner and you have any questions or problems installing the Acrobat Reader, you may contact the St. Ignatius webmaster: John Murphy 415-753-1528 (evenings) john.murphy.1977@site-ology.com There's no Acrobat Reader version for my computer. What can I do? There are some "internet appliances" that are intended only for web browsing and e-mail. (Web-TV is a popular example.) Many of these devices do not provide support for PDF files. Here are some work-arounds you can use: Our most popular PDF-format web page, the Bulletin, is also provided on the web site in "simple graphics" format. Certain other PDF pages are also offered in "plain text" format. Any internet appliance or web browser should be able to use these alternate formats. For those PDF pages that are not presented in an alternate format, if you are a registered parishioner you may e-mail the webmaster at the address shown above. You can ask to have the desired document faxed or mailed to you, at your option. Downloading PDF files is SLOW! How can I minimize the delay? If you intend to view the same PDF file more than once, you can download it to your computer's local hard disk instead of viewing it on-line; then double-click on the icon of the downloaded file to open it. The initial download won't be any faster, but each additional time you access the document, it will open instantly because it's already on your own computer. In contrast, if you viewed the document several times on the web site, you'd have to endure the same download delay every time. The exact technique for downloading may vary depending on your computer, web browser, and version of the Acrobat Reader. For example, on a Windows PC using either the Netscape or Internet Explorer web browser, you can click on the file with the right mouse button (instead of the left), and your web browser will give you the option of downloading the file. For those pages that are available in both PDF and text-only formats, the text file will download much faster than the PDF file.