IT Service Center

What is a PDF File?

Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) is a universal file format that preserves all of the fonts, formatting, colors, and graphics of any source document, regardless of the application and platform used to create it. PDF files are compact and can be shared, viewed, navigated, and printed exactly as intended by anyone with the free Adobe Reader.

When Should I Use a PDF File?

All electronic documents posted to the LFCDS Panther Portal Online Community or e-mailed outside of LFCDS that do not need to be edited by the viewer should be shared as PDF files. This ensures the documents will be accessible to the greatest number of viewers, since the PDF file format preserves the formatting of the source document, including font selections, without needing the original application or fonts to be installed on the viewer's computer.

This Tech Tip outlines 3 methods for creating PDFs.

Creating PDFs from a Microsoft Office Document

Microsoft Office 2007 includes functionality to save copies of documents to PDF directly. For a full step-by-step video demonstration, see the Atomic Learning tutorial.

Creating PDFs from any Printable Document

Any printable document may be converted into a PDF file using the free CutePDF Writer virtual printer installed on all LFCDS computers.

1. Open the document you wish to convert to a PDF
2. Select File->Print...
3. Choose CutePDF Writer as the printer
4. Make any desired settings changes (page size, portrait or landscape mode, color or B&W, etc.).
5. Activate Print.
6. Enter a descriptive name in the File name field.
7. Navigate to an appropriate storage location
8. Activate Save