Acadiana Central Office - Lafayette, Louisiana

Adobe Acrobat Files

What are PDF Files?
"PDF" is a file format developed by the folks at Adobe for sharing, viewing and printing files that were originally created in a variety of programs. No more worry if the person has the right version of Word, or if they have that snazzy font you used for the headings. Converting a document into a PDF file means that formatting and fonts, colors and graphics, all are preserved for your readers. PDF files are being used more and more for electronic distribution of a variety of documents, including instruction manuals, reference documents, etc. (More on PDF files here.)

PDF files are created using the Adobe Acrobat program, which must be purchased. The Adobe Acrobat Reader, however, is free to anyone. Just download and install the Reader, and you'll be able to read any PDF files you stumble across on the web.

If you haven't installed the Reader yet on your system, (and want to read the PDF files on this site or any other), here's what you do.

First download the program.

It's kind of hefty, about 6 megabytes. That'll take at least 30-40 minutes with your standard 28.8 modem, less if you're blessed with a faster connection. (If you don't want to get email from Adobe, make sure you uncheck the boxes that ask if you want to receive info from them.) Save the file (when the dialog box comes up) in a place where you can find it again. (Remember the file name, or jot it down.) If you're not sure where to put it, pick the My Documents folder. Once it's downloaded, Open Windows Explorer, navigate to the My Documents folder, and find the file, named something like "ar505enu.exe" (Adobe Reader, ver. 5.05, English). Double click that file, and follow the instructions to install the program. Once you're all done, you'll be able to read and print the PDF files we have available, as well as any others you find on the web. (If you're short on disk space, once the Acrobat Reader is installed, you can delete the file you downloaded.)