Help with PDFs

Some files on this website are available in PDF format. 

PDF is an acronym for 'Portable Document format' which was created by Adobe. It allows you to view and print a file exactly as the author designed it. It preserves the look and feel of the original document.

You need to have a copy of Acrobat Reader on your computer to download these files. The reader is available free of charge at Adobe. 

To download a Acrobat Reader, click the following link which will open in a new window: www.adobe.co.uk/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

Follow the instructions on the Adobe Page to download the appropriate reader for your computer.

Access Adobe

If you have a visual impairment and use a screen reader there are useful online tools available on the Access Adobe website. These will convert PDF documents into a web page (HTML) or text.

Problems downloading PDFs

Some internet users have problems downloading PDFs. When these occur people usually complain of a PDF document freezing when loaded, loading incomplete information or loading blank pages.

Here is a suggestion which may help:

  1. Windows users: Right click the link to the pdf document. (Mac users click and hold on the PDF link.)
  2. From the pop up menu select Save Target As (note: some browsers may have 'save link as...' or 'save file as...').
    A small window will open. You will see a prompt to select the location on your computer where you want to save the file.
  3. Select a location and click save or ok. The PDF will be downloaded and saved on your computer.
  4. Once the file is saved you can open it using Adobe Acrobat Reader. Copies of Acrobat Reader are available free from www.adobe.co.uk/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

Problems opening PDFs with Internet Explorer

This is a recognised problem between Internet Explorer 5 (IE) and Acrobat Reader 4.0. To resolve it, follow these steps:

  1. Open Acrobat Reader.
  2. Under the file menu, select Preferences - General.
  3. Under "options," uncheck the "Web Browser Integration" box.
  4. Click OK.

You can also overcome the problem with IE 5 and Acrobat Reader 4 by upgrading your IE browser and Acrobat Reader software.