Your 5-Minute Guide to Adobe Reader
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What is Adobe Acrobat Reader?

Adobe Acrobat Reader is one of many software packages supplied by Adobe.  It allows you to read PDF (Portable Document Format) files.

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.  The PDF format solves commonly encountered problems in electronic document distribution.  It allows you to read documents that were created with software you may not have yourself, and display and print these documents exactly as they were created.  Another advantage is that PDF files are usually much smaller than the original file (e.g., a PDF version of a Word file containing many graphs and figures could be four times smaller, without any loss of content).

Clever functionality can be added to PDF files created with other software, such as bookmarks, web links, and annotations.  Once produced as PDF files, the contents created with the source software cannot be edited any more.  This is useful for final versions of business documents.  Another interesting use of PDF files is for capture of web sites to your local PC.  Remember: the Reader cannot create these files or functionality -- but it allows you to view any PDF files that may have these extra features.

Why Do You Need Adobe Acrobat Reader?

You may already have received PDF files as e-mail attachments. A large amount information on the Internet is also available as PDF files (e.g. most documents that can be obtained from US government websites such as the Internal Revenue Service are published in PDF format).

How to Get and Install Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe Acrobat Reader can easily be downloaded free of charge from the Adobe website. Follow the instructions that are available at the Adobe website.