Gonzology: Configuring PDF Reader

Obtaining and Configuring Adobe Acrobat

The "Reprint (PDF) Version of this BASR REPORT is a PDF (Portable Document Format) file. This version can be viewed and printed using any program that can open and print PDF files. We suggest using the Adobe Acrobat Reader. The Adobe Acrobat Reader allows you to view and print BASR NEWSLETTERS in PDF format. If you have not installed and configured the Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system, it is available from the Free Adobe Acrobat Reader Softwarepage. Follow the instructions on that page to download and install the software.

After you have downloaded and installed the Acrobat Reader software, you need to configure your browser to open PDF files with it:

Go to Edit menu/Preferences/Navigator/Applications.

Click the New (or New Type) button in the Applications window. Enter the following information:

Description PDF
MIME Type application/pdf
Suffixes, or Extension pdf
Application Select your copy of Adobe Acrobat. (Select "Launch Application", if available)

Having trouble reading a PDF online?

PDFs are designed to be printed out and read, but if you prefer to read them online, you may find it easier if you increase the view size to 125%.

Having trouble printing a PDF?

1. You must upgrade to at least version 4.0 of the Adobe Acrobat Reader software.

See Adobe for upgrade instructions.

2. Try printing one page at a time.

3. Try printing with the 'Print as Image' option selected.

4. Try printing to a newer printer.

(NOTE for Macintosh users: A number of users have reported problems printing PDFs with the LaserWriter Driver version 8.4. We suggest using an earlier or later version.)

5. Try saving the file to disk before printing

rather than opening it "on the fly." This requires that you configure your browser to "Save" rather than "Launch Application" for the file type "application/pdf," and can usually be done in the "Helper Applications" options.

6. Are you getting Postscript errors on your Mac?

A frequent cause is a lack of communication of postscript commands between your computer and your printer. Postscript communication on a Mac is handled by the Control Panel called ~ATM. To see if you have installed ~ATM, go to the System Folder / Control Panels folder and look for ~ATM. If the control panel is not present you will need to install it. If the ~ATM is installed, please check to make sure that you are using the most recent version, v4.0 or higher. You can check the version number by selecting the ~ATM icon and choosing Get info... from the File menu.

If you do not have ~ATM installed or need to upgrade to the latest version, you can get this software from the Acrobat web site. If you recently downloaded Acrobat, you may already have this Control Panel on your computer and just need to install it. When you download Acrobat, ~ATM comes along in a folder called Fonts and will be located in the Acrobat folder. Drag the ~ATM icon onto your System Folder to install it.

7. Are some lines on each page getting cut off?

Are you running MacOS version 8? The default paper size is "Letter Small." Change this setting to "US Letter" in File/Page Setup and you should be able to print full pages.

8. More Questions?

See Frequently Asked Questions about PDFs.

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