Introduction to PDF files

Having spent hours getting the formatting of a Word document just right, it is annoying when the recipient can't print it properly – often the margins are set incorrectly or a font is missing. The best way to avoid this is to turn the document into a PDF file. Once created, these files always look and print the way you want them to.

In order to create PDF files, you’ll need some special software – but this can be found for free. In this video we’ll explain how to install and use it.

Open Office
If you have Open Office, you don’t need to install any extra software as it can create PDF documents as soon as it is installed. Click on the File menu and then Export as PDF.

There are plenty of options that you may want to experiment with. The default settings will be fine but if you need to keep the size down in a document select the Reduce image resolution. Select 300dpi for documents that will be printed out and 75dpi for those that will only be used on screen. Click on Export when you are happy, give the document a name and click on Save.

If you want to bypass the settings page, simply click on the 'Export Directly as PDF' button on the Taskbar.

Microsoft Word 2007
Microsoft Word 2007 can create PDFs if you install an extra plug-in. This is free and quick to download from www.computeractive.co.uk/2184522. Once downloaded and installed click on the Office button, Save As and then PDF or XPS. Select PDF in the dropdown menu, give the file and name and click on Save.

Word 2003 and other
As there is no Microsoft plug-in for Word 2003 or earlier versions you’ll need to install an extra tool called PrimoPDF. This will allow you to make PDFs from just about any software.

Download PrimoPDF from www.computeractive.co.uk/2225851 and run the downloaded file to install the software. Once it is installed you can create PDFs by ‘printing’ the documents. You can see here that PrimoPDF is now an option in the Print menu. Click on OK and the PrimoPDF window will appear.

There are presets for different quality needs, so you can make a small file to email or a high-quality one for printing. Click on the Change button by Document Properties to add your details to the document, double-check on the location and click on Create PDF.