Adobe Acrobat is a family of computer programs designed to view, create, manipulate and manage files in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF).
#22772
Is there a way to take a regular PDF and make it searchable?
Rosenthol, Leonard. PDFzone (2004). Design>Information Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#21902
How can I reduce the size of several PDFs at once?
Rosenthol, Leonard. PDFzone (2003). Articles>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#21894
Is there a quicker way of making screen PDFs from print-ready PDFs?
Miller, James. PDFzone (2003). Articles>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#29934
Markup PDF Pages with Drawings
Using Acrobat, PDF has been established as a popular and user-friendly medium for collaborative workflows. Not only can you add sticky notes or highlight text, you can even draw polygonal or freehand annotations. This tip explains how.
Shea, Dan. PlanetPDF (2007). Articles>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#21965
Some unexpected ways that Adobe Acrobat software can help with design and publishing tasks.
Kvern, Olav Martin. Adobe Magazine (1995). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#30193
One Hundred and One Forms eTips 
One hundred and one tips for designing digital forms using Adobe Acrobat.
Padova, Ted. Adobe (2007). Presentations>Information Design>Forms>Adobe Acrobat
#26637
Open New Windows for PDF and other Non-Web Documents
When using PC-native file formats such as PDF or spreadsheets, users feel like they're interacting with a PC application. Because users are no longer browsing a website, they shouldn't be given a browser UI.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2005). Articles>Web Design>Usability>Adobe Acrobat
#29933
Opening PDF Documents in Full Screen Mode
Adobe Acrobat allows users to configure the opening settings of PDF documents to display them in full screen mode. It's as effective as a PowerPoint display and very easy to accomplish. This tip explains how.
Shea, Dan. PlanetPDF (2007). Articles>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#29278
Opening PDFs in a New Window with JavaScript
Using JavaScript can be particularly useful when a website is content managed. Rather than having to rely on site editors to remember to open a link to a PDF in a new window the process is handled by a simple JavaScript function.
McCarthy, Paul. Webcredible (2007). Design>Web Design>User Experience>Adobe Acrobat
#18350
Optimize Adobe PDF Files for Palm OS Devices
You can read any Adobe® PDF document on a Palm OS® device by simply dragging the file into the Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS application window. But if you want to optimize the PDF file for the best possible display on a handheld device, combine the power of Adobe Acrobat® 5 with Microsoft® Office 2000 or later.
Adobe (2003). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#18955
How to generate 1 PDF file base on these 2 files but with only 1 page. If I am reading this correctly, you would like the contents of two separate/single page PDF files to be located within a single PDF file.
Leonard, Norman. PDFzone (2003). Design>Publishing>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#21866
Acrobat lets you 'pack' fonts into a PDF in three basic ways: by fully embedding, subsetting, or not embedding them. Each method differently affects a PDF file's size, editability, and typographic fidelity.
Patrick, Teri and Tamis Nordling. Adobe Magazine (1998). Design>Document Design>Typography>Adobe Acrobat
#30189
The rapid growth in the use of PDFs on Websites has lead to increasing concerns about accessibility, particularly for the users of screen reading technology, which converts text into synthetic speech or electronic Braille.
Hudson, Roger. WebUsability (2004). Articles>Accessibility>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#12971
PDF as an Online Document Format
In January (2000), I asked about TechWhirlers' experiences as users of PDF documents online. The specific questions were: Do you notice a difference between reading PDF online and reading HTML online? Do you have a preference either way? If so, which one? Here's the summary or responses and a synopsis of further information I've been tracking down. I'm sorry it's taken so long: like many an unplanned project it got way out of hand. I've tried to restrict this message to issues of interest to the list; if I've failed please accept my apologies.
Charker, Sandra. TECHWR-L (2000). Design>Publishing>Online>Adobe Acrobat
#22307
PDF Author Creates Spoof of Nielsen's Misguided Alertbox
Doug Alford responds in kind to Jakob Nielsen's 2003 essay 'PDF: Unfit for Human Consumption.'
Alford, Doug. PlanetPDF (2003). Humor>Usability>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#30110
PDF Bookmarks: Surveying the Options
Most PDF files do not include bookmarks. This is a pity, because they are so easy to add, and because the real-world usability of longer PDF files suffers significantly by their absence. And there's no shortage of tools for creating and managing bookmarks, as this product survey article explains.
Johnson, Duff. Adobe (2007). Design>Information Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#22300
PDF Can Comply With Section 508. Now It's Your Move
A blind person cannot read from a screen any more than from a printed page. Technologies nonetheless exist that allow blind and other disabled users impressively full-featured access to documents. To be accessible, however, the document contents must be available to these so-called 'assistive' technologies.
Johnson, Duff. PlanetPDF (2003). Articles>Accessibility>Adobe Acrobat>Section 508
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Duff Johnson looks at how several federal government agencies use Acrobat and PDF to solve old problems and, in some cases, to create new opportunities.
Johnson, Duff. Adobe (2007). Articles>Information Design>Government>Adobe Acrobat
#30191
Das kennt man: ein ahnungsloser Klick und plötzlich öffnet sich eine mega-lange PDF-Datei. Seitengestalter sind deshalb angehalten Links auf PDF-Dateien zu kennzeichnen. Selbstverständlich macht das inzwischen auch (fast) jeder.
Lennartz, Sven. Dr. Web (2007). (German) Articles>Usability>Information Design>Adobe Acrobat
#24681
PDF Means Change for Many Print Shops
There is a battle brewing in the back rooms print shops around the country, and after Graph Expo the pressure is on and tempers are flaring. What is causing the problem? PDF. Owners and production managers are going back to their shops to talk about the amazing things they have seen equipment do using PDF files. What they are hearing back from prepress staffs is that PDF files won't work for their shop. Owners are confused and not sure who to believe.
Giles, John. On Demand Journal (2004). Articles>Publishing>Prepress>Adobe Acrobat
#23132
PDF Printing, Preflighting, and Prepress
PDF is becoming the de facto standard for not only viewing documents onscreen but also for printing them on paper. Acrobat 6 Professional includes better printing and prepress tools than ever before. PDF pundit Ted Padova shows you how they work.
Padova, Ted. Creative Pro (2004). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Adobe Acrobat
#29470
PDF Prototypes: Mistakenly Disregarded and Underutilized
Creating a clickable PDF to prototype a new design is not a new concept, but it is a valuable tool that is often overlooked and underutilized. While working over the years with other designers, information architects and usability professionals, I've noticed that many of my colleagues believe the same fallacies about the limitations of PDFs. Contrary to popular belief, you can do more than just create links and interactive forms with PDFs; you can also add dynamic elements such as rollovers and drop-down menus, embed audio and video files, validate form data, perform calculations and respond to user actions. PDF prototypes have the ability to replicate most interactive design elements without investing a lot of time and effort.
Pero Soucy, Kyle. Boxes and Arrows (2007). Articles>Information Design>Prototyping>Adobe Acrobat
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Resources for facilitating preflight development of Adobe Acrobat (PDF) documents.
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PDF Security, Part V: Adding Passwords
In this article, you'll add protection to your file so that no one can change its contents and so that unauthorized users can't open, use, or print the file.
PDFzone (2006). Design>Publishing>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#30190
PDF Usability: Debate and Reality
This article examines the claims of those PDF critics and argues that usability complaints about PDF documents are misdirected, and further, highlights some of the key reasons why PDF is the preferred electronic document format.
Johnson, Duff. Adobe (2006). Articles>Usability>Information Design>Adobe Acrobat
