As you explore the City of Orlando Web Site, you will occasionally run into an form or map that requires downloading. They are called Portable Document Format (PDF) files. This format was chosen in order to preserve the appearance of complex graphics, color and detail in our maps and reports.

In order to access these files, you will need to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

1. What is Adobe Acrobat?

   Adobe Acrobat is a two-part program. The first part -- the one webmasters use -- costs money. Your part -- the Adobe Acrobat Reader -- is free. This reader opens and "translates" the PDF files that you have saved on your computer. Documents created in all sorts of applications, from word processing to spreadsheets, graphics to page layout, can be saved as Acrobat documents, and look the same regardless of the version of web browser or type of computer. The document names end in .pdf.

2. What isn't Adobe Acrobat?

   Adobe Acrobat is NOT a word processing file: you can't open it in your word processor.

3. How am I supposed to read an Acrobat file?

   To read an Acrobat file, you first download the version of Adobe Acrobat that matches your operating system (i.e. Macintosh, Windows 95, Windows 3.11, Windows NT, OS/2.) To download the free Reader, click the icon below.

   

4. How long does it take to download the Reader?

   The time will vary depending on the speed of your modem. A 28.8 modem, for example, will take about twenty minutes.

5. How do I download the Reader?

   The Adobe site will walk you through the save process. Remember where you save it.

   The Adobe Acrobat Reader is software, which means that like any other software, you have to install it. Because there are so many possible combinations of operating systems out there, you should check out your manual for instructions.

   Note: Once you've installed the Acrobat Reader software, you can repeat the saving process for as many documents as you wish to download from the City of Orlando (or any other site for that matter.)

6. How do I open an Acrobat document?

   Remember, Adobe Acrobat files are not word processing files. Now that you've downloaded and installed the Acrobat Reader, you'll want to start/open/run/double-click to get the program going. You open documents the same way you do anywhere else: go to the file menu, find the document, and open it, peruse it, and print it at your leisure.

For more questions, please go to http://www.adobe.com