Section 36. Save a Document as a PDF File

36. Save a Document as a PDF File

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

2 Create a New Document

9 Print a Document

If you need to distribute documents as email attachments or over the Web, you'll be glad to know that OpenOffice.org allows you to create PDF documents quickly and easily.

36. Save a Document as a PDF File

Adobe Systems, Incorporated designed a special file format called PDF that is readable on the Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. Many electronic books (often called eBooks ) conform to the PDF format so that Web users can download such books and read them online, save them to their computers for a later reading, or print them on their printers. The problem with the typical file format, such as Microsoft Word's DOC file format, is that web browsers cannot read these files and they are not supportable on some of the major computing platforms in use today (although usually a plug-in utility program is available for most computers that do allow non-Windows users to read PC-based DOC files).

KEY TERM

PDF The name (and filename extension) given to documents that conform to Adobe Systems' Portable Document Format . This format is readable by web browsers and most computers.

Writer (and the other OpenOffice.org programs) supports the PDF format in the following way: When you compose your document, you then can save that document in the PDF format. Once your document is in the PDF format, you can distribute it onto the Web, where most users will be able to read your document.

Almost all computers sold in the past few years support the use of PDF files. For users of older PCs that cannot yet read Adobe's PDF format, the Adobe Reader is available free for download from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html, where the download is quick. Again, almost every computer in use today can read PDF files. So Writer's native capability to save documents in the PDF format gives you the ability to compose documents that most others can read.

PDF documents cannot be edited (at least, not in the traditional sense of the word, although you can add comments and edits if you have Adobe Acrobat), which makes it the format of choice when you want to share a document without allowing the recipient to make changes to it.

Adobe sells Adobe Acrobat, a program that converts documents to PDF format, for several hundred dollars (full retail; wholesale often finds the price still high, at a little more than $300). Writer saves you money!

TIP

If you want to convert Microsoft Word documents to PDF, use Writer as your intermediary! Open the Word document in Writer and then save the document using Writer's PDF file-saving feature.

1.	Request PDF Export Select File, Export to PDF to display the Export dialog box, where you save your document to the PDF format. NOTE Not only are PDF documents readable on virtually every computing platform, but your graphics, tables, headers, footers, multiple columns , and all other formatting remains intact as well.
2.	Type a Filename Type the filename you want to use for your PDF document in the File name text box. Make sure the File format box reads PDF Portable Document Format (pdf) . Leave the Automatic file name extension check box selected to ensure that your exported document retains the proper .pdf filename extension. TIP If you want to give someone a file in the OpenOffice.org file format but don't want to allow them to make changes to the document, use the File sharing options section in the Security page of the Options dialog box to designate the document as read-only.
3.	Save the File Click the OK button to save the file. Don't confuse the common web page format (HTML) with PDF files. You'll often make PDF files available on a web page for your users to download and read, but the web page itself, the page that delivers your PDF document, must be in the standard HTML format. So when creating documents for others to download from the Web, always use PDF, not HTML.