Mac Tip: Create PDFs In OS X
Most people email documents out to other people, whether it be Word Documents, Excel Spreadsheets, or stuff created with other apps. Now the problem with this is that your recepient might not have the right program to view it. Enter PDFs. It’s a file format that’s a lot more common plus OS X comes with Preview which can open PDFs. If you’re not happy with Preview, there’s Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Here’s a tip which was shared at PhilMUG by Elbert, PhilMUG’s current chairman. I’m reposting his tip here to benefit non-PhilMUG members. Enjoy.
The best way to email documents is through a PDF file. PDF stands for Portable Document Format, and is compatible with all computers (provided that computer has a PDF reader).
Creating a PDF is just link printing a file, only, it gets printed into an electronic format rather than into a physical one (i.e. paper). The big advantage with PDF is that you are assured that the document’s format and contents are preserved and protected (great for contracts and proposals).
Even if you have an existing document that you’d like to send but is not a PDF, you can easily convert it into a PDF as well.
So, here’s a general and simple rule: as long as it can be printed, it can be converted into a PDF.
To create a PDF from any application (Word, Mail, Safari, Preview, etc.):
1. Go to File > Print
2. In the bottom left of the print dialogue, there’s a PDF button. Click on that.
3. Select Save as PDF…
4. Create an name and choose a location to save the PDF (Desktop would be good, for easy access)
Documents that have been scanned into PDF format have a tendency to be very large. If a PDF is too large to email (most email recipients can’t receive attachments larger than 5MB), follow these steps:
1. Double click the PDF to open in Preview.
2. Go to File > Save As…
3. In the middle you’ll find Quartz Filter, click on that and select Reduce File Size
4. Click Save (to save over and replace your existing large PDF with the smaller one)
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POSTED IN: Juan's Posts, Mac OS X, Software, Tiger, Tips
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