I wish I could take credit for that line, but it is the header for the ePaper section of the Adobe Web site. http://www.adobe.com/epaper/main.html. Most of the information in this article has been extrapolated from the Adobe Web site, and used with permission, to help our members become familiar with PDF documents and the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Starting with the March, 2001 issue, using Adobe Acrobat and PDF technology, your HODRW newsletter, the Heartbeat of Denver will be available for members via private e-mail or through the HODRW list.

What is Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF)?

PDFs are a technology not a product. Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF) is the open de facto standard for electronic document distribution worldwide. Adobe PDF is a universal file format that preserves all of the fonts, formatting, colors, and graphics of any source document, regardless of the application and platform used to create it. PDF files are compact and can be shared, viewed, navigated, and printed exactly as intended by anyone with a free Adobe Acrobat® Reader™. You can convert any document to Adobe PDF, even scanned paper, using Adobe Acrobat 4.0 software.

Adobe PDF is the ideal format for electronic document distribution because it transcends the problems commonly encountered in electronic file sharing. PDF files always print correctly on any printing device. PDF files can be published and distributed anywhere: in print, attached to e-mail, on corporate servers, posted on Web sites, or on CD-ROM. Compact PDF files are smaller than their source files and download a page at a time for fast display on the Web. More than 110 million copies have been downloaded or preloaded onto PCs.

Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™ is free, and you can distribute the free Adobe® Acrobat® Reader software to anyone who needs to view, navigate, and search Adobe PDF files or fill in PDF forms. If you do not have a PDF reader on your computer, they are available for free from Adobe at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

How to Download Adobe Acrobat Reader

Note: You will receive the most recent version of Acrobat Reader that is available for your language and platform.

Following the three-step installation process on the web site is very easy.

1.    Click on the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™ version appropriate to your computer platform (URL above).
2.    Provide your name and address
3.    Download

The Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™ will now allow you to view the HODRW newsletter in the same format, as it would appear in print. Should you choose to print a copy from your computer, the graphics might appear slightly rougher than the high-resolution version you currently receive through the snail mail. This pixelation is a result of using a lower resolution (72pdi) for the photos and graphic elements. The lower resolution keeps the files small. Some Internet Service Providers, (ISPs) have an e-mail file size limitation, and we have designed the publication to stay well within those limitations.

Acrobat Reader 4.0 System Requirements

Windows

·    i486™ or Pentium® processor-based personal computer
·    Microsoft® Windows® 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT® 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later
·    10 MB of available RAM on Windows 95 and Windows 98 (16 MB recommended)
·    16 MB of available RAM on Windows NT (24 MB recommended)
·    10 MB of available hard-disk space
·    50 MB of additional hard-disk space for Asian fonts (required for Acrobat Reader 4.0 CD-ROM, otherwise optional)

Macintosh

·    Apple Power Macintosh or compatible computer
·    Mac OS software version 7.1.2 or later
·    4.5 MB of available RAM (6.5 MB recommended)
·    8 MB of available hard-disk space
·    50 MB of additional hard-disk space for Asian fonts (required for Acrobat Reader 4.0 CD-ROM, otherwise optional)

Sandi Chevalier-Batik does the superb layouts for HODRW newsletter, and she has provided this great information above.

Note from HeartBeat editor, Diana Rowe-Martinez:  Now, it's my turn…No need to be techno phobic here. Downloading Adobe Acrobat is easy and free--a few clicks and you're there. Once you have this software in place, you'll be able to "read" most anything on the World Wide Web from e-books to HODRW newsletters.

Initially, you may choose to receive your newsletter via email download on a voluntary basis. The board's decision to go electronic was not made lightly. The newsletter budget is one of the highest expenses that HODRW incurs. If we decrease those expenses while still offering our great newsletters, then we can utilize those extra dollars for programs that benefit the membership's writing career more directly--such as bringing editors or agents in. Besides, many other chapters are opting for the electronic newsletter for the same reasons.

To be on the voluntary electronic newsletter list for March, please email your newsletter editor at Diana10277@aol.com by February 22, 2001. Try it for one month. If you don't like it, we'll switch you back to snail mail.