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Using PDF Files

Adobe Reader is a free program that enables you to view, save and print forms and documents such as SCAO-approved court forms, seminar materials, and government forms and documents. PDF stands for "portable document format," a format that retains the original look of a document, with nearly identical fonts, spacing, and graphics. Once you have a PDF document onscreen, you can view and print it. Many forms can also be filled out onscreen and printed.

NOTE: Previously you were unable to save completed SCAO forms unless you purchased and installed Adobe Acrobat Professional. You may now save completed SCAO forms if you fill them out with Adobe Reader 7 or higher (a free download) or Adobe Acrobat Professional (a purchased program).

Instructions for Windows 2000, XP, and Vista users.

NOTE: Please print out these instructions first.

Downloading Instructions

1. Start your Web browser program.
2. Click or type www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html in the location bar (where you type Web site addresses) and press Enter. The Adobe Acrobat Web site will appear.
3. On the right, a box will appear listing the current version available for download with a Continue button at the top. Before downloading, look for the section labeled "Select included software (not required for operation of Adobe Reader)." Uncheck any software listed here (these are trial versions of other Adobe products that are NOT needed for Adobe Reader to work).
4. Click Continue.
5. If the next page that appears prompts you to "Download Adobe Reader Plus Google Toolbar" you may uncheck the "Free Google Toolbar," box (this software is not required for the operation of Adobe Reader).
6. Click Download Adobe Reader.
7. If the Adobe Reader download does not start automatically, please follow the instructions on the current page to manually download the installation file. The automatic download process will complete the installation.

Installation Instructions

Follow these instructions only if you have to manually download the installation file. The automatic download process completes the installation.

1. Close any programs that are currently open.
2. Double-click on the file name icon on your Desktop (unless you saved it elsewhere).
3. If you see a "Open File - Security Warning" window, click Run.
4. Next screen: Welcome message. This will advance automatically.
5. Next screen: Choose Destination Location. The destination drive will be C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader unless you choose a different location. Click Next.
6. Click on Install.
7. The installation progress window will appear.
8. Setup is complete. Click on Finish.
9. If you are prompted, click on Restart.
10. After successful installation, delete the .exe file from your desktop.

Adobe Reader is now set to run automatically with your Web browser. Whenever you click on a file in PDF format, Reader will display the page on the screen.

Much of the content on our site is available for downloading in PDF format and requires the free Adobe Reader to view, print, and download. Here's how to download a PDF file to your PC:

1. If you don't already have the Adobe Reader program installed on your computer, you will need to install it. (See instructions above.)
2. Once you have installed the Adobe Reader program on your computer, you can click on a PDF file and it will usually open automatically in your Web browser.
3. To save these documents, click on the Save button on the Adobe Reader toolbar; this icon looks like a floppy disk and is located second from the left.
4. Choose a folder on your PC to store the downloaded documents and click on OK. To find a particular folder, click on the down arrow in the drop-down box next to the words "Save in:" You'll see a list of folders and drive letters (e.g., "A," "C," "D"). Click on the drive letter where your folder exists, then scroll to the folder and click on it.
5. Your document will now be saved (downloaded) to your computer. It may take from a few seconds to a few minutes to download each document (PDF exhibits can be especially large and require significant download times) to your computer, depending on the size of the document and the speed of your modem and Internet connection.
6. When you finish downloading all your documents, exit your browser, open Acrobat Reader, and retrieve the document from the folder. NOTE: PDF files cannot be saved, edited, or opened in your word processing program.

NOTE: If you're only interested in getting a few paragraphs from an online document, try copying and pasting the text from your browser into your word processor.

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