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For some reason I am unable to open web pages that are PDF files, I think that is the correct terminology, I can find lots of links to the subject that I wish to print out but when I click on any of the ones that end with PDF I just get a blank page and nothing happens yet one of them I opened without problem this morning although I had problems printing (another story).

I dont know if it helps or is connected but if I go back a page from the blank one using the left arrow at the top left of the browser I get a momentary flash of a blue PDF icon in the middle of the screen before the previous page opens.

A good couple of hours ago I decided to print off two pages from this  document, compuers are not labour saving for me [:(]

Can anyone help/advise?

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[quote user="Chancer"]

For some reason I am unable to open web pages that are PDF files, I think that is the correct terminology, I can find lots of links to the subject that I wish to print out but when I click on any of the ones that end with PDF I just get a blank page and nothing happens yet one of them I opened without problem this morning although I had problems printing (another story).

I dont know if it helps or is connected but if I go back a page from the blank one using the left arrow at the top left of the browser I get a momentary flash of a blue PDF icon in the middle of the screen before the previous page opens.

A good couple of hours ago I decided to print off two pages from this  document, compuers are not labour saving for me [:(]

Can anyone help/advise?

[/quote]

Can you give a link to 'this' document or something similar that you are having problems with.

Which browser are you using?

Which version of Adobe Reader is installed on your machine?

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I have had endless trouble with Adobe Acrobat which is - frankly - rubbish.

Someone on here recommended

http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/

and Adobe Acrobat is now in virtual Hades as far as I'm concerned.

Glad to be shot of the bloated wretched constantly updating software.

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Chancer - how big are the PDF files, and if you are trying to open them over the internet, what browser are you using? What you describe is a common problem with some web sites and the way they handle PDFs, and a simple, usually effective, solution is to save a copy of the PDF and then open it or print it using Adobe Reader or a similar program.

Martin - I didn't quite understand the above. Adobe Acrobat is the industry-standard software for creating PDF files, I use it professionally and it seems to do the job perfectly. The Foxit program seems to only read and print PDF files and add comments, much closer to Reader than Acrobat in capabilities.

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Whilst still at work, I used to have lots of problems with pdf's (printing esp).  I make a point of saving them rather than trying to look at them online, and then I can always delete if I don't need to keep, but it solved the problem for me then.  I also think that my printer didn't have enough memory.

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[quote user="Chancer"]

For some reason I am unable to open web pages that are PDF files, I think that is the correct terminology, I can find lots of links to the subject that I wish to print out but when I click on any of the ones that end with PDF I just get a blank page and nothing happens yet one of them I opened without problem this morning although I had problems printing (another story).

I dont know if it helps or is connected but if I go back a page from the blank one using the left arrow at the top left of the browser I get a momentary flash of a blue PDF icon in the middle of the screen before the previous page opens.

A good couple of hours ago I decided to print off two pages from this  document, compuers are not labour saving for me [:(]

Can anyone help/advise?

[/quote]

You need to tell your browser which program to use to open different files......

normally, click tools, options, content/programs or something similar, then browse to find the adobe executable file and select it.
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[quote user="Will"].

Martin - I didn't quite understand the above. Adobe Acrobat is the industry-standard software for creating PDF files, I use it professionally and it seems to do the job perfectly. The Foxit program seems to only read and print PDF files and add comments, much closer to Reader than Acrobat in capabilities.

[/quote]

Sorry,   I realise that I should have said Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar.

I still think it's a complete pain in the *** and I know I'm not alone.   Seems to do the bare minimum for the maximum trouble and resources.

I rely on my anti-Adobe "PDF converter" program - that  teaches all those people who tie things up in Acrobat when they find I can undo it back to Word/Excel whatever.

It's not you Will,   but I've always resented the limited facilities that Adobe Reader gives unless you shell out huge amounts of money.

And you can create Acrobat-type documents using Open Office for free -why pay Adobe?

I suppose I feel much the same way about it as I do about Windows.   In the latter case I'm not clever enough to use something else.  It may be an "industry-standard",  doesn't mean it's any good though!!!!

Rant over!

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I'm with Martin, Adobe Reader lost the plot somewhere along the line, starting with v6 which loaded just about every plugin known to man each time it was fired up. There was even a 3rd party speed up patch written to over come it. I'm a diehard Foxit man now before which I'd resolutely stuck with Adobe Reader 5.

Foxit = 3.7mb

Adobe Reader 9 = 37mb

All to read simple .pdf files, go figure [;-)]

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Adobe Acrobat is a great programme - probably best not to try and open a pdf from a browser.

Get the software to make and open them it's only a few hundred quid.

The pdf you may have been trying to open could be very high resolution. There are many ways to make and save them. They can be made into very small files and with fonts encapsulated. If the fonts hadn't been encapsulated and you didn't have the fonts it will either substitute a font you have or could cause problems.

 

 

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I don't know what pdf's you or others read but I've read my share and can honestly say that even with Adobe Reader 5 I cannot recall ever failing to open one. Yes I'd sometimes get messages about missing plugins or features not working correctly blah blah blah but they would still open satisfactorily neverthless.

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