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You can work with PDF documents or convert documents to and from PDFs in many ways. Swarthmore has Adobe Acrobat available to all faculty and staff, as well installed on all of the computers in our public computing labs.

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titleStudent Access

Students are able to install the Adobe Suite, including Adobe Acrobat, on personally owned computers through July 6, 2020. See the Adobe Suite Student access page for more information.

Table of Contents

Converting Documents to PDF

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Microsoft Word (Desktop Application)

  1. Click the File menu
  2. Choose the Save As option
  3. Choose a location on your computer to save the PDF version
  4. Change the Save as Type (Windows) or File Format (Mac) field to PDF
  5. Click Save




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Office 365 - Word (Online)

  1. Click the File menu
  2. Choose the Save As option
  3. Choose Download as PDF
  4. Click Download
  5. Choose a location on your computer to save the PDF version
  6. Click Save




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Google Docs

  1. Click the File menu
  2. Choose Download
  3. Choose PDF Document (.pdf)
  4. Choose a location on your computer to save the PDF version
  5. Click Save




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LibreOffice

  1. Click the File menu
  2. Choose Export As - then Export As PDF
  3. A PDF Options window will open - keeping the default settings is fine
    1. If you would like to ensure it is accessible - make sure Tagged PDF (add document structure) and Export bookmarks are checked
  4. Click Export
  5. Choose a location on your computer to save the PDF version
  6. Click Save


Adobe Acrobat Tips

Signing PDFs

You can easily add your signature to a PDF document or form. To view directions that include downloadable practice files, please visit Adobe's official documentation on how to fill and sign PDF forms. The directions for adding a signature are the same, even if the document you are signing is not a fillable form.

Adobe also allows you to have multiple individuals sign a PDF form with ease from the Adobe Document Cloud using Adobe Sign. For detailed instructions that include downloadable practice files, please visit Adobe's official documentation on how to get multiple signatures on a single document.

Insert New Text Into a PDF

  1. Select the Tools menu
  2. Choose Edit PDF, then choose Add Text
  3. Click and drag to define the width of the text block you wish to add
    1. For vertical text: Right-click the text box and choose Make Text Direction Vertical
  4. You can change the text properties using the options under Format in the right pane
  5. Type your text
  6. To resize the text box, click and drag a selection handle
  7. To move the text box, place the pointer over the line of the bounding box (avoid the selection handles). When the cursor changes to the Move pointer (crossed arrows), click and drag the box to the new location. To maintain alignment with any other list items, press Shift as you drag.