by DeskDemon

There may be times when you need to change a document from one format to another. While you can do this in a variety of ways, probably the easiest way to convert documents is within MS Word. Of course, you cannot use MS Word to save a document as a JPEG (.jpg) or a GIF (.gif) file, but you can save them as PDF files. There are a variety of reasons to do this:

•    PDFs cannot be changed without permission.
This means if you send out a newsletter, for example, no one reading the newsletter can make changes within that document and then send it on.

•    PDFs look professional
Many people would view a Microsoft Word document that you sent them to serve as a brochure or sales letter as somehow incomplete. However, PDFs give any document a sleek, polished air.

•    PDFs are easier to read
A PDF can be adjusted to be any size and magnification with little trouble, making them far easier for many people to work with when they are reading on screen.

Once you are done with a MS Word document, you are ready to turn it into a PDF. Be sure that you have made all necessary changes and that you have all pictures and formatting set to your liking. Open the “Save As” dialogue box. This will have the option .pdf in the list of types of files that you can save. Note that you must open the entire “Save As” dialogue box or you will not have .pdf as an option. You can then either type in the name of the file, followed by “.pdf” instead of the automatic “.doc” that would likely otherwise be there, or you can select “PDF” from the list of options that appear when you click on the “Save as type” box below the box for the file name.

Once you have saved the document as a PDF, you can then close and reopen it to view it in PDF form. Check to make sure that all formatting carried through and that you are happy with the results. If you need to make changes, you may be able to make them within the PDF if you have the right software, or you can go back to the Word document, make the changes,  and then resave the document as a PDF.