What's So Great About Acrobat?

Adobe Acrobat! You may have seen these Adobe Acrobat files (also called "pdf" files) elsewhere on the Internet and wondered what in the heck they are. In essence, Acrobat files let you see documents as they should be seen: with color graphics, special fonts, and with fancy layouts. Some acrobat files even support links like the World Wide Web does, or even play movies! And all you need to read them is the Acrobat reader, which is free from Adobe. We include instructions for both Macs and Windows machines later on in this web page.

Why TVQ in Acrobat?

Lots of people said they wanted more graphics and an easier-to-read format for The Virtual Quilt, rather than the plain ASCII-text version you get in your mailbox every six weeks. While the Web Edition of The Virtual Quilt provides that in part, Acrobat provides both the ability to have those graphics in one convenient package on your hard drive and also the option of printing the issue out in an attractive magazine format.

In addition, Acrobat works in tandem with your World Wide Web browser to give you the same links to interesting places that the Web Edition does! So not only will you have all of TVQ's graphics on your hard drive, but you'll also have the same great access to our hypertext links. In the future, there may also be things included in the Acrobat version that aren't possible in the ASCII or Web versions.

Wow, those files are BIG!

Yes, Acrobat files are necessarily larger than their ASCII counterparts. That's because all of the graphics and link information are stored in the Acrobat file. However, we do all we can to ensure that the files remain as small as possible. Most of our files so far have been about 1 megabyte in size. We use the optimum compression settings available to keep file size down while still keeping the graphics looking nice.

So how do I get (and use) the Reader?

You can download the reader from the Adobe Acrobat page. Once you have it, you'll need to decompress it (if you're using Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer, this will be taken care of for you). Then you can download the TVQ Acrobat files. Launch the Acrobat reader by double-clicking it in the Finder (for Macs) or the Program Manager/Explorer (for Windows/Win95) and then use the File menu's "Open..." command within Acrobat Reader to open the TVQ issue you've downloaded.

I'm ready!

Then get started!

Don't forget, only subscribers have access to these issues! If your password doesn't work, email us at rholland@planetpatchwork.com.

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Read our review and check out the wide assortment of sizes and colors (and great prices) for this highly maneuverable carrier for taking your sewing machine across town or around the world!

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