PDFs, printing, and handheld devices

PDFs

On eminnetonka.com, we try to make as much information as possible available as web pages, as that allows the most number of people to access this information. However, sometimes information needs to be placed online as a PDF. Some of the reasons for placing using a PDF online are:

  • The information might be presented in a special format, like a form, a brochure, or a copy of the Minnetonka Memo.
  • Some documents are very long and are thus do not work very well as web pages, like meeting minutes, agenda packets, or project information.
  • Sometimes, it is handy to have a PDF available to easily print the information in the document.

How you can view a PDF

Nearly all computers have the free Acrobat Reader installed, which allows you to open PDF documents. Some web browsers can display a PDF in the web browser when it is opened. If you are do not have a program installed that allows you to open PDFs, you can download one for free at Adobe’s Web site: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

Viewing a PDF in your web browser

Please note that if your web browser does open a PDF in the web browser, make sure to press the back button to return to the previous page. Closing the window that the PDF is displayed in may also close the Web site.

If you are having difficulties viewing the PDF in the web browser, you may be able to save the PDF to your computer. With most computers, you can right-click or control-click on the link to the PDF and choose Save to Desktop or something similar to download the PDF, rather than viewing it in your web browser. This may be especially useful to users with slower connections to the Internet, as this may allow you to continue to use your web browser while the file is downloading.

Helping you to access information in PDFs

Sometimes, we do try to make information in a PDF also available as a web page. However, that is not always possible, and this is an ongoing effort. We also try to have PDFs created from original documents rather than by scanning documents, in order to make the information in these documents available to those who cannot see the information and need a screen reader to read the information out loud. Again, this is not always possible and is an ongoing effort.

When we do have PDFs online, we try to keep the file size low, to make the PDFs easier to download for users with slower connections to the Internet. For some documents that are especially large, and would take a long time to download, we may make individual sections of those documents available.

If you do have difficulties in using a PDF, please let us know. We may not be able to fix a problem with your computer, but we can offer help with specific PDF documents.

Printing pages

If you are trying to print information you have found on eminnetonka.com, we don’t want you to have to waste paper or ink.

This site uses a special stylesheet for printing that simplifies the page and makes it easier to read on the printed page. On a piece of paper, you don’t need links to other pages within the site, so the global and local navigation sections on each page do not print.

You don’t need to do anything special to print pages this way: just use your browser’ print functions like you normally would, and the simplified page should print for you. It is possible that this might not work with older browsers: if you do have a problem, please let us know.

Handheld devices

Some people access the Internet through a handheld device like a PDA or even a cell phone. This site has been designed to display in a simpler way for users of handheld devices. A simpler menu is available at the top of each page that allows you to jump right to the content, global navigation, or local navigation on each page.

Please note that as this is a new technology, there are many different types of devices that display web pages in many different ways. While we do have a stylesheet available for different devices, not all devices may use that stylesheet.

If you do have difficulties in using this site with a handheld device, please let us know.