[OPLINTECH] PDF software on public computers

[Chad Neeper]

Over the years, I always end up with Adobe Reader on staff and patron
computers. It's what just about every program, organization, instruction
guide, and user expects. It's also been my experience that some pdf
documents (IRS forms!) DO sometimes have problems with alternative readers,
although that may be a bit less common these days save for some more
obscure and less-used pdf document features that may or may not be
implemented correctly in whatever non-Adobe Reader. Built-in browser pdf
readers seem to be less robust for sure. Ultimately, as a rule, Adobe
Reader goes on every patron and staff computer. It is what it is.

Chad


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*Chad Neeper*
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On Tue, Sep 28, 2021 at 4:00 PM Phil Shirley via OPLINTECH <
oplintech at lists.oplin.org> wrote:

> What software do you use to open PDFs on public computers? We just use the
> free Adobe software. The problem we have is that sometimes a PDF will have
> multiple layers and take a very long time to print; when that happens, if
> the patron comes to a staff member, then we can tell them how to flatten
> the PDF first, but it would be nice if it just printed quickly in the first
> place. I haven't found a way in this software to automatically flatten
> before printing.
>
> At some point we had the web browsers set up to open PDFs in the browser
> but there was some problem, probably with printing (you can't use the
> browser's print function I don't think), some reason that we had to tell
> patrons to save the PDF and then open it in the Adobe software.
>
> I worry that anything but the Adobe software might not support everything
> that patrons need to do with a PDF, like maybe fill out a form before
> printing, though I know there are alternative PDF readers out there.
>
> Phil
>
> *Phil Shirley*
>
> *IT Manager*
> *Cuyahoga Falls Library*
> *p.* 330.928.2117 x109 *e.* pshirley at cuyahogafallslibrary.org
> *w. *cuyahogafallslibrary.org <http://www.cuyahogafallslibrary.org/> *a. *2015
> Third Street, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
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