Saving a Microsoft Word document as a PDF (Portable Document Format) file allows the document to be viewed, printed and emailed in a compact format that is easily readable on almost any computer or device.
There are several methods for converting a Word document into a PDF file; the instructions below are for users of Microsoft Word 2010 and 2013.
1) Open the document from which you want to create a PDF file.
2) Click the “File” tab at the top of the screen.
3) Select the “Save As” option.
4) In the “Save As” type box, select “PDF” from the drop-down list.
5) Choose a location to save the PDF file and click “Save”.
6) A “Publish as PDF or XPS” window will appear. Click “Publish” to create the PDF version of the document.
7) The document is now saved as a PDF file.
8) To open the PDF document, double-click on it. This will launch your computer’s default PDF reader utility.
If you are using an earlier version of Microsoft Word then you may need to download a third-party PDF creation utility such as PrimoPDF or CutePDF. Once the utility is installed, simply open the desired Word document, select the print button, and select the PDF utility from the list of available printers.
It is important to note that some document formatting may change when converted to a PDF file. Text size, font style, graphics, images, and hyperlinks may not appear as originally formatted in the Word document.