Most print shops are able to print out long documents which are in Adobe PDF format. All print documents here are PDF documents. If you need to convert a document to the PDF format, download PrimoPDF from the internet at: www.primoPDF.com. After installation, in your word processor, click to print a document and select PrimoPDF as the "printer" of choice. It works like magic and it is completely free.
You will need the Adobe Reader installed on your machine to be able to view PDF files. Most computers have this preinstalled. Just in case you do not have it here is the link: http://get.adobe.com/reader
There will be references below about the "D" drive. This normally is the drive letter of a CD. If your computer uses a different letter, please substitute the correct drive letter. Also, if you are using a flash drive, it will definitely have a different drive letter. To find out the correct drive letter, in WindowXP, click "Start" then "My Computer".
The one major file needed to print out an entire book for the Smith or Self Genealogy is SetUp.Exe.
1. Click on [Start], click [Run], type D:\Setup.Exe, press [Enter] and the set up program should appear on screen. The letter "D" may be changed to reflect the drive in which the CD or flash drive is located. The setup program looks like this:
There are five possible PDF documents to view and/or print. They are:
Click on one of the "PDF" menu choices. To install the PDF file to your desktop, at the top of Adobe Reader, click "File", then "Save a copy". At this point, a message will appear saying that you will only be saving a copy of the original document. Click "OK", and the "Save a Copy..." window will appear. On the left side panel, click on "Desktop" and the PDF document will be saved to your desktop with icon. Once the PDF document has been installed on your computer, click on the PDF icon and the PDF document will appear. Click the print icon at the top to begin printing.
2. If that doesn't work, go to [Start], click [Run] and: (1) for the Smith Genealogy, type: D:\Smith.Pdf and press [Enter] or (2) for the Self Genealogy, type: D:\Self.Pdf and press [Enter]. When the PDF document appears, click on the print icon at the top.
3. There is at least one other way to access the PDF file. Click [Run], then [My Computer]. Now RIGHT click the drive letter where your CD is located (probably "D") and select [Open]. Now, click on the requisite PDF file which will open as an Adobe Reader document.
If you used #2 or #3 to open a PDF document and wish to save it to your computer, follow these steps. At the top of Adobe Reader, click "File", then "Save a copy". At this point, a message will appear saying that you will only be saving a copy of the original document. Click "OK", and the "Save a Copy..." window will appear. Just click on "Desktop" and the PDF document will be saved to your desktop with icon.
May best advice is to NOT print out a book at home, unless you have a very quick and advanced printer. It is fairly inexpensive and quick to take the CD to a print shop and let them print out your book for you. The cost will be about $25 in black and white, and that is using a good quality paper. This cost is for the larger Smith.Pdf and Self.Pdf files; for smaller PDF files, such as London.Pdf (103 pages), the cost will be correspondingly less expensive. Please print on both sides of the paper, using 8 1/2" X 11" paper. Select the appropriate paper weight which allows printing on both sides to best effect. Most of the pages have no color, so ask to print in black in white as color printing is just too expensive.
Two excellent papers are:
1. Domtar...............28 lb weight and 112 brightness
2. Hammer Mill......28 lb weight and 98 brightness
I find that the best binding for this type of book is Comb binding with a clear "see through" plastic front cover if that is available.
Donald Bernard Smith
Email: don.smith@earthlink.net