A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how to set your Acrobat preferences so that all PDFs open at the magnification you want them to. Today's post is about how you as the creator of a PDF can specify the opening view of that particular PDF. I always like my PDFs to open in Fit Page view, so that the recipient gets a bird's eye view of the whole page. If I've included bookmarks in the file, I want the bookmarks pane to appear on the left side of the screen so that the recipient sees and uses the bookmarks.
1. After you've created your PDF file in InDesign, Word, QuarkXPress, or whatever, open it in Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional (you can't use the free Adobe Reader to do the steps below).
2. Choose File > Properties
3. In the Document Properties dialog box, click on the Initial View tab at the top. Then set the options for Layout and Magnification as desired. Note that you can specify which Navigation Panels open at the left side of the screen, the page layout, the magnification, which page the PDF opens to, whether or not you want the Acrobat window to resize to the size of the page, whether the window should be centered on the screen, and whether or not you want the document to open in Full Screen mode (useful for presentations).
4. Click the OK button. Nothing magnification and layout of the document will not change at this point.
5. Save the PDF, close it, and reopen it. It should reopen with the options you specified in step three. These options will override any settings specified by the user in Preferences as described in my previous post.
Posts
58 comments:
Thank you so much. Very detailed instructions and easy to follow.
This is fantastic! Exactly what I needed to know for my new digital magazine launching this month :) So, can another user override these settings once they have opened it? Or will the pdf always revert to this format whenever it is opened. That is, is there any way to "lock" it?
@Nancy: Users with Adobe Reader can override the view settings once they have the PDF open, of course, but they cannot change the opening view. So in other words, the file will ALWAYS open in the initial view you specify for users of Adobe Reader. Users of the full Adobe Acrobat could change the initial view and re-save the file.
I don't see an OK button. I have a widescreen laptop running windows 7. maybe the bottom shortcut panel is hiding it. I can't seem to move anything around to get to it.
Thank you! It was great to see exactly what I was looking for and to get such precise and accurate directions. Virginia
When I follow these instructions it works for my computer but when I send it to my desk top computer it does not work. I am setting it to ope at 75% but when I open it on my desk top it opens at 224% Any suggestions?
I find that in a pdf with mixed page sizes and orientations, if I navigate through the file using the bookmarks, the view will resize itself following an oversized page. Is there any way around that?
Thanks for the tip. This is very helpful.
Great tip! Just what I needed... But i wonder if it is possible to select a pdf to open in full page and full screen mode, and then when you close the full screen part, the pdf completely close?
Hope someone can help!
@Simon K: I can't think of any way to do that.
Keith: I've specified the settings indicated in your post. Everything seems to work (on all computers it appears automatically in full screen, on all computers it fits to page). The issue that I am having is that it does not appear on any computers besides my own as two up (with cover). I have changed the setting to that view in File>Properties>Initial View and Selecting "Two-Up (Cover Page)" under page layout. After saving that option, it only works on my computer. I'd like it to automatically open in spreads on all computers. Help? I have Adobe Acrobat Pro 9, if that helps!
Is there a way to force Adobe Reader to show navigation or bookmarks(i.e., so they can easily get back to the TOC or jump to another page). I know there's something in the preferences of Adobe Reader, but that's up to the user to decide. All I've found is to hit F4 and it will show the floating nav bar at the bottom ... but only after you've gone up or down a page. And most users wouldn't know to do that anyway.
(Apologies if you got this comment more than once!)
Many thanks for straightforward instructions to this easy, but hard to find out how, technique. Much appreciated.
Thank you. I was looking for this. Do you know how I can also set the pixel per inch (ppi) settings on opening the PDF file? By default Acrobat has set this to 110 ppi. But when I compile images into a pdf their 100% view is too large. I had to change the ppi to 72 ppi in the acrobat settings. Now I would like other viewers of the PDF file to automatically change this too. Or even better if you know how to let Acrobat view the images in their correct size without changing the ppi.
Thank you a lot!
Thank you this worked perfectly. I am very surprised this "initial view" option is not available as a PDF present option in InDesign. something i think Adobe should add. as i could not find it.
As someone who reads a lot of pdfs I can tell you that this nonsense is the most annoying thing you can do to a pdf. As the reader I really don't care what the author thinks the view settings should be. I picked my defaults because that's what I prefer. My advice is that your pdfs will get better reception if you don't treat your readers like children or idiots who are too stupid to make up their own mind about how to read documents.
I agree it'd be annoying for those of us who read a lot of PDFs and understand how to change our default settings, but when you're designing for an audience that likely doesn't even know there are different settings, it can be beneficial to "help" them see it the way you intend it to be seen.
I am trying to save my pdf document with initial view page layout as 2 up. However, it does not seem to take effect. Any help will be appreciated.
Sujatha
Hi,
I have been wanting to save my pdf doc with initial viewing option as 2 page cover up and auto flip transition. however, the 2 page effect does n't seem to take place. Any help will be appreciated.
Sujatha
You would not believe how long it took me to locate these a. correct, and b. easy instructions. Thank you!
I completely disagree with the comment by anonymous that this is nonsense. I produce pdf brochures and pamphlets and it makes perfect sense for the file open as "Fit Page" so people can see the whole page at once, and I have been doing this for years.
Now, my problem is this: I can't in my life figure out how to set this as default. I waste precious time each and every time I create new pdf having to go through the various steps of fitting the initial view to the page. Does anyone have a suggestion to overcome this?
This is exactly the kind of stuff bothering me, actually. I'd like for PDFs to open as I want them to be zoomed and fit, not by some rules the author set which I may not like, or aren't applicable to the device I'm viewing them on (e.g. small laptop screen).
Is there a way to override document-defaults with user defaults? that'd be far handier.
After setting to open with 2-up initial view, is there a way to force a "secondary" view, once someone clicks into the document? Essentially, I was the viewer to realize there are 2 pages in the PDF, but not read it from the 2-up view. Once clicked, is there any way I can force a secondary view of full page, starting on Page 1?
@jeanne: I can't think of any way to do this.
HI,
Am trying to find out how to save a locked pdf (so it can't be printed or edited) and make it open up as 100% in adobe acrabat rather than at 'fit window' it currently always opeens at.
Any help would be much appreciated
I have to agree with "Anonymous". I enjoy reading documents in PDF format, but nothing is more annoying than to have a document open in some unexpected size, or with bookmarks showing by default. I regularly have to use a editing program to change the initial view, and sometimes even a password cracker program to get access to the creator's settings. Let the reader set his own preferences.
My "Initial View" tab is grayed out and the settings can not be changed. I tried back saving, still not available. Any ideas?
I subscribed to Adobe Acrobat XI Standard, and it worked very well. I didn't have problems with the settings - I just did it once, and all seemed to work according to what I wanted automatically(zoom at 100%, print always grey, etc). Then things changed as I finished the subscription, then bought the License instead. All settings doesn't see to restore what I have changed. So I have to keep changing the zoom ratio everytime I open a file. Also, there is no history of files that I have opened previously (they were there when I subscribed).
Can you please help me with this issue?
Is there a way you can force a PDF to open at a particular view no matter what program you are viewing in? This works when viewing in Adobe programs but I would like to find a way to make it work universally.
Extremely helpful! Thank you!
I do not have an initial view tab
MANESH
Is there a way to make this a macro?.. I create a lot of PDFs and it would be nice just to push a button
Thank You
exactly. who are the idiots that create adobe? there should be a simple function to view PDFs in whatever size you feel comfortable with and it should be easy to find and you should be able to select that size and set it as default SIMPLY without any frustration. I still cannot size PDFs to open at 75% which is ideal for viewing, they always open up oversized making me have to manually correct the size each time. What idiots!!
As Greg Jones asked ...
I'm making a lot of PDF's nad I like to know if there is a way to set these options with one click, either from Adobe Acrobat, or more easy, apply the settings without even opening every single PDF for propertiy editing.
Thank
Nikolaj Jorgensen
Denmark
f2860@hotmail.com
Hi, is there any way to do this without Adobe Standard or Professional. Buying the product just to have one document opend to fit the page seems excesive to me :) Thanks a lot!
It's 2015 and your post is still helping people. Good, clear instructions. Thank you kindly.
What must I do if there is no Initial view tab to select and at the thumbnails there is also no page properties to select to set up the page
Under Document Properties, I don't have a tab for Initial View
Does anyone have any idea how to make sure the view options stay as set when the PDF is opened in a web browser? I have them set in Acrobat but now that I've uploaded it to our website, it opens in single page view and it really doesn't work with the particular report I've got, which is very much designed in spreads - http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/downloads/reports/ideas_into_action.pdf
thank you very much !!
I am completely impressed, thank you so much for this tip!
How, how do I lock in bookmark column width, I size it, however, when others open pdf it squishes up to about an inch wide. Have been unable to find solution -
Why would anyone actually do this? For the Love of God, people—let people choose how it opens. Just because you like it one way says nothing. This is a feature that Adobe should completely remove; all it does is override the end-user's preferences.
Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Your setting preferences (fit page/single page) are something you like, and bully for you, but I utterly loathe this view and cannot comprehend why anyone would ever want it. I will never ever ever want this, as it 1) shrinks text to a size other than the most comfortable reading size, 2) makes resizing windows fail in the purpose for document comparison, and 3) makes your scrolling wheel cease to function in its best capacity. Any time I get one of these documents and open it, the first thing I do is curse, then I fix it follow my defaults, then I curse the person who was such a control freak that they made their document do this.
Who wants a birds eye view of the document? Birds don't read. If you want that, hey, free country, but why would you force this on anyone else? This seems like the old days of Angelfire websites filled with sounds and moving .gifs just because you can.
Exercise restraint. Let the reader use their own defaults.
We download PDF documents from a website and it appears they have added this feature because the document is opening with bookmarks. As the recipient of the PDF I do NOT want this opening with bookmarks as it prevents the document from upload into another program we have. Can I change a default setting in Adobe so that documents NEVER open with bookmarks.
That is a very narrow minded view of the functionality and uses for a PDF.
Excellent forum, with more tips than Acrobat DC offers.
Wow. Some of the previous comments I have read do not make end-user friendly sense. As an architect, my clients always complain that my drawings open rotated and not to 'fit page'. Especially those who view on tablets or phones (getting more frequent now). With your tips they all now open correctly. After all my years of trying to fix this you have answered my prayers. Thank you. H
For the folks that think this is idiotic, try to consider some other use cases.
I need a semi-bulletproof solution for displaying presentations fullscreen on various displays throughout our company. By 'bulletproof', I mean 'please don't wake me up at 1am to tell me that third shift is seeing a weird dialog box on the breakroom tv because the thin client rebooted after a power failure'.
Perfect would be if the Adobe Reader would let us, the users, decide whether or not author-provided configs are automatically honored. That way I could set my install to gracefully recover from a power failure, and you could set your install to keep Obama from taking your guns. But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater... the idea is inherently good.
Thank you for your tips. Unfortunately, your tips only partially worked. Like in your previous post on PDF viewing, I am also having trouble making the new settings in preferences and properties stick; even after I click ok and save the PDF. When I open the revised PDF again the properties and prefs have reverted to the default settings. Not only that but when I open the PDF in Safari and Internet Explorer, it opens at a huge magnification. Firefox, Chrome and Opera work fine and the PDF opens the entire page to fit the window. Do you know what I can do to fix these two issues? (1.) Making the new setting stick and the default on Acrobat DC, version 15 and (2.) Is there a setting to make Safari and IE recognize the revised properties settings?
This worked for Adobe Acrobat, but still opens incorrectly as an internet document or on 'Preview'. I am sending my portfolio to employers and do not want to give them any extra work by instructing certain layout views. Any idea how to make this work in every PDF viewer?
My issue is related to this post, but doesn't address it entirely. I have to distribute a report bi-weekly and I want to constrain the .pdf to legal size, but am having issues where it jumps to 11x17. I want to make it so the end user doesn't have to select legal as page size; the .pdf will automatically drive it.
Any thoughts..
Loreal
Let me clarify..I want it to be forced to print in legal.
Loreal
Hi there, I read your blog like every week. Your writing style
is awesome, keep doing what you're doing!
perfect, very usefull
Thank you, very helpful
Close all Adove application and just click on Edit Tab and then go to Preference .Then make changes page layout to "Single Page" and Zoom to 100% or 125%. It will work fine.
Thanks
Anindya Bikash
I'm after the opposite: I want to override whatever the author of the PDF set so each PDF opens in single page view. Preferences don't force a PDF to open in single page view. Any suggestions?
Post a Comment