Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Converting a Microsoft Word File to PDF

• Conversion using the Print Function
• Conversion Using the Adobe Icon
• Converting Multiple Microsoft Word Files to One PDF File

The complete version of Adobe Acrobat must be installed to convert a Microsoft Word file to PDF. The standard software load for Reynolda Campus ThinkPads includes the complete version of Adobe Acrobat. Additionally, the computers in the Z. Smith Reynolds Library Information Technology Center have the complete version of Adobe Acrobat available.

If you are on the Bowman Gray Campus, you will find copies of Adobe Acrobat on the Carpenter Library computers.

Two methods can be used within Word to convert Word files to PDF format. Both require that the file be open in Microsoft Word and use Microsoft Word to convert the file to PDF. One method uses the print function, the other uses an Adobe icon that displays at the top of the screen.

Conversion using the Print Function

• Click the File pulldown menu.
• Click Print.
• Click the arrow in the Printer Name field to display the list of printers.
• Select Adobe PDF .
• Click OK.
• The Save PDF File As window displays.
• Click the arrow in the Save in field to select the storage destination.
• Type a file name in the File Name Field.
• As a rule, a correct filename will not contain any spaces or slashes. Use the following naming convention for your file: lastnamefirstinitialmiddleinitial_month_year.pdf. This would result in a file name that looks like the following: jonesjd_05_2002.pdf .
• Click the arrow in the Save as Type filed and select PDF as the format.
• Click the Save button.
• The Word file will be converted to PDF and saved.

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Conversion Using the Adobe Icon

• Click the Adobe PDF icon in the toolbar at the top of the screen.
• The Save PDF File As window will appear.
• Click the arrow in the Save in field to select the storage destination.
• Type a file name in the File Name field.
• As a rule, a correct filename will not contain any spaces or slashes. Use the following naming convention for your file: lastnamefirstinitialmiddleinitial_month_year.pdf. This would result in a file name that looks like the following: jonesjd_05_2002.pdf .
• Click the arrow in the Save as Type field and select PDF as the format.
• Click the Save Button.
• The Word file will be converted to PDF and saved

Converting Multiple Microsoft Word Files to One PDF File

If the Thesis or Dissertation is divided into multiple Microsoft Word files, convert each file to PDF and then using Adobe Acrobat, merge the files using the steps below:

To combine two Adobe PDF documents use the Insert Pages command:

1. With the target document open in Adobe Acrobat, choose Document > Pages > Insert.
2. In the Select File to Insert dialog box, select the source document you want to insert into the target document, and click Select.
3. In the Insert Pages dialog box, specify where you want to insert the document, and click OK.

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