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Getting Organized with Adobe Acrobat 8 PDF Package
by Susan O`Connor

I like being organized. I even like getting organized. But somehow, I never seem to stay organized. Ideally, I’d like to begin a new school year with all my curriculum units organized in neat little packages, with all my resource materials, handouts, quizzes and tests in one place. Sometimes, it seems like that task was so much easier when I first started teaching, B.C. (Before Computers). All I had to do was pick up a few new binders at the beginning of summer, and then spend several weeks sorting through the mounds of paper I’d dumped into large bins in my haste at the end of each unit. When I switched to storing all my files on my two home computers and one school computer, the task of getting organized over the summer became more complicated. I often found myself wondering where I put that great set of images of the “Mousetrap” scene from Hamlet, collection of quotes, key passages, or final exam.

Now, with a great feature new in Adobe Acrobat 8, my task of getting and staying organized is much easier than ever before. The Create PDF package feature allows you to create PDF packages while avoiding many of the issues associated with cross platform packaging. Previous versions of Acrobat allowed you to combine files into one PDF; this version allows you to make a binder of individual files. This means that after creating the package, you can still go back and drag a single document out of the package.

To create a package, begin by clicking the down pointing arrow on the Combine Files in the Task Toolbar and choosing Assemble files into PDF package. Selecting this menu item will open a wizard (Figure 1)

Figure 1

Click the Add files icon, and a dialog box will open. Navigate to the files you wish to include, (formats supported include image files, Microsoft Office files, Adobe application files, and more), choose the file, and click add files. You will be returned to the wizard.

Choose the order of your files by selecting the file and clicking the Move Up or Move Down button. Note that within each of the files you have selected, you can select the Choose Pages button to include only specific pages of the file. This means that, for example, if you wanted to only include certain slides from a PowerPoint, you could do so. Clicking Next takes you to the next wizard pane where you can review your files and select a Cover sheet. Clicking Next again begins the conversion of your files to a PDF package. After this conversion, you will be taken to the final wizard pane where you can choose a location to save your package.

The packages can serve many purposes. I’ve set up packages for opening of school materials, curriculum units, and summer vacation plans. I’ve also encouraged my students to use this summer to package their best work, scanned award certificates and photos of community service activities for scholarship and college applications. I am hopeful you will also find this feature in Acrobat 8 useful. Happy Packaging!