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How To Add .PDF Files To Your Blog Post and Website

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Education & Training with Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp Non-Licensed

How To Add a .PDF File To Your Blog Post or Website

Once you've learned to add photos, embed video and audio files, create hyper-links and anchor text etc, inevitably you'll want to know how you can add a .pdf file to your Blog post.  An Adobe Acrobat .PDF (Portable Document Format) file is a document that typically cannot be edited and is usually created from an original document using the Adobe Acrobat software or similar application.  .PDF files can be viewed by downloading the FREE Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Adding a .PDF file to your Blog post can be done one of two ways.  You can upload the .PDF file to a host server on the Internet and simply create a link to it using the location URL or web address. IE: http://www.DomainName/DocumentName.pdf  The second way is to use a program or tool that creates an HTML embed code which you can add to your Blog post or website.

Scribd.com is a site that offers users a tool that lets you upload your .PDF document onto their server, then use their widget/player to embed the file into your Blog post or site.  The site is FREE and once you've signed up and registered, the process is fast and simple.  The benefits of embedding the .PDF file vs linking to it are that visitors and readers don't have to leave your post or site to access the shared PDF document.

How To Add a PDF File to Your ActiveRain Blog Post

1. Join Scribd.com and setup a Profile

2. Upload your .PDF file to Scribd.com

3. Click on the .PDF File you want to embed to Blog Post or Website

4. Copy the embed code from the "Share and Embed" Toolbox

*Notice the options to share on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Buzz
(You can also create a hyperlink to Anchor text using the Link/URL)

5. Place/Paste the HTML embed code on the HTML tab of your Blog Post.
The code can also be added to your website using your HTML page editor.

6. Save your post or page and you're done!

 

Here's a sample of a .PDF file I created a couple years ago here on ActiveRain.

Brad's Top Free Online Website Tools and Picks

As an Absolute Last Resort

One last option would be to take a "screen shot" or capture the PDF file as an image (if it all fits on your computer screen) and save it as a .jpg file, then you can add it as a photo or graphic to your Blog post. Unfortunately, even a single page PDF file is hard to display the entire page on a computer monitor or single screen. To capture any computer screen image, use the "Shift+Print Scr" keys on a PC, or the "Shift+Command+4" on a MAC to capture the image. You can always crop out what you don't want in the image using a photo or image editor like picnik.com or Adobe Photoshop. If you'd like a free photo or image editing software similar to Adobe Photoshop, check out Gimp.org.

Valarie Littles
Dallas, TX

Hi Brad - It worked!  I followed your directions and completed my first PDF post!  My goal is to learn a new tip from you and the rest of the AR team, and try a new tip at least once per week. 

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1596409/earth-day-is-april-24th-

Apr 12, 2010 02:29 PM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Richie - you want to use the embed code, not the link to place the .pdf file in your blog post like the one shown above. You'll need to use the HTML tab to add the code and place it where you want it to appear in the post. If you get stuck, let me know and I'll make sure to get you some assistance. 

Valarie - awesome!  Glad it worked for you. :-)

Apr 13, 2010 06:48 AM
Terry Chenier
Homelife Glenayre Realty - Mission, BC

Brad,

Is there absolutely anything you do not know? Every day is a learning experience here.

Apr 15, 2010 06:12 PM
David Popoff
DMK Real Estate - Darien, CT
Realtor®,SRS, Green ~ Fairfield County, Ct

Brad, straight and to the point..thanks

Jul 29, 2010 06:52 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Hi David - happy to help, thank you. :-)

Jul 29, 2010 06:56 AM
Dawn Miller
Exit Realty Central - Norfolk, VA

Thank you for sharing this. The instructions are easy to follow. Will be looking forward to uploading some statistics I get via pdf to share on my blogs. Thanks so much and enjoyed your sampled pdf/100 free sites.

Jul 31, 2010 04:30 PM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Hi Dawn - you're welcome, I'm glad you found this post helpful and useful.  Looking forward to seeing how you'll be using this to post your statistic pdf files in the future. Have a great week!  :-)

Aug 02, 2010 05:13 AM
David Popoff
DMK Real Estate - Darien, CT
Realtor®,SRS, Green ~ Fairfield County, Ct

Brad, I wanted to get my excel spreadsheet chart (not graph) with colored columns onto an activerain blog. Google Doc's seems only to work with charts going into png format. So I pdf my spreadsheet and then used Scribd.com 

            Is there an easier way?  Thxs ~ Dave

Aug 04, 2010 10:52 AM
David Popoff
DMK Real Estate - Darien, CT
Realtor®,SRS, Green ~ Fairfield County, Ct

Brad, just want to clarify... excell spread sheet with colored rows and columns along with a header. That is what I'm trying to add to AR blog ~ Dave

Aug 04, 2010 01:13 PM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Hey David - how about just taking a screen shot and adding it as an image?  Just another idea or option...   :-)

Aug 04, 2010 01:18 PM
David Popoff
DMK Real Estate - Darien, CT
Realtor®,SRS, Green ~ Fairfield County, Ct

Thanks Brad, your post really help! keep it up...Dave...FAQ/Help is a wealth of info.

Aug 08, 2010 09:04 AM
Bob & Leilani Souza
Souza Realty 916.408.5500 - Roseville, CA
Greater Sacramento Area Homes, Land & Investments

This is just what I was looking for, Brad...thanks! I just re-blogged it, too! :)

Leilani

Aug 25, 2010 06:27 PM
Gloria and Jason Belmonte
Prudential Fox&Roach The Belmonte Group - Rising Sun, MD
www.cecilcountyhomesearch.com

this so completely helpful to me, i cannot thank you enough.

Mar 08, 2011 08:15 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Gloria - I'm glad you found this useful.  Thanks.

Mar 09, 2011 08:52 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Leilani - thanks for the reblog, I appreciate that. 
The reblog feature is now broken, hopefully they'll get that fixed soon.

Mar 09, 2011 09:06 AM
Pam Dent
Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc. - Charlottesville, VA
REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse

Brad - I signed up for scribd a while ago and then never used it.  this just reminded me why.  Perhaps it was a blond moment.

Jul 21, 2011 11:56 AM
Angie Nwanodi
Evergreen Realty & Associates, Inc. - Rancho Cucamonga, CA
The ACG Group, Realtors®|Standard, Short, HUD, REO

Love it! Thanks, Brad.  Craig Daniels sent me over to check out this post.  I keep coming across your awesome posts, so I am hereby a subscriber!  Have a great week!

Mar 11, 2012 09:46 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Thanks Angie - Tell Craig "hi" next time you see or talk to him.  Glad you're finding the information I'm posting here useful, and thank you for subscribing.  I'll try not to let you down!  :-)

Mar 11, 2012 12:08 PM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Hi Pam - eventually, everyone finds a need to embed or add a .pdf to a blog post.  :-)

Mar 11, 2012 12:10 PM
Sandy Padula & Norm Padula, JD, GRI
HomeSmart Realty West & Florida Realty Investments - , CA
Presence, Persistence & Perseverance

Brad Andersohn A most helpful blog post reminding us that just because it is a .pdf, it does not have to be the 'red-haired cousin'.

Nov 03, 2015 09:32 PM