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PDF stands for "Portable Document Format". It was originally developed by Adobe as a means of allowing formatting of a document to remain consistent regardless of the computer platform that was used to view it.

In the context of the drawings on this site, its advantages are:

• it is a vector format (so you can zoom into a drawing without it breaking up)
• it keeps the scale of the original drawing. As long as you allow the viewer software to print to the same size paper the drawing was originally created for, the drawing will print in the correct scale.
• Version 6 introduces layer control, so layer information in the original CAD drawing is preserved.

It is highly likely that you will already have the a version of the free Acrobat reader software on your computer, but if not, or to update it...

Alternatively, you can install it (thus avoiding the large download) from any CD given away free with computer magazines like PC World or APC (Australian Personal Computer) which are released every month and are in all magazine shops and even supermarkets.

The instructions on this page assume you will be using Version 6.

A typical install will install the reader software on your computer, plus also install a plugin in your browser so that you can view PDF's online within the browser.

• LEFT clicking the PDF plan link will open a drawing within your browser while you are still online using the browser plugin.
• RIGHT clicking on the link will allow you to download the PDF drawing to your computer, where you can then view it while offline. In either case, the viewing / printing options are the same.

To ZOOM into a drawing:

• On the toolbar, click the magnifying glass, then click on the drawing at the point you want to zoom into. Each time you click, you zoom further in. OR
• Click the magnifying glass, then click and drag to create a rectangular window - when you release the left button, the drawing will zoom to fill the window.
• Click the down arrow next to the right of the magnifying glass - choose dynamic zoom. Then you may zoom in and out simply by clicking and dragging.
• Right click to get zoom options.
• Press and hold the spacebar while clicking and dragging to pan the drawing for as long as you hold the bar down.

PDF drawings retain the scale they were created in, plus the paper size needed to print at that scale. If you have a printer that can accommodate the needed size, then you can print at scale.
Alternatively, you may take the PDF file to a printing shop (or ask them to download it from this site) and get them to print it for you. Or, you can print any PDF drawing to fit the paper size you have.

For example:

• Go to the page for the Grand Hall in Parliament Buildings. Notice in the plan download area you may choose either a PDF in A4 paper size which will print at a scale of 1:150, or A3 paper size, which will print at a scale of 1:100
• Open the drawing in Acrobat Reader. Open the print dialog from the menu - file / print.
• The page handling area gives you options on printing the file, with visual feedback as to how the drawing will print.

To print to the paper you have:

• In page scaling, choose "Fit to Paper".
• Check "Auto rotate and centre".
• Uncheck "Choose paper source by PDF page size".
  
  The drawing will print as big as the default printer paper, so it fills the page.

To print the drawing to scale:

• In page scaling, choose "none"
• Check "Auto rotate and centre"
• Check "Choose paper source by PDF page size"
  
  The drawing preview will indicate the paper size, and the drawing will print at the stated scale.
  

If you want / need more control over how the drawings print, and be able to print in any scale you like, you will need to download the DWG file, and load it into a CAD program, or the FREE drawing viewer.

See link at left for the viewer, or about CAD programs to learn more about them, and to download a demo or free version of many of them.