About PDFs, Plugins and Players

Although modern browsers (like Microsoft Internet Explorer) can display web pages, there are other media available to view on the web that they cannot use without additional software. This additional software is sometimes packaged as a complete program, sometimes as a browser extra called a 'plugin', and sometimes as an independent viewer (a 'player').

PDFs

What are PDFs?
PDFs are printable electronic documents that have a small file size and high quality output (see a full explanation by Adobe). They require Adobe Acrobat Reader to open, but it is available free from the Adobe website.

What does Cambridge University Press provide in PDF format?
The Cambridge University Press websites provide a range of resources in PDF format. The majority are sample chapters from specific titles (example) and catalogues.

  

Plugins & Players

Why do I need plugins and players?
If a webpage uses a type of media that your browser cannot display, downloading a plugin or player for that media will allow your computer to view the material. Although Cambridge websites rarely use these additional media, you may require:

• Macromedia Flash
  Necessary to view Flash movies. Available free to download from Macromedia.
  
  
• Macromedia Shockwave
  Necessary to view Shockwave files. Available free to download from Macromedia.
  
  
• Apple Quicktime Player
  For playing video on the web. Download it free from Apple.
  
  
• RealPlayer
  For playing video on the web. Download it free from Real.com