PDF Acrobat Reader Ubiquity

"I have a page where clients can download PDF catalogues of our import/export products. I also include an adjacent link where they can download Adobe Acrobat Reader. However, I still receive complaints from customers who say they can't download Acrobat Reader or the catalogues. What's the problem? How to rectify this?" -- Cheah Wai Loon, CWL Import Export Services, Malaysia

It's difficult to get accurate information on what percentage of Internet users worldwide have installed the PDF Adobe Acrobat plug-in so they can read PDF documents. I'm guessing that 50% to 75% of users can see PDF documents, depending upon their geographical region.

Those who don't have the plug-in installed tend to be the less computer-savvy users. They would need to download an 8 or 9 MB file -- a pretty hefty size on a dial-up modem -- and then figure out how to install it. Some people just don't possess the technical ability to do that.

I think that, at present, PDF is the correct format for catalogs and business e-books. Since it isn't universally accessible, however, consider making text versions of your catalogs available. They won't include pictures, but would be better than nothing.