Types Of Publication Files

Social Security publications may be available online in several different formats. You select the format you want by clicking on the extension that follows the name of the publication. The possible publication formats include . . .

• (.txt), a text file with a minimum of formatting.
• (.htm) and (.html), a file in Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). HTM and HTML files may include links to other files.
• (.pdf), a file in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). You must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed on your PC to read and print a PDF publication.

  Adobe Systems, Inc. permits the Social Security Administration and other organizations to offer this software to the public free of charge. PDF was developed by Adobe Systems, Inc. and allows the user to print a publication close in appearance to the original printed version, preserving typography, columns, charts, tables and graphics.

  You can download a free Adobe Acrobat Reader version suitable for your system (DOS, Windows (R), Macintosh (R), Silicon Graphics (R), AIX, Sun (TM), SPARC (R) or HP platforms) from the Adobe Home Page. You can also download a free Windows version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader with Search and Accessibility. Remember to enable the "Load to Disk" capability of your WWW browser prior to downloading the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Read the Electronic End User License Agreement and any other instructions before you install the Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system.

• (.ps), a Postscript file downloadable for printing on a Postscript printer. Publications stored in postscript files cannot be viewed until they are printed.
• (.zip), a zipped (compressed) file. The unzipped file is usually too large to download easily unless it is compressed. After you download it you must unzip the file to print it.
• (.exe), a zipped (compressed) file that can unzip itself. You must double click on the file name in your file manager to unzip the file after it is downloaded. You must unzip the file to read the contents or print it.

Some publications are also available offline in alternative formats for people who are blind or have visual impairments.