HELP on DU PDFs

Q: Do you still offer The Daily Universe over Newsstand.com?
A: No. We terminated our Newsstand agreement some time ago.

Q: Why are some editions missing from the sequence -- why are there holes?
A: We don't have all of the editions on PDF. In a very few cases, the edition was so flawed that we pulled it down rather than dramatically change it. The PDF product is a service, and we don't guarantee every edition will be there.

Q: Why is it that sometimes the files don't go online at the correct time?
A: Normally, the files will be listed in the list starting at midnight. Occasionally, due to oversight or technical problems, either the file will not be posted or not be added to the list by our night crew; in such cases, it may be 8-9 a.m. before the systems director notices the problem and fixes it. If you see it's not posted when you expect it to be there, feel free to call it to our attention at the address drgibson@newsroom.byu.edu, or the address below.

Q: Why would I read it as a PDF when I can read the stories on your webserver?
A1: Some people prefer to read information from the DU in a more traditional-looking format. Others prefer the web version.
A2: The PDF version is typically the same thing you see in the printed version of the DU. The website version is not necessarily the same, since the print and web versions of the stories are edited by different editors, have differing deadlines, and are subject to different space requirements. Unlike traditional "newspaper websites," we do not consider our website to be the same as The Daily Universe.
A3: The PDF version has the advertising appearing in the DU.
A4: The PDFs include news not generated by the DU staff; the web version is staff-only.
Incidentially, the web version includes material not appearing in the DU, including video and features that are web-only. You really need both.

Q: You say "typically the same thing you see in the printed version of the DU." Why the "typically?"
A1: Although in most cases the PDFs are lower resolution versions of the exact pages you see in the printed version, sometimes we may decide to edit them after they've gone to the printer. Let's face it: sometimes we make mistakes, and we really don't want those mistakes to persist forever on Google if we can fix them. So, we reserve the right to change stuff. That doesn't mean we're going to do it every day, but it will happen from time to time.
A2: Sometimes, the PDF versions may lack something that was in the printed version. We have compiled these PDF files from a group of material that was saved in a sometimes-haphazard way. For example, a few editions lack the classified pages, because the people who were supposed to save that stuff didn't do it, (for some reason known only to them). Other times, an ad or feature may not reproduce correctly, or a missing font may cause odd characters to be displayed instead of what we actually printed.

Q: Sometimes when I download the file, I get a message from Adobe Reader telling me the file is "damaged and cannot be repaired." Why do you put up broken files?
A: The file is actually correct. This not-too-helpful Adobe error message may indicate errors in the way the file was received by your computer. If you get this message, try right-clicking the link (or control-clicking for Mac users with one-button mice) and choose "Save target as" or "Save link as" or some other variant (depending on what browser you use), and save the file locally. Then double-click the file to bring it up in Adobe Reader. I've never had a problem with a "damaged" file when I bring it up in this manner, but I've had a lot of problems with Adobe Reader when I just point and click. In fact, this method is the one I use most often for all large PDF files, since Adobe Reader tends to hang a lot otherwise.

Q: When I open the file in Preview on my Mac, I only see the first page.
A: Some older versions of Preview don't display PDFs correctly. Try installing the free Adobe Reader for your Mac. It will show all the pages. If you want to persist in using Preview, follow this link (opens in another window/tab).

Q: Can I print the pages at my home?
A: Sure you can, if your printer can print them. Try reducing the image when you print, or you can tile them if you're adventurous enough.

Q: Can I send the PDF files to someone via email?
A: Sure you can. Just save the files locally and attach them to an email, or use the "Send for review" feature if you're using the full version of Adobe Acrobat. Keep in mind that the files can be a bit large.

Q: Can I save the files locally, so I can keep the DU for all time?
A: I guess you could, if you wanted to, but it seems like an odd hobby. See the "right-click" instructions above.

Q: Why are the files so large?
A: There's a lot of stuff there, including graphics and text, and the page size is large. We actually downsample the size from what we use to print the DU -- the original, high-res files run hundreds of megabytes.!

Q: Can I get a higher resolution version of the DU PDFs, for whatever reason?
A: Nope. The only version we offer the public is the low-res, downsampled version.

Q: Can I repost them somewhere else, or take elements from the PDFs for my own purposes?
A: No. We own the copyrights on them, and we pursue people who abuse those copyrights. We do allow you to print them and save them locally, but please don't abuse that and force us to get nasty about things.

Q: Do you have older versions of the DU online?
A: Our PDF versions extend back to June 26, 2003. That's as long as we've been creating PDF versions of the newspaper. If someone with money wants to give us $200,000-$300,000 or so, we'll look at scanning the older editions. Otherwise, this is it.

Q: How about FlashPaper versions?
A: Nice thought -- but as much as we like FlashPaper, we're pretty skeptical that Adobe will keep FlashPaper alive.

Q: I've got a question I don't see covered here. Who can I write?
A: Drop us a line to our online address: online@newsroom.byu.edu. We'll get back with you.

Copyright 2024, The Daily Universe and Brigham Young University.


Last edit: Oct. 6, 2009, DRG