With the popularity of genealogy books and Legacy QuickGuides in PDF format on the rise here at Legacy Family Tree, many of you are asking if they can be transferred to your tablet or smartphone for reading. The answer is yes!
What is a PDF?
PDF stands for Portable Document Format. A PDF is an electronic file that you can view on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. This is the major difference between a PDF file and a printed book. While it is difficult to completely replace the feel of a printed book, a PDF book offers many advantages:
- Portability – a PDF book can be read on your laptop, PC (or Mac), your tablet, or your smartphone
- Searching – you can search for any word or phrase in a PDF book
- Printing – you can print selections of a PDF book, or even copy/paste your favorite quotes into your word processor for further review
- Cost – since there are no physical materials (like paper) involved, PDF books are often much cheaper, although not usually free – the author and publisher still need to recoup their costs and make a little money
- Delivery – after purchasing a PDF book from our online store, you are sent the email with the download instructions within one business day (but usually much faster than that).
Legacy QuickGuides
Our Legacy QuickGuides contain four or more pages of valuable information and the best web links covering a variety of genealogy research topics. They are written by genealogists and family historians who are experts in subject areas. 93 guides are now available from our online store. Each Legacy QuickGuide can be viewed on your PC, tablet, or smartphone.
PDF Books at LegacyFamilyTreeStore.com
We also offer an expanding number of PDF books with my very own, Kindred Voices: Listening for our Ancestors, being the newest in the library. All books can be read on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
- Legacy Family Tree 8 User's Guide
- The Official Unofficial Guide to Using Legacy Family Tree by Geoff Rasmussen
- The Legacy Family by Mark Lang
- Kindred Voices: Listening for our Ancestors by Geoff Rasmussen
- Digital Imaging Essentials by Geoff Rasmussen
- Online State Resources for Genealogy by Michael Hait
- Family History Toolbox by Paul Larsen
- Using Google Power to Connect to Your Ancestors by Paul Larsen
- The Guide to FamilySearch Online by James Tanner
- Crash Course in Family History by Paul Larsen
- The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy by Val Greenwood
- Finding Italian Roots by John Coletta
- In Search of Your German Roots by Angus Baxter
- The Digital Family History Guidebook by Marlo Schult
- Genealogical Research in Nebraska by Ruby Coleman
- Preserving Your Family's Oral History by Thomas McEntee
- Pinning Your Family History by Thomas MacEntee
- Family History Trippin': a Guide to Planning a Genealogy Research Trip by Thomas MacEntee
- Guide to Wolfram|Alpha for Genealogy and Family History by Thomas MacEntee
- Digging Deeper: Using Essential Pre-1850 Records by Karen Clifford
Viewing the PDF on your tablet or smartphone
After purchasing and downloading the PDF book or Legacy QuickGuide, you are able to view the book on your computer really easily, through the use of Adobe Reader. 99.9% of computers already have it installed, but if you need the latest version, visit http://www.adobe.com/go/getreader/
Transferring the PDF to your tablet or smartphone takes a little more effort. If you have the cable the connects your device to the computer, it should be pretty easy. It is usually a USB cable that connects the two together. Once connected, navigate to the file on your computer, copy it (right-click, then select copy) then paste it to your device (right-click, then select paste). Personally, I copied the PDF to my USB drive, then inserted the USB drive into my tablet.
If you use Dropbox, you will find it very simple to transfer the files to your mobile device. Just copy the PDF to your Dropbox folder on your PC, and it will show up in your mobile device's Dropbox folder. Of course, you will need to install the Dropbox app on your tablet or smartphone first.
Finally, you will need to install the Adobe Reader app on your mobile device. Just navigate to the store (Play Store on Android devices) and search for and install this app. You will then be able to view any PDF book or Legacy QuickGuide with you – wherever you are!
On the iPad you can use the in built app iBooks to open PDFs. Open the link to the PDF in Safari, tap the screen near the top right of the document, choose ‘open in’, I choose iBooks. The PDFs can then be moved into categories. Also with Dropbox, to be able to view on the tablet when offline, choose the star icon, that way it saves it to your device, still opens in Dropbox, without having to be on the Internet.