Frequently Asked Questions

I'm getting the error "font contains a bad cmap encoding".  What is this?
The "Bad Cmap encoding error" is seen in earlier versions of Adobe Acrobat reader. The document you are trying to view uses some features which are only supported in more recent versions. To fix the problem, you can download and install the more recent version of Adobe Acrobat reader from their Web site. Once you download and install this program, you should have no problems reading the PDF file that you have downloaded. You will NOT need to re-download the PDF documents.

Sometimes when I load a PDF from your web site and try to print it, I get an error.
This error can pertain to many things.  The one event the webmaster sees happening a majority of the time is that people are not allowing the document enough time to download.  Here's how it works. Many of our PDF documents are created with the capability called "Fast Web View".  This allows the first couple of pages of a PDF to be displayed before the entire document has completed download.  If you try to print before the entire document is downloaded, the computer will give you an error. In most web browsers, you'll see a Download Progress bar at the bottom of the screen.

When I opened the PDF file on my computer, a warning box appeared notifying me that I did not have the WPMathA font and that certain characters would not appear or print correctly. What's the deal?
The WPMathA font is a specific font used with WordPerfect for Windows documents. Whenever we create a PDF from an older version of WordPerfect (version 8 or below) the WPMathA font is not embedded in the PDF. You see, most PDFs created have the necessary fonts they'll need for printing embedded right in the document. This is done to allow you to print the document and get the exact same results as we get with the original. Older versions of WordPerfect do not allow certain restricted fonts from being embedded. Unfortunately, these fonts are usually the ones which are used for special characters (things like bullets, international characters, or dingbats). You can still print the document but your final printed copy may have rather odd characters in the place of bullets. If you are on a Windows computer with WordPerfect installed, you shouldn't have a problem. That's why some people may get this warning while others may not.

When I go to the web site and click on the link, I open the file and it asks me if I want to view it in Word Pad, since it is too large for Notepad. I answer yes. Once it opens, all I have is machine code. I can not read anything. Any suggestions?
This happens because they do not have the Adobe Reader installed on their computer... therefore, their browser is not recognizing the PDF as a document. It is attempting to open the PDF with the programs available on their computer -- simply put, it doesn't work that way. They need to go to the Online Publications area of our web site, read the directions, and install the free Adobe Reader.

Often times this may happen if they have reinstalled Netscape (or any other browser) and the "plug-in" for the Adobe reader was "deleted" with the old copy. It's always a good idea to reinstall the Adobe Reader from time to time just to keep the newest version on their machine. It may seem like a hassle but there's no other option.

There's a document I have previously seen published by the Department of Education (in paper form), however I do not see it in the Electronic Library. Is there any way you can place it in the Library?
You bet -- maybe... The publishing industry is in a time of transition. Many documents that were once printed on paper are now being made available electronically. Previously, a document may have been created on PageMaker (or any other page layout program), printed, and the original electronic file deleted. If this is the case...the answer is no. It can't be placed in the Electronic Library. If the document is available "on disk", it can be converted and placed in the library -- as long as you provide us with the correct name of the document or the individual from which it was originally obtained.

I have the document I wish, but it won't print. What am I doing wrong?
You're probably doing nothing wrong. Some of the documents we provide for download on the Indiana Department of Education web site are large, complicated, and have many graphics. This can be a strain on computers that have very little system resources -- low memory, too many extensions installed, too many programs running at the same time (etc). This is not something the IDOE can fix. You'll need to take a good close look at your computer and determine which extensions or system resources to disable.

Another option is to print "a range" of the document at any given time. For example, let's say you want to print the Mathematics Academic Standards. It might be a good idea if your printing stops after seven pages to tell the computer the next time to print pages 1 to 5...then 6-10...and so on.

I have downloaded a document from the IDOE web site -- will I be charged as if I ordered a printed copy?
No. There is no charge for downloading documents from the IDOE web site.

Why are the Academic Standards and other documents broken down into a number of rather small files?
Files are broken down into smaller files for downloading because some people using these documents may have slower and unreliable Internet connections. When using a dial-up connection to the Internet, sometimes the connection is broken. If this occurs, the individual must download the file from the beginning. By breaking it into smaller files, if the connection is broken, little time is wasted.

How can I tell if a document I need is available?
It will be listed in the Electronic Library. Some documents may be available in other areas of the web server in which case every effort will be made to link them to the Electronic Library.

What is a PDF?
PDF stands for Portable Document Format. Any document at IDOE can be converted into a form that can be opened, browsed, and printed from almost any computer platform. The ingenious developers at Adobe have developed a method for these operations to take place on any computer with the same results. In a nutshell, I can print a document here at IDOE with my Macintosh, and you can print the same document in your office on a Windows machine -- the resulting print jobs will look almost (if not exactly) the same.

Why can't I fill out the forms online and send my information directly to IDOE over the Internet?
At the present time we do not have plans to receive information from a PDF form over the Internet.

I have Adobe Reader 2.1. Why can't I open any of the PDF documents from IDOE?
All IDOE PDFs have been created using the latest compression schemes available. These are made possible using Adobe Acrobat Professional 6. It's always a good idea to download the latest version of the free Adobe Reader to take advantage of the latest technological advances.

Do I have to have the ADOBE Reader in order to view/print these documents?
Yes. However, you can open PDF files in other programs such as Freehand (or any program that will read the Portable Document Format). On any Macintosh running OSX, you can open and print PDF files without having the Adobe Reader installed.