Lots of churches still produce a print newsletter or flyers for events, and might want to create a link to download these PDF’s from their websites.

Step 1: Create a PDF

If your original document is is Microsoft Word or Publisher, you can easily save this as a PDF.  Look directly under the box for entering the file name, and there is a drop-down that lets you change the file type; one option is PDF.

Be sure to choose the options for “Minimum Size” for publishing on the web.  Remember where you saved the document.

There are also a number of “print to PDF” applications like this one, that will let you choose to create a PDF through “printing” the document from any application.  These options may not let you choose a minimized file size, and if you have a lot of graphics or images in your document, then your PDF may be large for uploading and downloading.

Step 2: Select your link text

Highlight with your cursor the text that you will make into the link.

Step 3: Upload your PDF

On the WordPress dashboard, look for the “Add Media” button, located right above the Bold & Italics buttons.  Click this button, and then click the link “Upload Files”.  You can either drag & drop your file in the uploader or click on “Select Files”, and get your PDF uploaded.

Step 4: Select & copy the URL of the uploaded file

On the right side of the media uploader, look toward the bottom of the gray box for a URL for the uploaded file.  Depending on how you uploaded your PDF, this link may be automatically highlighted, or you may need to select the link.  If you need to select it, put your cursor in the link, and then right-click and choose “Select all” to make sure you get the whole link highlighted.  Then copy this link to your clipboard, using either a Ctrl + C, or right-click + Copy.

Then– and this is counter-intuitive — do NOT click the “Insert into Post” button, but instead, click the X in the upper right corner to close the media uploader.

Step 5: Create the link

That URL is still on your clipboard.  Closing the media uploader will take you back to your post or page.  The text that you will be making into a link should still be highlighted, but you can always highlight it again.  Now just create a link like you normally would, looking for the chain icon in the top row.  (Click on the icon, paste in your link, click “Add Link”.)

After you publish or update the post/page, you should have a link to your PDF.  How this link behaves will depend on how the user has set up their browser to handle PDFs– it may download the file or it may open the PDF– you have no control over these options.