How to set the page and zoom a PDF opens at
Use File > Initial view in PDF by Zaweba to write into a PDF how it should open, so every reader starts with the view you chose. Binding is there too.
Set it with File > Initial view in PDF by Zaweba. The PDF format lets a file carry its own opening view, and this command writes that view into the document, so when someone opens it the reader follows your choice rather than its own defaults. Save the file afterwards and the setting travels with it.
Most PDFs open at page one with whatever zoom the reader's software prefers. That's fine for a letter. For a form that starts on page three after two pages of guidance notes, a drawing that's unreadable unless it fills the window, or a presentation that should open ready to show, choosing the opening view makes a better first impression.
What the initial view is
The initial view is information stored in the PDF about how it should be displayed when opened. It isn't a setting in your copy of the app; it belongs to the file. That means it affects everyone who opens the document, which is the whole point.
PDF by Zaweba both writes it and follows it. When you open a PDF that has an initial view, the app opens it that way, just as you would expect another reader to do with a file you made.
Writing the opening view
Open the document and choose File > Initial view. Set how you want the document to open, then confirm.
Save the file. The initial view is part of the document, so it only takes effect once saved.
Close the file and open it again to check. It should open exactly as you set it. If you're sending it to others, this quick test is worth the few seconds.
Binding and reading direction
The same part of the File menu has Binding, which sets the reading direction. Documents in languages read from right to left, such as Arabic or Hebrew, should be bound on the right, so that two-page spreads appear in the right order and pages turn the way readers expect. For most English documents the default left binding is correct.
Word count is also in the File menu, handy when you need to know the length of a document without copying it all into another program.
Choosing a sensible view
Think about the reader's screen. A view that looks perfect on a large monitor may be awkward on a laptop. Settings that fit the page to the window tend to travel better than a fixed zoom.
Match the opening view to the purpose. A brochure designed in spreads looks best opening in a two-page layout with a cover page. A form is best opening at the first page someone needs to fill in. A long report may be best opening with its bookmarks visible, so the reader sees the outline straight away.
Don't fight the reader. Some people have their own preferences set, and some PDF readers let users ignore a document's initial view. Treat it as a helpful starting point, not a lock.
Related tools
If you want a document to behave like a slideshow, Pages > Page transitions adds effects between pages and a display time for full screen. Pages > Page actions can make something happen when a page opens or closes, such as going to another page or opening a web address. Together with the initial view, these let you shape how a PDF is experienced, not just how it looks.
All of this is done offline in PDF by Zaweba, and the settings you write are standard parts of the PDF format, so they work for readers using other PDF software too.
