Skip Links

USGS Home Contact USGS Search USGS

Potential Problems in Accessing Online Publications

Difficulty opening or downloading a publication from the Publications Warehouse:

Here are some steps you can take to minimize the occurrence of error messages or other problems when opening or downloading a publication:

• First, clear your browser's cache (delete browser history) before opening documents more than once as file size may be quite large. If you need guidance on this step, click on your browser's Help option from the browser's main menu and then search for topics related to clearing a browser's cache or deleting a browser's history.

• Second, do not attempt to move from page to page before the PDF file fully downloads as this may freeze or lock the downloading process, causing error messages.

• If you are still having trouble downloading or viewing the document after you have cleared your browser's cache, try saving the document to your computer's desktop before opening it.

• Finally, the PDF standard is most compatible with recent updates of Adobe Reader, such as 9, X, or XI, so it is advisable to update your software if you are not using one of these versions. If you still receive error messages after trying the steps above, please contact the Publications Warehouse again.

False color rendering of bitmaps, such as photographs:

Chrome version 36.0.1985.125 running On Mac OS X often, but not always, renders bitmaps, such as photographs, incorrectly. Such images are rendered with a strong magenta hue. Google has been notified of this problem, which you can avoid by using a different browser.

Map sheet printing error:

Map sheets may not print from large plotters through some versions of Adobe Reader. These sheets may be printed with Foxit Reader. Download the latest version of Foxit Reader, free of charge.

Portable Document Format (PDF) bookmarks and some links do not work in the Google Chrome PDF Viewer:

The built-in PDF viewer found in the Chrome Web browser does not display PDF bookmarks and links do not always work appropriately. This can be corrected by disabling the built-in PDF viewer and enabling Adobe Reader by following the following directions.

• In Chrome, enter, "chrome:plugins" in the address bar to display the list of plugins that are currently available.

• Click the Disable link under the Chrome PDF Viewer plugin entry.

• Click the Enable link under Adobe Reader plugin entry.