When you install Contribute on a Windows machine, you automatically install Macromedia FlashPaper. FlashPaper lets you create Flash documents from any type of printable document. Flash documents are typically much smaller than other document types, and you can view them in any browser that supports Flash, or directly in Flash Player.
You can view Flash documents across platforms, and retain the formatting, graphics, fonts, special characters, and colors of source documents, regardless of the application and platform used to create the document. For example, if you created a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet on a Windows XP computer, you can use FlashPaper to convert it to a Flash document (SWF file), and then send it to a Macintosh user.
Because you can embed a Flash document in a web page, you can publish file types that most people can't easily view on the web today, such as Microsoft Project, Microsoft Visio, and even QuarkXPress and AutoCAD. When a user opens your web page, the Flash document opens instantly, so the user can view the file without leaving the web page.
Flash documents also work well as stand-alone files. Anyone who has Flash Player installed on their computer can view Flash documents, and anyone who has Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on their computer can view PDF files.
By using the FlashPaper Printer utility that automatically installs with Contribute, Windows and Macintosh users can easily convert any printable document to a Flash document (SWF file) and insert it in a web page. The FlashPaper Printer works on Macintosh OS 10.2.6 and later, and Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 2000 operating systems.
You can convert a document to a Flash document in Contribute (Windows only) or in another application (Windows and Macintosh). You cannot edit a Flash document; if you need to update the document, make changes to the original document, then convert it again to a Flash document.
Note: Currently the stand-alone version of the FlashPaper application is not supported on the Macintosh. However, Macintosh users can still create Flash documents by using the FlashPaper Printer utility that installs with Contribute.
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