Instead of attaching a document to an email being distributed to large numbers of recipients, an excellent option is to save it to a GoogleDocs account, and sharing access to it. This is a far more effective way of sharing documents. The basic steps are:

1. First, "Save" the document on your computer (.doc, .docx, .pdf, etc.).
2. Open your Gmail account.
3. Open your "Documents" (top of the page).
4. Select "Upload / Files."
5. Browse for the document and select it.
6. There is no need to convert the document if you get a popup “Settings” box.
7. Once it is uploaded, click "Share."
8. In the "Share Settings" popup, select the way in which you wish to share, then "Save." (The second option, “Anyone with a link,” would be most useful if you are sharing this document via an email or announcement.)
9. You will be shown a url in "Link to share." Copy this address and paste it into your email message. When the recipients receive this email message, clicking this url link, or copy/pasting it into their address bar, will open the document.