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An Introduction To The PDF File Format

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
86 views9 pages

An Introduction To The PDF File Format

Uploaded by

AMIT GUPTA
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The PDF file format has been around for decades — but it is still one of

the most popular formats on the web. PDFs are popular because they
can be opened and read on any device, no matter what kind of
software it uses.

But there are many downsides to using PDFs, which don't play nicely
with either the web or mobile devices. We think they're going the way
of fax machines and beepers (remember those?), but it's still worth
knowing the ins and outs of this popular format.

In this guide, we give you:

A longer introduction of the PDF

A brief history of the PDF

Some basic pointers on using PDFs


What is a PDF?

The PDF, or Portable Document Format, is a file type that uses


compression and security features to keep documents looking the
same regardless of what device they are opened on.

PDF files are commonly used for document sharing and printing
because they preserve the original formatting of the document, no
matter what device or platform they are viewed on. Most PDFs
contained text and images, but they can also contains a range of other
objects, including hyperlinks, editable form fields, vector images, raster
images, digital signatures, and buttons.
PDF format was created by Adobe in 1991. It was originally known as
Portable Document Format, and was designed to create a document
that looked the same on any device. The specifications of the PDF
have since been standardised as ISO 32000.

The Adobe PDF was originally designed as a way to help businesses


share documents electronically. At a time when most computers could
only display simple text and images, the PDF was revolutionary. It
allowed users to include complex formatting and layout in their
documents, making them much easier to read on screen.

Much has changed on the web since then, and many of the most
common uses cases for PDFs are migrating to other formats, including
HTML web pages. But the PDF remains a stubbornly popular format.
There are many different ways to create a PDF. The easiest is to use a
PDF creator like Adobe Acrobat or one of the many online tools
available. You can also export documents to PDF from just about every
office app you can think of, including major Microsoft Office tools —
like Microsoft Word documents and Powerpoint presentations —
Google Docs, and more.

If your PDF is too large, you can use a compressor — Adobe offers a
free online tool, though there are many — to reduce the file size.

How to edit a PDF

PDFs are not easy to edit, as they are intended for viewing rather than
editing. However, there are some software programs that allow for
limited editing of PDFs. If you need to make changes to a PDF, the
best way to do it is with Adobe Acrobat. This software gives you the
ability to add, delete, and rearrange pages as well as edit the text and
images within the document. There are also a number of online tools
that can be used to edit PDFs, though they may not have all the
features of Adobe Acrobat.

How to open a PDF

In order to view a PDF, you will need a PDF reader like Adobe Acrobat
Reader or one of the many other options available. All operating
systems — and definitely Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Android,
and IOS — come with a default PDF reader. There are also a number of
paid and free PDF viewers on the web.
The benefits of PDFs

PDFs can be accessed on any device

PDFs are one of the most universal document formats because they
can be read by nearly any computer or device. This is thanks to the
PDF format's open standard, which means that anyone can create a
PDF document without requiring special software. Additionally, most
web browsers have built-in support for PDFs, so they can be easily
viewed online.

PDFs preserve the original formatting of


the document

PDFs preserve the original formatting of a document, no matter where


or how they are viewed — including fonts. This means that PDFs will
always look exactly as they are supposed to, whether they are viewed
PDFs can be made relatively secure and
confidential

PDFs are encrypted, meaning that only authorised users can access
the contents of the document. In addition, PDFs can be password
protected, ensuring that only those with the correct password can view
or print the document.

The downsides to PDFs

PDFs are painful to read on phones


For most government agencies around the world, the preferred format
for web content is now HTML, with PDFs only to be used in specific
circumstances. In fact, the UK Government's accessibility guidelines
made the new rules for government agencies painfully clear: “If you
publish a PDF or other non-HTML document without an accessible
version, you may be breaking the law.”

PDFs are not search engine optimised

When was the last time you saw a PDF on the first page of Google?
While PDFs can be technically indexed in search, they perform poorly.
As a result, any content you put up as a PDF on the internet will
receive only a small number of visitors from organic search. By using a
PDF, you eliminate the most effective — and cheapest — form of
content distribution you have. Although some content producers like
PDFs for the design flexibility they provide, it's a waste of money to
create attractive, well-produced material only to have it go unnoticed.

They don't provide rich analytics

PDFs don't provide analytics in the same way that web pages do. Web
pages can be tracked to see how many people visit them, how long
they stay on the page, and what links they click on. PDFs can't provide
this same level of data. This can make it difficult to gauge the success
of a PDF campaign or to troubleshoot problems.
PDFs are a popular format for online documents, but they have a major
flaw: they’re not accessible. PDFs are designed to be printed, not read
on screen, which makes them hard to navigate for people with
disabilities. Screen readers, which are used by people who are blind or
have low vision, can’t always read PDFs accurately, and people with
cognitive disabilities may have trouble understanding the information
in a PDF. In addition, PDFs often don’t work well with mobile devices,
making it difficult for people to access them on the go. While there are
some workarounds for these problems, the best solution is to avoid
using PDFs altogether. Use HTML or plain text instead, which are
universally accessible formats that will work on any device.

Learn more about the limitations of PDFs.

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