What is it with the tech world and acronyms? If you’ve just about figured out DOCs and PNGs, then PDFs may be taking it too far.
PDF is one of the most popular formats online for document sharing. That may seem surprising when you consider the popularity of suites like Microsoft Office or G Suite, but it goes to show that PDF has something to offer.
But what is a PDF file used for? And what is a PDF anyway? Let’s take a look at both of those questions below.
What is a PDF Document?
Before we jump into its many uses, let’s take a look at what a PDF file actually is.
First, the acronym PDF stands for Portable Document Format. This format is a proprietary Adobe creation, but thanks to Adobe’s efforts to encourage a high adoption rate, the PDF format is in widespread use online.
That’s thanks, in part, to the niche it fills.
Unlike other document formats, a PDF file is WYSIWYG — What You See Is What You Get. A PDF will look the same no matter who opens it and no matter which device they open it on. The file will preserve its font and formatting regardless.
Compare that to a typical Word document. Foreign character encoding could be enough to cause a Word document to display as unreadable gibberish on a device without the correct font installed. Even saving a document in one program and opening it another could throw out its formatting.
PDF fills the niche of a secure and portable document format that maintains its integrity. With sharability so important to online content, it’s no surprise the PDF dominates.
Situations To Use a PDF File
So we’ve established that PDFs fill a vital niche role. But what does that mean in practice? For that, we need to see some use cases for PDF files. Let’s take a look at nine situations where you might use a PDF file.
1. When You Need to Preserve the Format
Moving a document from one device to another is like sending a letter to a foreign recipient. If you’re lucky, they’ll speak the language and see the letter as intended. Otherwise, they’ll see a load of nonsense.
Character encoding and installed fonts vary from device to device and program to program. A file created in Microsoft Word may look different when opened with OpenOffice Writer.
You can think of a PDF as a kind of photograph of your document. It will look the same wherever it goes, regardless of the recipient’s setup.
2. When You Need to Trust Security
PDFs come with a wide array of security options you can set when creating the document. By setting the correct security options, you can prevent people from copying, printing, or making changes to a PDF document.
That means that even when you provide the PDF source file, you can continue to protect the integrity of the document.
3. When You Need to Provide a Form
PDF files are a preferred format for generating fillable forms. You can set writable fields within the larger read-only document, which makes PDFs intuitive and secure for use as a form. Combined with their appealing but straightforward visual design, a PDF form is a clear and simple way to request information.
The way PDFs preserve their format will also keep your form looking as intended. In other document formats, your carefully-crafted form may fall apart when it moves between different apps.
4. When You Need to Make a Brochure
PDFs are one of the most popular ways to issue publications like newsletters, brochures, and presentations. Using PDF ensures that the publication will display the same for all viewers and that images are all presented in high quality.
With the flexibility of PDF, publications can lay out their content in an eye-catching way. PDFs will also preserve the integrity of the brochure for printing, so it offers a highly shareable way of delivering information.
5. When You Need an Electronic Signature
PDFs are an excellent way to create documents that may need a signature, like forms and contracts. The document will be read-only to recipients, but they can provide an electronic signature through a variety of lightweight programs.
The need for signatures was one of the few things keeping fax machines in circulation, so PDFs allow us to consign those awkward devices to history.
6. When You Need to Decrease the File Size
When you know what you’re doing, you can use PDF to combine multiple documents, including attached media. By combining documents without sacrificing quality, you can keep file sizes down.
7. When You Need to Guarantee Access
Although programs like Microsoft Office are widespread, they’re by no means universal. Microsoft Office comes with a price tag, and free alternatives don’t have anywhere near the market share.
But most browsers now support PDFs, and Adobe’s Reader software is free. In theory, anyone can access a PDF.
8. When You Need Mobile Support
Your typical document doesn’t travel well. They may be at home in the desktop environment, but the more proprietary nature of mobile OS can make moving documents to mobile devices a pain.
On the other hand, PDF will maintain its format across all devices, and will usually open in a mobile’s browser with no questions asked.
9. When You Need to Protect Integrity
The read-only nature of PDFs makes them a great choice for preserving the integrity of a document. Although there are PDF editors available online, carrying out changes to the actual metadata of the PDF takes some serious hoop-jumping without access to the source files.
Most PDF editors can only make changes to a PDF by “painting” over the original file.
Explained: What is a PDF File Used For?
If you’ve ever asked yourself “What is a PDF file used for?”, then by now, you should be able to see the vital niche they fill in document sharing. Their read-only, WYSIWYG formula makes them practical in ways that other document formats aren’t.
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