What’s Up, Doc? 5 Benefits of Using PDF Documents

Since Adobe introduced the PDF in 1991, the document format has become an office standard. Adobe PDF makes the exchange of documents regardless of software or hardware possible and easy.

PDF documents are useful for everything from invoices to contracts to forms. While you might have been using them for a while, here are five benefits you might not be aware of or taking advantage of.

1. Design Integrity

If you ever spent time creating a Word file, you probably know just how messed up the formatting can get if it gets opened in a different version of the software or on a different device type.

PDF files allow complete control over the end result of your file. Your content and layout stay the same no matter what operating system or device the user has for reading PDF files.

2. Content Types

One of the powerful things about the PDF format is the ability to integrate all kinds of content into your document. Interactive fields and buttons allow you to make great forms. Graphics and images punch up plain reports.

You can even use videos and audio files within a PDF, making any presentation or portfolio more interesting and useful.

3. File Size

Once you start adding lots of content types into a file, size becomes a concern. With a PDF, you can have a lot of data in there, and it can be compressed to a smaller file size that’s easy to send via email.

The ability to compress a file also means they take up less space on your hard drives. If your company has lots of documents it has to keep, this is a great way to avoid needing lots of storage space.

4. Easy and Convenient

Adobe made PDF an open standard in 2008, which has made it nearly ubiquitous. Many devices come with some form of PDF reader already installed, so PDF is a safe choice for sending a document.

Creating PDF files has also become easier as more and more software takes advantage of libraries such as itextsharp. You can make a file a PDF just by saving or printing.

5. Secure

One feature that gets overlooked is the ways you can make a PDF document secure. You can add watermarks, passwords, and digital signatures to any PDF to keep your content from being copied.

You can also grant different levels of access to a file. If you have sensitive data in your document, a password can keep it from being viewed by the wrong people. Access by other users can be limited to view-only, so they can’t make changes to the content.

PDF Documents Deliver

Whether you need consistent design or content security, PDF documents are the most convenient way to maintain control over how other people see your files. As an industry-standard file type, you can count on it to be readily available for years to come.

Check out our other articles to learn more about using tech and software for your business.