Portable Document Format or, more commonly known as “PDF”, has been around for nearly three decades now. It was born out of necessity. The main reason Adobe created PDF was that the world wanted a file format that could work completely independently of the hardware, software and the operating system.
As all file formats before PDF relied on the software and hardware they were being used in, transferring a file to a different computer meant the file copy that the receiver will get won’t be able to function properly. As PDF allowed files to work completely independently, it enabled PDF files to work without a hiccup on all sorts of computers and operating software.
PDF’s modern day success
Today, PDF is the most commonly used file format in the world. And, although the format was born out of necessity, over the years, it has gained lots of great features and it is these features and the benefits that they offer that are behind PDF’s modern day success. Whether it’s file compression, password protection or mobile access, PDF can do it all.
Also, word processors might be common today, but there are lots of different companies making lots of different word processors. And to make things worse, there are also lots of different versions of the same software. The problem with so much variation is that a file created in one specific word processor may not work on some other word processor.
It is important to make sure that the files you send to other people, work on their computers just as perfectly as they do on yours. And, to achieve that, your best option is to convert all your files to PDF using a word to PDF converter online.
PDF can do a lot more than you know
Today, people know PDF as the file format that enables files to look and work exactly the same across all operating software, computers, smartphones and other gadgets. Over the past few years, PDF has also become famous for allowing users to merge lots of different files in different formats into one seamless PDF file.
That’s all great, but did you know that PDFs are a lot more capable than this? Here are some other things PDF can handle without breaking a sweat;
Writing and publishing an e-book
Thanks to online book portals and the internet, the world has seen a rapid increase in book authors. Above that, more and more authors are turning towards becoming an independent writer and self publishing their books. There are lots of tools available online that a book author can use to help them write, review, edit and publish their ebook. But, if there is one file format that is considered the industry-wide norm in ebook, it’s PDF.
PDF retains the formatting and image quality hence enabling sure e-books to work flawlessly across all platforms.
Create a flawless presentation
The problem with presentation centric software like PowerPoint is that they were built only for one purpose, i.e. presentations. Whether it is their over the top slideshow effects, corny heading fonts or their inability to merge files, presentation centric software are limited in what they can do.
PDFs, on the other hand, are like an improved and much more capable version of a word processor. They cut back on the corny slideshow effects and allow users to merge any other files into a PDF. This will enable you to create a professional presentation that can have all the numbers, tables, charts and screenshots that you want.
Also, as PDFs requires Adobe Acrobat or a special PDF editor to edit PDF files, your presentation will be a lot safer. On the other hand, PowerPoint or Word presentations can be edited on almost any computer that has a word processor on it.
Legal/ Medical record keeping
PDF is also the most preferred file format among legal and medical sectors. For legal procedures, it is a must that digital files are stored in a file format that keeps an electronic signature of all devices that access the file. And with file encryption and other safety features, you can make sure all your legal papers will stay safe and secure on your hard drive.
Medical records can start to pile up, especially if a family member has a medical history. Instead of shoving all these papers into a cabinet where they will gather dust, you can scan all your medical documents and store them as PDFs on your computer. This will help keep everything organized and safe. Also, this will be really helpful if you need access to your medical papers while traveling.
Daily planner
Routine tasks can pile up and one can easily forget about an important event or meeting. Create a calendar PDF to keep track of everything. The reason why you keep skipping that one errand is that you haven’t been planning your day ahead. Making a planner, schedule your tasks and you will never miss anything.
Create a cookbook
From Grandma’s pie to Aunt Becky’s eggnog, every family has some classic recipes that they just have to pass on to the next generation. And what better way to do that than creating a digital PDF? From a video or audio recording to high quality photos, record all the recipes you want and keep them safe in a PDF cookbook.
In fact, instead of having to spend hours thinking about what to cook tomorrow, just go through your very own cookbook and decide. You can even download digital cookbooks from the internet to broaden the menu!
Conclusion
Now you know some other things that PDF can help you out with. But guess what? That was just the tip of the ice berg. PDFs can do even more! From Electronic press kits and business proposals to creating client portfolios. If it’s something that presenting information or keeping records, it can almost definitely be done on PDF.
