Believe it or not, before 1993, if you wanted to send a file from your Mac computer to someone who uses Windows, the result would be a tangled mess. Rather than looking like the document you sent, it would look like a Jackson Pollock painting.
The Portable Document Format, also known as the PDF was first started to share information between different systems. According to creator John Warnock, he wanted to ensure that a file looked the same everywhere it went.
While it’s easy to take the converted PDF for granted today, once upon a time, it was only a dream. Here are five reasons to use converted PDF files.
- PDF Documents Cannot Be Altered
In many instances, it’s important that a document cannot be altered in any way. While other documents, like Microsoft Word documents, can be altered and saved again, PDF files cannot. This makes them ideal for:
- Invoices
- Contracts
- Papers & essays
- Results
The PDF is the perfect document for conducting business. The ability to send and share information exactly as you intended makes the PDF an ideal document for sensitive information.
- PDF Documents Keep Their Formatting
One of the greatest benefits, PDF documents are supported by all devices, operating systems, and platforms. That means that PDFs keep their formatting no matter where you send them.
Trying to send something from Word Document to say a Mac, you may get the same content, but the formatting will be slightly different, if not drastically so. However, by using a converted PDF, you can send it anywhere without losing a bit of your hard work on formatting.
This is important for:
- Menus
- Catalogs
- Forms
- Flyers
Without the trusty PDF, important documents would look different depending on what device, platform, or operating system you used. Now, that’s a thing of the past.
- PDFs are Mobile Friendly
In our digital world, we need documents that can be supported across all devices, especially our mobile phones. Thanks to the PDF, you can send your friend your latest artistic creation, short story, or even full-book right to their phone without any issues.
This is especially important as more people are working virtually. Programmers can even use it for C# PDF generation to send important coding that requires the same formatting.
- PDFs Can Be Password Protected
Got something personal to send? No worries. With your converted PDF, you can make it password protected. That ensures that only the people you want to view it can see it with a special password. This is great for sensitive documents that need an extra layer of protection.
- Go Paperless
With the invention of the PDF, it opened up the possibility for companies to go paperless. This saves waste on paper, supports the environment, and keeps files intact for as long as you store them. No more looking over creased, worn files. Now, you can save a file as a PDF and keep it forever!
Converted PDF for the Win!
Before the converted PDF, working across systems, platforms, devices, and operating systems was a bit of a nightmare. There was no telling how your file would end up on the other end. Thanks to the invention of the PDF, those worries are a thing of the past.
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