Portable Document Format, which most people know simply as PDF, refers to a file format where text and image documents are presented independent of hardware, software, and operating systems. PDF was developed in the 1990s by Adobe. Over the years, this form of document presentation has continued to gain acceptance, especially in corporate quarters. Indeed, PDF has become so popular that any business can now implement it without necessarily requiring any royalties.
Apart from text and images, PDF supports other digital contents as well. Some of these include rich media such as video content and interactive annotations like form fields. PDF also supports 3-dimensional data formats, logical structuring elements, and even layers. There’s a host of benefits to using PDF, and many of those go beyond the mere presentation of digital data. Read on to uncover the top 7 benefits of using PDF for business.
Benefits of Using PDF Files
1. Fixed Document Format
It is easy to get your documents distorted as they are converted across different computers or operating systems. For instance, a document you create on word processor may lose some elements when you transfer it into an Excel spreadsheet.
Losing critical elements of a document can severely affect the overall integrity and credibility of such a document. Therefore, you require a system that keeps the contents of the document unchanged regardless of the platforms you convert the document into. And that’s where PDF files come in.
With PDF, your file formats will remain the same regardless of the location you open them. You can seamlessly access those files from any device or OS, provided the device supports PDF. Even better, the files are always print-ready. You need not make formatting alterations to print the document, which saves a great deal of your time.
2. Format is Ubiquitous
As we have already mentioned, you can share PDF files across various operating systems without distorting the content of the document. Apart from maintaining the accuracy of your files, there’s the added advantage of universality. Indeed, you can share a PDF file to any region across the world, and its contents will always be accepted without question.
Companies mostly prefer this file-sharing format as its contents are easy to view and process. You may have noticed that companies interacting with overseas clients insist that any digital documents be shared through PDF files. And that especially applies to image documents. That is because PDF ensures total accuracy of digital data, from images to texts and even drawings. Once you share your documents, you won’t have to prove the authenticity of the same.
3. Security is Guaranteed
Document security has always been a matter of utmost importance. A little act of negligence and your document could land into the hands of ill-intentioned people. Your sensitive data may be sold to third parties such as online merchants and used to shape your shopping habits. Worse yet, these shady characters might use your personal and financial information to commit cybercrimes. Therefore, you should be very careful when sharing sensitive data across multiple platforms.
Thankfully, you can do that hassle-free with PDF files. All you need to do is secure your files using a password. That way, you can determine who gains access to your documents. And conventional wisdom dictates that you always secure your PDF files using a strong password as that makes the files hacker-proof. A strong password is one that contains small and uppercase letters, as well as numbers and special characters. As an extra security measure, you should change your passwords regularly, especially when you suspect that the safety of your files may have been breached.
4. Small File Storage
It’s been a while now since the concept of paperless office became a reality. And many companies are continually catching up with the craze. One advantage of going paperless is that you save a lot of time and office space by transferring all your paper documents into digital footprints. In keeping up with that motivation, you deserve a digital file storage format that can compress as much data as possible into small files.
Regardless of the size of your documents, PDF will compress it into a small file size. That opens up extra storage space in your hard disk, allowing you to add your other business documents. It also makes it easy to access and retrieve your files. The best part is that even as PDF compresses your documents into smaller files, it doesn’t interfere with quality.
5. Supported by Any OS
PDF is one of the most compatible file sharing formats. It doesn’t matter whether you’re using Windows or MAC, you can create and share documents with ease. And needless to mention, the document formatting remains the same. Away from the office? Not to worry, as you can access your documents right from your mobile devices.
Whether yours is an Android or iOS, you can still enjoy the file sharing benefits of PDF. That’s a convenience you will enjoy most when you’re on vacation but need to access a business file urgently. With its seamless compatibility with computers, tablets, and mobile devices, PDF might just be the most flexible document sharing platforms out there.
6. Supports Non-Text Elements
Products like MS Word are very limited in the amount of data they can support. For instance, it’s easy to lose images, photos, and videos when you convert them from a word processor into another document. And even though you can now hyperlink, it still doesn’t guarantee a safe and accurate delivery of documents. That’s because hyperlinks can also be lost during document transfer.
Again, if it’s an image or video that’s only available on your PC, you may need to upload it on some website before the recipient can view them from the hyperlinks. So much for a business that operates under tight deadlines. With PDF, you can insert links, images, drawings, and notes, and these elements will always be transferred as they are. Apart from keeping the file contents accurate, this also adds some visual allure to your stored or transferred documents.
7. It’s Futuristic
We already mentioned that PDF is a globally-accepted format. This means businesses looking for an ideal file-sharing format are likely to opt for PDF. Therefore, technology is not only effective for now but will be even in the future. We can authoritatively say so because, over the years, many file sharing technologies have come and gone. However, PDF has stood the test of time.
We can expect a few changes and upgrades in the PDF technology, all in a bid to make it even more flexible and economical. But its fundamental features such as the ease of use, space-saving features, and accuracy of information will forever remain the same. If you are yet to implement this technology, here’s your chance to make a significant futuristic decision for your business.
Conclusion
There are so many advantages to using PDF that we cannot exhaust them in one post. No matter the industry you are in, you should consider adopting PDF for all your document sharing needs. Of course, you’ll need software that makes it easy to convert documents into PDF. Feel free to check here for more details on that.
short url:
