We work more and more through the Internet. And one of the fundamental parts of this job is writing and submitting documents. Between colleagues, or when we have to share a draft, we can work without problems with any text file format, such as DOCX, and even with documents in the cloud. However, when it comes to more professional things, the image we give is very important. And therefore, it is necessary to keep it high by using much more professional document formats, such as PDF .
And why use the PDF instead of another format, like DOCX or ODT? Next we are going to see the main advantages that the Adobe format gives us compared to the others.
It can be opened in any operating system with a multitude of programs
The PDF format has become an industry standard . Despite being a proprietary Adobe format, all operating systems are compatible with it for free. We can open them with their own program, Adobe Reader, or use one of the many PDF readers available, such as Edge, Foxit or Sumatra, to view them on our PC. Windows, macOS, and Linux have their respective programs for opening PDFs. In addition, we can also open these documents on other devices , such as smartphones.
Everyone knows the PDF format, so there will be no problem sending documents in this format.
PDFs take up little space
The text generally takes up hardly any space. However, if our document has graphics or images, the size of it can be triggered. The PDF format supports a wide variety of image compression algorithms , which will allow us to save a lot of space, something very interesting, especially when we are going to send these files to other people.
We have no font, style or structure problems
If we have ever opened a DOCX file on a different computer from the one we created it, we have surely put our hands on our heads. The font is not correct, the elements have been moved, the photos do not match … This happens because the document formats are designed to take up little space and, therefore, omit elements that are not considered interesting, as is the case of the sources.
The PDF format, by default, sends the source within the document itself . In this way, when you open it, it has the same structure and presentation that it had when you saved it. Style problems are over.
Digital signature and guarantees against PDF modifications
Can we imagine sending a personal document in Word, and that the receiver modifies it and makes it go through the one we have sent? This does not happen with the PDF format. The Adobe document format is designed to be unchangeable at first. However, there are programs to edit PDF, starting with Adobe Acrobat itself, so this statement is not entirely correct. Unless we have password protected it.
What is certain is that Adobe allows us to apply a digital signature to our documents. This signature is sent as part of the metadata, hashed, and allows us to ensure that the document has not been modified. In the event that a modification is made to it, the digital form is broken and, therefore, there are clues that the document is not the original that we have sent ourselves.
