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What are the advantages of using a PDF?

The PDF is the original Adobe Acrobat file format which has been used since the program was launched in 1995. Since this time, its use has expanded across platforms and operating systems, and we now use PDFs on a daily basis, often without giving them a second thought.

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They are secure and can be easily password protected

One of the most obvious advantages of using PDF files is the fact that the content can be ‘locked’ automatically. A file can be created in Word or Excel, for example, and can then be converted to PDF format. Once the file has been converted, the original information can no longer be accessed or edited. The file can be easily made more secure by being password protected through the use of the ‘file and protect’ option and this can then be attached to an email to be sent securely.

They can be viewed by everyone

There are now endless devices, platforms and software packages out there, all of which behave slightly differently. The PDF format is a ‘universal format’ which means that it doesn’t matter whether you have a MAC, a PC, an Android or iPad, a phone or a games console, they should all be able to handle a PDF file. You might need to download a PDF Viewer to see the file, but that’s normally free and easy to download from Adobe itself.

Visually appealing and compatible

The file is easily navigated with a menu panel on the right, and it fits easily into one window, making it simple to read and zoom in, if needed. Originally designed to create a booklet to be easily viewed and printed, PDFs are also readily compatible with other popular windows programs. They can be converted from PDF to Excel really simply through the use of popular conversion tools, such as https://pdftables.com/, a tool which takes your existing PDF file, removes all of the unnecessary formatting and allows you to open it in Excel.

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The PDF file is also invaluable for official educational establishments and universities, who use them as a way of transferring information between themselves and their students – see the information provided here by the University College London as an example: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/how-to/creating-pdf-files-windowsfile-explorer.

Many official organisations use the format because of its convenience and cross-platform compatibility.

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