PDFs are everywhere today—and they continue finding new use cases in digital environments every year. Many popular ways to use PDFs today exist, from providing a platform for creating essential business documents to facilitating independent publishing. Why is that, however? A quick look at all the advantages the format offers—from the crucial flexibility to edit a PDF to advanced features—provides insight into why there are now trillions of PDFs worldwide.
PDFs Were Built to Work Anywhere
PDFs were designed to work well and display correctly on any computer system from their original creation. That's still true today, even as digital environments have changed. A PDF still displays its contents faithfully on any platform- whether a Windows PC, an Apple MacBook, a tablet, or even a smartphone—it's always consistent.
PDFs Are Easy to Share
Since PDFs are so portable (it's in the name, after all), you don't have to worry about difficulties in sharing them anywhere—on Teams, in Slack, via email, or one of many other ways. You can even print a PDF for a faithful hard copy you can distribute in a meeting or mark up by hand for later edits.
PDFs Deliver Faithful Content Reproduction Everywhere
Swapping files between different formats during the production process or copying text can lead to poor formatting that doesn't meet your expectations. Formatting irregularities can ruin a day in the office when an important presentation is due. PDFs don't have this problem. With the right software, you can even faithfully convert PDFs into other formats or vice versa.
PDFs Can Archive Data for the Long Term
Over time, even computer files that seem simple can become inaccessible due to changing technologies. The regular PDF incorporates many elements, such as some fonts, that might not remain standard or useful over time. Today's PDF standard includes the PDF/A format—a highly stable solution for the long-term storage of data and a perfect tool for many business users.
PDFs Are Easy to Use Securely and Safely
Securing a PDF is simple to keep unauthorized users from viewing content or taking particular actions, such as printing the document or editing its contents. With powerful password encryption available, PDFs offer users an easy way to maintain security without compromising on the usefulness of the format.
PDFs Offer File Size Flexibility
To some, PDFs have a reputation for large and unwieldy file sizes. Indeed, a file with very high-resolution images across hundreds of pages can be massive—but you can control PDF file size with many tools. Various compression and quality options mean you can shrink a PDF to a more manageable size with just a few clicks, offering you broad flexibility.
PDFs Can Be Interactive
PDFs aren't just static documents. You can create them to provide a degree of interactivity for users, too. For example, you might complete a fillable PDF form that provides a quick digital way for someone to submit information to a business. You can also use e-signature integration so that users can fill, sign and send a document all from within one application.
Equip Yourself With a Powerful Way to Handle PDF Files Today
Portability, flexibility, security and more—PDF files have so many advantages that it's hard to name them all. Leveraging these benefits for smarter ways to work is simple, too. With Kofax Power PDF, you can enjoy a fully-featured, highly cost-effective solution that lets you edit any PDF and do more with every document. Discover more about Power PDF's exciting features when you explore a trial today.
