PDFs are the most widely-used file format for reading. PDFs are used on computers, tablets, and phones, and they’re even available in the Kindle app. But why? What makes PDFs so popular? And should you use them instead of Word documents for your next project? In this article, I’ll explain some of the top reasons why PDFs are still the best format for reading.
Easy to edit and distribute
One of the reasons PDFs work so well is that they’re easy to edit, distribute, and share. The first two are self-explanatory — because you have the document in one file, you can easily update it from anywhere (and if you need to, you can just send an updated file). And since it’s a single file rather than multiple pieces of paper or scattered files on your computer hard drive, it’s very easy for people to get their hands on the document as well.
You can also use PDFs as templates for creating other documents such as Word documents or Excel spreadsheets by inserting pages from a PDF into those types of files (this process is called “importing”). This makes it easy for anyone who needs access to certain information without having access rights directly within those programs themselves. For instance, say your boss wants a copy but doesn’t want any changes made — just import.
You can easily convert webpages and MS Office files into PDFs
To convert a webpage to a PDF, navigate to the page in question and open it in Google Chrome. Then, click the three dots on the right side of your address bar then select “Save as PDF” from the drop-down menu.
To convert an MS Office file to a PDF or vice versa, you can use online tools like PDFSimpli. This PDF editor gives you a plethora of editing options and allows you to take different file formats and save as PDF. Besides, if you’re want to know how to rotate PDF and save, this tool is all you need.
PDFs will always display the same way, no matter where you open them
A PDF is a document that will always display the same way, no matter where you open it. This means that whether you’re reading on a desktop computer, phone, or tablet, the PDF will look exactly like it does in your browser (or any other third-party app).
There are two reasons why this is important: firstly, if you hand out printed copies of your report to clients and colleagues, then everyone will see exactly what you intended. Secondly, if someone wants to refer back to your report later, then they can use any device with access to the internet and still be able to read it just as well as when they first received it from you. No need for separate versions for different platforms – one file does all that needs doing.
Easy to protect
PDFs are easy to protect as you can add a password to the document if you want to restrict access. You can also encrypt it with a digital signature, which will show up in the file properties. That way, anyone who opens the document will know that it hasn’t been altered since it was created by its creator and/or owner.
PDFs are also easy to restrict on printing and copying: simply set an allowed range of pages or pages before or after (or both). If you want even more control over what users can do with your PDFs, set restrictions on editing as well; this option displays a warning message when someone tries to edit certain parts of the file.