Charlene Polanosky (from Essential Kystrokes) has beat me to the punch this week and has written a great explanation of how to create your own PDF files from any other file that you might have.
I had been meaning to write something similar and then send it through to all the sites that are still posting links to Word documents on their websites (a pet peeve of mine).
What many people don’t realise is that office-type documents (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations) as well as most other applications are very specific in who can read the file you create (you must have the smae applications, at the same or new version). Applications have different versions, on different operating systems and will render the document layout in different ways.
What you might think is a gret looking document can end up looking like a pre-schooler just got through with it. Or the person trying to read it may not be able to open it at all. Worst of all is that many of those office documents are open to attracting viruses (achoo! sorry you must have caught that cold/virus too).
If you create a PDF file (which standards for Portable Document Format) you will increase the readability, deliverability and professionalism of your electronic documents.
No excuses now! Thanks to Char for ticking that one off the list for me.
5 responses so far ↓
1 Char
// Feb 9, 2008 at 12:06 am
Leah - thanks for highlighting my post. I figured after the topic came up three times in less than a week, it needed to be addressed. Your explanation of why you should use PDF is right on the money!
2 Marc Lehmann
// Feb 10, 2008 at 4:39 am
A good reason to create/send PDFs instead of actual XL or Word Docs is “tracking”. If you are editing say a quote/pitch In MS word and all the changes are being “tracked” then a smart customer who has received it can view changes in your Doc after it has been received. It can be devasting for a business when the customer sees the quote started at $1,000 and went up to $2,000
PDF’s remove this problem and add a rigidity and more accessible/storable format to your work.
Good article Leah
3 Leah
// Feb 12, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Great point Marc. I actually know of that happening in a tender for a large corporate communications network where both a paper and electronic submission was required. In that situation there was much more than a couple of $,000s at stake.
4 Chris
// Feb 27, 2008 at 5:15 pm
It’s not CREATING pdf files i need help with it’s how to be able to create forms that i send as pdf but my reader can complete (ie fill in the form) and return a beautifully-typed (not scibbled) set of information for me.
Could you teach us that some time please Leah?
5 Leah
// Feb 27, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Creating PDF Forms hey Chris
For that one you will need the full blown Adobe Acrobat (start saving now).
You are actually the 3rd person that has asked me to create some help on that one so I think that I might just have to do it.
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