6 Reasons Why PDF is Better than Word, Excel, or PowerPoint

The PDF format has many advantages over other publishing software and file types, which have made the PDF format the go-to style for creating and sharing information. PDF files can be shared with anyone across multiple platforms and systems. PDF files can be password-protected and do not require any special software or program to view and read. They can be of various lengths (text and file size) and still be reduced further to make them easier to store and share with others. Here are some of the other ways PDFs are better than Word, Excel, and many others. 

PDF Documents Are Universal

One of the major appeals of the PDF format is the easy shareability it offers. Users can create a PDF file anywhere and share it with as many people as they want without having to worry about the file’s content, its presentation, or readability since a PDF preserves all those crucial elements within the text. 

 

PDFs, especially up until recently, also do not require special software or programs to view the file, as all modern web browsers have a pre-installed extension that lets anyone view a PDF file. Other file types are unable to be viewed with any other program than the one that created it, which therefore makes it difficult to share or view without that program. 

 

PDF Files Are Secure

 

Given that a PDF file can be viewed and shared with anyone, it makes one think that it is open to all and easily accessible even to those who are not permitted to view its contents. Stopping unauthorized parties from seeing the file requires some basic security measures that are available for PDFs but not all other file types. 

 

PDF users can often attach password protection encryption to any file to protect it from being viewed by unauthorized users. The process is straightforward to do and often comes as a basic function of many PDF file editors. Some PDF editors also let users remove a password from a protected document if the original password should be lost or compromised. 

 

Easy to Create

With the right software or the best PDF editor, any file can become a PDF file, which makes them one of the easiest file types to create. Not only can certain PDF file editors help you create a new document from scratch, but you can also use the conversion feature of the editor to upload other file types and convert them to PDF files. 

 

Decreased Size of the File

 

The file size of some particular files can make them hard to share or store. The problem of large file size is also particular to PDF files since they can contain so many different elements that increase their overall file size, but elements that are essential to the document and make it stand out from the rest. 

 

To solve this problem, many PDF file editors offer a compression feature that lets users upload or open a too-large PDF file and then use compression software to shrink the file size into a more manageable size. The file size will be reduced, but the elements that make the file unique, like image resolution, text size, and other interactive elements will all be preserved. 

 

Free PDF Reading

 

The universality of the PDF format has forced developers and programmers everywhere to make the file format accessible to anyone, regardless of whether they have the proper software or not, by installing extensions on all browsers to read PDFs. This means that PDF files are free and easy to read anywhere for anyone who has an internet connection and an appropriate browser. 

 

 Interactive Documents

 

The advantage of anyone being able to see and view a PDF is eclipsed somewhat by the fact that multiple people at any one time can not only see the document but collaborate on it as well. A program like Lumin PDF offers users this capability since Lumin is an online PDF editor that can sync with any Google Drive or Dropbox account. 

 

When synced, any document or PDF saved to that particular account can be made accessible to others, who can then view, and edit the material while others are also viewing it. Some participants can leave comments or make annotations, and others can follow up with their remarks in real-time, as they are being written.

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