This article will explain PDFs and answer the question: Why use a PDF? We’ll also cover the advantages and disadvantages of PDFs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Are PDF Files Used?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhy do we use PDFs? They’re the most common format for transporting information that’s meant to be viewed and not edited by the recipient. Here are some common uses for PDFs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sharing documents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When sending documents over the web, you can send documents in their original forms, such as .doc or .docx files created in Microsoft Word. The difference between .docx vs .pdf is compatibility. With Word documents, there is no guarantee that the recipient will be using the same version as you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why does this matter? Your document editor may not have the same formatting settings as someone else\u2019s editor. This will result in a confusing, unformatted document that will appear far different than you intended. PDFs preserve formatting settings across any device \u2014 any person who opens a PDF will see the same thing. This also means that PDFs aren\u2019t as easy to edit as documents, but a dedicated web-based PDF editor<\/a> can help with this.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCreating forms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Filling out documents online can be annoying if using a traditional file format like .doc or .docx. The person filling out the document may struggle to get the font size correct or alter the questions as they fill it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For this reason, PDFs are by far the most popular (and best!) option for creating fillable forms on the web. A PDF fillable form lets the author designate which areas they want the recipient to be able to \u201cfill out.\u201d To learn more about creating a fillable PDF form, check out our article on how you can use PDF.Live\u2019s tools to create a fillable form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSecuring documents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Not all documents should be accessible by everyone. Important medical forms, tax documents, and other sensitive information are often in PDF format but may be completely unsecured. Fortunately, there is a way to secure PDF documents!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PDFs can be password protected, so only someone with a password can open and view the document. When a PDF is password protected, it\u2019s typically encrypted, so all the information is inaccessible without a password. Make sure you remember what the password is, though!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Preserving and storing documents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PDFs generally have smaller file sizes and won\u2019t take up a lot of room on your computer if they\u2019re compressed and stored. Additionally, if you decide to switch document editors later on, all your old documents will remain viewable. If you have some old documents, such as tax documents, stored on your computer, consider converting them to PDFs<\/a> for easier storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPDFs can also be merged<\/a> and compressed<\/a> to make them easier to store on your computer. With how flexible PDFs are, you can convert many file types to PDFs to store all your information more efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCollaborating on documents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Creating a document with a team? Need to send something to an editor? PDFs let you comment and annotate documents<\/a> so you and others can collaborate. You can add shapes<\/a>, lines<\/a>, and text boxes<\/a> to PDFs depending on how you like to edit them.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis can be especially useful for asynchronous editing, where you want to send someone a larger document over email and receive feedback from them later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creating resumes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
One of the most popular uses for PDFs is resumes for job applications<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nResumes are typically created with document editors like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, but should not be shared in those formats (unless specified by the employer). When applying for a job, most job-search platforms require you to upload your resume as a PDF so the formatting settings are preserved for potential employers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, many industries use applicant tracking systems to scan resumes and sort hundreds of applicants at a time. Uploading your resume as a PDF ensures that these systems can scan and collect information for hiring managers to review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why Use a PDF?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAnd so, to summarize the top PDF advantages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Reducing clutter<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Usage as a universal file format<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Avoiding DOCX incompatibility<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Security and encryption<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Annotation, collaborating, and commenting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps the only disadvantage to using PDFs is that you won\u2019t have the same level of customizability and editing power that a document editor will afford you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ll need a PDF like PDF.Live\u2019s PDF editor<\/a> or Doc to PDF converter<\/a>. Unlike most editors, PDF.Live\u2019s editor is not a separate download and works entirely in your browser. It allows you to make formatting changes and edit or sign PDFs. <\/p>\n\n\n\nCommon PDF FAQs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nHow do you make a PDF?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When saving or downloading a document, you will likely see an option to \u201csave as PDF\u201d or \u201cdownload as PDF.\u201d Upon selecting this, the program may show you a preview. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can easily make PDFs using any web browser. Print <\/strong>a webpage or document by pressing CTRL + P<\/strong> on Windows or Command + P <\/strong>on Mac. Then, in the destination section, instead of selecting a printer to print a physical document, choose Save to PDF<\/strong>. This allows you to save a PDF copy of the webpage you currently have open in your browser.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you were sent a document in a file format different from PDF such as .DOC or .XLSX, you can use a PDF converter tool to turn that document into a PDF. PDF.live offers a variety of PDF conversion tools that you can find in our convert PDF<\/a> section.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to edit a PDF?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If you need to edit a PDF, PDF.live has a PDF Editor<\/a> tool online that works with most devices. This tool allows you to edit and sign PDFs on any device, without downloading software.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow do you open a PDF?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
To view a PDF, first make sure that you\u2019ve downloaded it, then locate it in your File explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On a Windows PC, open a new browser window (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) and click the PDF and drag it to the web browser. You\u2019ll see the PDF is now viewable in a new tab on the browser, as if it was its own website. However, you\u2019ll notice in the address bar, instead of a web address, the location of the PDF file on your computer will be listed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/pdf.live\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pdf-in-a-browser-pdflive.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMac devices have the program Preview<\/strong> built into their systems, which is a free PDF viewer and editor. On your Mac device, locate the PDF file and double click it. The Preview program should automatically open it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Apple](\"https:\/\/pdf.live\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/mac-preview-app-icon-pdflive.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re on an Android Device or an iPhone, you only need to download the PDF and locate the file in your Downloads<\/strong> or My Files<\/strong> section. Then tap the PDF and it will open for you to view.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow do you reduce the file size of PDFs?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Compressing multiple PDFs into a single file means putting the PDFs in a zip file with a smaller file size that can then be unzipped by the recipient to view the contents within. For more about file compression, check out our article on zipping and compressing PDFs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCan you combine multiple PDFs?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Merging PDFs means taking multiple separate PDF files and combining them into a single PDF file. The new PDF will have additional pages depending on how many PDFs you\u2019ve merged. If you or someone else has built a document in an external program, you may need to convert it to a PDF depending on what you intend to do with the file; then, you can merge them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creating forms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Filling out documents online can be annoying if using a traditional file format like .doc or .docx. The person filling out the document may struggle to get the font size correct or alter the questions as they fill it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For this reason, PDFs are by far the most popular (and best!) option for creating fillable forms on the web. A PDF fillable form lets the author designate which areas they want the recipient to be able to \u201cfill out.\u201d To learn more about creating a fillable PDF form, check out our article on how you can use PDF.Live\u2019s tools to create a fillable form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not all documents should be accessible by everyone. Important medical forms, tax documents, and other sensitive information are often in PDF format but may be completely unsecured. Fortunately, there is a way to secure PDF documents!<\/p>\n\n\n\n PDFs can be password protected, so only someone with a password can open and view the document. When a PDF is password protected, it\u2019s typically encrypted, so all the information is inaccessible without a password. Make sure you remember what the password is, though!<\/p>\n\n\n\n PDFs generally have smaller file sizes and won\u2019t take up a lot of room on your computer if they\u2019re compressed and stored. Additionally, if you decide to switch document editors later on, all your old documents will remain viewable. If you have some old documents, such as tax documents, stored on your computer, consider converting them to PDFs<\/a> for easier storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PDFs can also be merged<\/a> and compressed<\/a> to make them easier to store on your computer. With how flexible PDFs are, you can convert many file types to PDFs to store all your information more efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creating a document with a team? Need to send something to an editor? PDFs let you comment and annotate documents<\/a> so you and others can collaborate. You can add shapes<\/a>, lines<\/a>, and text boxes<\/a> to PDFs depending on how you like to edit them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This can be especially useful for asynchronous editing, where you want to send someone a larger document over email and receive feedback from them later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most popular uses for PDFs is resumes for job applications<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Resumes are typically created with document editors like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, but should not be shared in those formats (unless specified by the employer). When applying for a job, most job-search platforms require you to upload your resume as a PDF so the formatting settings are preserved for potential employers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, many industries use applicant tracking systems to scan resumes and sort hundreds of applicants at a time. Uploading your resume as a PDF ensures that these systems can scan and collect information for hiring managers to review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so, to summarize the top PDF advantages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps the only disadvantage to using PDFs is that you won\u2019t have the same level of customizability and editing power that a document editor will afford you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll need a PDF like PDF.Live\u2019s PDF editor<\/a> or Doc to PDF converter<\/a>. Unlike most editors, PDF.Live\u2019s editor is not a separate download and works entirely in your browser. It allows you to make formatting changes and edit or sign PDFs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When saving or downloading a document, you will likely see an option to \u201csave as PDF\u201d or \u201cdownload as PDF.\u201d Upon selecting this, the program may show you a preview. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can easily make PDFs using any web browser. Print <\/strong>a webpage or document by pressing CTRL + P<\/strong> on Windows or Command + P <\/strong>on Mac. Then, in the destination section, instead of selecting a printer to print a physical document, choose Save to PDF<\/strong>. This allows you to save a PDF copy of the webpage you currently have open in your browser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you were sent a document in a file format different from PDF such as .DOC or .XLSX, you can use a PDF converter tool to turn that document into a PDF. PDF.live offers a variety of PDF conversion tools that you can find in our convert PDF<\/a> section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you need to edit a PDF, PDF.live has a PDF Editor<\/a> tool online that works with most devices. This tool allows you to edit and sign PDFs on any device, without downloading software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To view a PDF, first make sure that you\u2019ve downloaded it, then locate it in your File explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).<\/p>\n\n\n\n On a Windows PC, open a new browser window (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) and click the PDF and drag it to the web browser. You\u2019ll see the PDF is now viewable in a new tab on the browser, as if it was its own website. However, you\u2019ll notice in the address bar, instead of a web address, the location of the PDF file on your computer will be listed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mac devices have the program Preview<\/strong> built into their systems, which is a free PDF viewer and editor. On your Mac device, locate the PDF file and double click it. The Preview program should automatically open it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re on an Android Device or an iPhone, you only need to download the PDF and locate the file in your Downloads<\/strong> or My Files<\/strong> section. Then tap the PDF and it will open for you to view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Compressing multiple PDFs into a single file means putting the PDFs in a zip file with a smaller file size that can then be unzipped by the recipient to view the contents within. For more about file compression, check out our article on zipping and compressing PDFs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Merging PDFs means taking multiple separate PDF files and combining them into a single PDF file. The new PDF will have additional pages depending on how many PDFs you\u2019ve merged. If you or someone else has built a document in an external program, you may need to convert it to a PDF depending on what you intend to do with the file; then, you can merge them. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSecuring documents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Preserving and storing documents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Collaborating on documents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Creating resumes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Why Use a PDF?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Common PDF FAQs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How do you make a PDF?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to edit a PDF?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do you open a PDF?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow do you reduce the file size of PDFs?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Can you combine multiple PDFs?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n