Undoubtedly, the most commonly used file type today is PDF. PDF is an acronym and it stands for portable document format. It was developed to seamlessly share documents, including inline images and text formatting, among computer users of different platforms in the absence of a mutually compatible application. One of Adobe’s founders, John Warnock, created and dispersed this file format throughout the organization to build a paperless office. PDF is an optimized PostScript file. Throughout the years, it has gone through many revisions and updates.
PDF is commonly associated with Adobe Systems, but it’s no longer a proprietary format. This means that the company no longer owns it and it’s no longer necessary to pay royalties for PDF implementation. Most importantly, Adobe isn’t the only provider of PDF viewing or manipulation software. Many others allow companies of all sizes to solve their problems. It’s important to understand that there’s a wide range of tools available and each one comes with different functions and features. If you’re curious to know what you can achieve with a PDF tool, keep on reading.
Edit PDF content effortlessly
After working with press releases, business plans, and similar documents, you understand the importance of editing and reviewing. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that it’s not necessary to make changes. If you have a PDF tool, you can edit electronic files quickly and reliably. For instance, you can modify an image in the document without having to convert it into another format. Technology has advanced over the past couple of years, so everything happens online now. All you have to do is to drag and drop the file into your browser.
You can handle documents like a pro. More exactly, you can:
Merge PDF
Merging several files into a single PDF file allows you to store and review them without much difficulty. Rather than having separate documents, you have one big document. Some of the obvious advantages include reducing time spent searching for a file and cutting down on the number of files stored on the computer. Equally, if the file is used for a variety of projects, it can be easily transferred online.
Split PDF
Why separate a PDF? Well, if you have a document that has lots of pages, you’ll want to save chapters separately. Practically, you can get the information you need. With a PDF tool, you can split a large PDF into more manageable sections. There is an alternative: you can delete pages from PDF. However, it should be your last resort. Separate pages one by one to get a single-page document or split PDF by page ranges.
Rotate PDF
If the electronic file is upside down, rotate it with an online tool. You can turn the page in any way that you like. Attention needs to be paid to the fact that the rotation is permanent, so the document isn’t just turned in the preview. The page is rotated at 90° without quality loss. Adobe Acrobat, for instance, doesn’t allow for pages to be rotated permanently.
Rearrange PDF files
You can rearrange the pages of your PDF however you need. It’s a matter of dragging the pages into the desired order. You can reorder one page at a time or several pages at the same time.
Delete PDF pages
PDF users have run into this problem from time to time: a blank page in the middle or at the end of the document. You could print separate pages, but it’s better to delete those unwanted pages. If you use a web-based PDF tool, you can rest assured knowing that your files are uploaded over an encrypted connection. After being processed, they’re permanently deleted.
Convert files to and from PDF
You can take editing to a completely different level. More precisely, you can convert to and from PDF into a different format that’s compatible with popular business software. There are several options to choose from as far as converting your PDF files is concerned. Here are some examples.
- PDF to Word/Word to PDF
- PDF to Excel/ Excel to PDF
- PDF to PPT/PPT to PDF
- PDF to TIFF/TIFF to PDF
- PDF to JPG/JPG to PDF
- PDF to HTML/HTML to PDF
- PDF to EPUB/EPUB to PDF
- PDF to BMP/BMP to PDF
If the PDF file contains a scanned page or image, it’s necessary to deploy OCR and extract the text from the file and paste it into a PDF. Thanks to optical character recognition, you can extract text and transform scanned documents into editable PDF files.
Sign and seal electronic documents
The purpose of a signature is to authenticate a document and bind the individual signing the writing. The electronic signature is the modern form of the traditional handwritten signature. It carries the same legal weight as the paper-based one, meaning that it’s legally binding in every state where the law applies. If you’ve been emailed a PDF, it’s pointless to print it, sign it, and send it back. You can easily add your signature to any PDF file and save a lot of time. Digitally sign PDF documents and add integrity, authenticity, and authoritativeness to your documents. You can finalize a contract even if you’re out of the office.
Finally, yet importantly, you can encrypt any PDF file and protect its contents from unauthorized access. PDF supports encryption using the AES algorithm with Cipher Block Chaining Encryption. If you work with confidential documents, you can encrypt and protect them with a password. By placing a password, you can restrict certain actions by the end-user. For instance, you could restrict the viewer’s ability to copy or print text from the document.
The strength of the password is closely connected to the security of the file. So, avoid using short passwords or those that can be easily identified in a dictionary. Take as much time as you need to find a good password. There’s no reason to hurry.
