PDFs have been around since 1993, and millions are created each day in the business world alone. In addition, the PDF file format is recognized and accepted worldwide. It’s supported by an entire ecosystem spanning offices globally.
They’re vital in the business world because they go above and beyond a webpage or word processor document. They retain that important for all manner of reasons. Here are the most significant benefits.
Table of Contents
Compressed File Sizes
Internet speeds constantly increase, and mass storage constantly becomes cheaper. Nevertheless, smart management means keeping an eye on data sizes. Business information must be portable, and many email services have sent limits.
Large files won’t make or break business ownership. Still, it’s best practice to keep them to a minimum to make them as transferrable and accessible as possible.
Universal Support
PDFs were proprietary during their earliest stages, with Adobe retaining ownership. Nowadays, anyone can create and view them with ease. Microsoft users can print to PDF within the Office suite. Meanwhile, small business owners can create, edit, and otherwise manipulate PDFs with tools like PDFreactor.
Meanwhile, anyone with a modern web browser can view and interact with these files natively.
Consistency Across Devices
In the business world, it’s vital to ensure that stakeholders see what you intend them to. Webpages and other document formats are prone to changes based on operating systems, screen sizes, and other factors. However, a vital benefit of the PDF document format is that they will always look the same no matter how they’re accessed.
That goes for the consistency of text, graphic integrity, and anything else. A PDF designed and approved on a PC in the US will look the same when accessed on a smartphone in Japan, no matter what.
Security
The PDF format was among the first document formats to incorporate security as a standard. As a result, it’s possible to protect files against viewing, editing, sharing, and printing. All these protections contribute to the integrity of business dealings. Naturally, that’s particularly critical in a world where so many transactions take place remotely.
Enhanced Functionality of the PDF File Format
Many of the millions of PDFs created each day thrive on the benefits outlined above, each focusing on making documents secure, transferrable, and accessible. However, many users overlook the sheer functionality of those documents, which can achieve more than some might think.
For example, PDFs are a great solution for interactive forms. Creators can enable recipients to fill in the information in a document while protecting the core content. PDFs can also incorporate media, links, buttons, and more, making them something to engage with rather than just being viewed.
Make PDFs Part of Your Business Plan
The PDF file format may predate modern eCommerce, but it remains a robust part of any business toolkit. Of course, Word documents, webpages, and other formats all have their place in every office. However, few documents can come close to the inherent combination of security and flexibility.
From invoices and financial documents to presentations and contracts, where consistency and security matter, PDFs remain the optimal choice among business owners and employees the world over.
So, PDFs might not be the newest technology, but they’re still massively important. Find out more about the best business technologies, old and new, all across the Genius Updates blog!
