If
PDF did not exist, it would have to be inventedPDF
stands for "Portable Document Format". The key word is portable, intended
to combine the qualities of authenticity, reliability and ease of use together
into a single packaged concept. Adobe
Systems invented PDF technology in the early 1990s to smooth the process of moving
text and graphics from publishers to printing-presses. PDF turned out to be the
very essence of paper, brought to life in a computer. In creating PDF, Adobe had
almost unwittingly invented nothing less than a bridge between the paper and computer
worlds. Adobe's business -- and yours -- would never be the same again. To
be truly portable, an authentic electronic document would have to appear exactly
the same way on any computer at any time, at no cost to the user. It will deliver
the exact same results in print or on-screen with near-total reliability. You
use word-processor, spreadsheet or presentation files everyday. But do you also
email, post to a website and file using these formats? You could use PDF. What's
the difference? The
difference between PDF and formats used for writing (Word, Excel, Power Point,
Quark, HTML, etc) is both subtle and profound. Properly made, PDF files are not
subject to the vagaries of other formats. PDFs are not readily editable - and
editing may be explicitly prohibited. A precise snapshot, a PDF file is created
at a specific date and time, and in a specific way. You can trust a PDF like you
can trust a fax. You can't say that about a Word file! PDF
is Electronic PaperWhat
are the important qualities of paper? Paper is authentic, reliable and easy to
use. Most of the world still trusts paper as "hardcopy" to convey ownership, seal
a deal, retain proof of delivery, and so on. PDF
is designed and intended to fulfill the role of paper within the computer... to
be the electronic equivalent of paper.
| Paper
is authentic because attempts to edit a document printed on paper
tend to be obvious. | PDF
is authentic because it exactly reflects the intent and execution of
it's creator - and can be made to stay that way. |
| Paper
is reliable because it is utterly consistent - a static object that may
be lost, damaged or destroyed, but otherwise looks the same each time it is read.
| PDF
is reliable because it looks exactly the same on all computers, and delivers
identical results on all printers. PDF files created to PDF/A standards may be
expected to be useable indefinitely. |
| Paper
is easy to use because it is has a fairly large and durable capacity
for storage of information (for a non-electronic object), and possesses physical
properties that make writing, printing, packaging, transporting, and reading paper
easy. | PDF
is easy to use because PDF files are small and self-contained, because
Reader is ubiquitous and free, because Reader delivers consistent operation on
almost every type of computer, and because even minimally computer-literate users
require almost no training to use Reader. |
The
elegance of the PDF concept is matched by the quality of execution in PDF technology.
At more than 10 years old, PDF is a mature format, and Adobe Acrobat is mature
software. PDFs may now contain in a single file not only text and graphics, but
navigation, form-fields, security features, movies, javascripts and other elements
that greatly enhance the effective distribution and use of electronic documents.
PDF
yesterday, today and tomorrowThe
ubiquity of PDF might tempt us to take it for granted. It is nonetheless instructive
to recall that it all began with a single, seemingly basic functional requirement
-- uncomplicated, flawless printing of an authentic original document. Adobe's
decade-old invention to save time at the printing-press has spawned the first
plausible alternative to the physical document since the invention of the printing-press.
First
published on Planet
PDF. Non-commercial reuse is permitted only when attributed to Duff Johnson,
Document Solutions, Inc. www.document-solutions.com. |
