Portable Document Format

The Portable Document Format (PDF) is a method used to store documents containing images and text such that they may be easily redistributed to a wide variety of individuals. Such documents are usually read-only, although comments, signatures, and "highlighter" may be added on top of the original content. Also, forms can be created which users can then fill out on a computer before printing or forwarding the file. These files are identified as such to the operating system by the .pdf or .PDF file extension.

Advantages[edit]

• Easy to create
• Original content is fairly well protected
• Efficient, compact format^[1]
• May be secured with encryption and passwords,^[1] and what each person can do with the PDF may be set separately
• Documents are saved as originally intended to appear, so they will display properly even when special fonts and other content are not available to a recipient.^[2]

Disadvantages[edit]

• Editing is difficult by design, which can be inconvenient if something must be changed.
• Although touted as secure, read-only files, they can be edited with a little effort using special software.^[3][4] Theses changes are often but not always placed on another virtual layer of the file.
• PDF files are only supported by Windows and Macintosh operating systems. These are useless to users of GNU/Linux and UNIX systems.^[2]
• PDF files are created with a set (A4 or A3) size, which cannot be changed. This size is perfect for printing on 8.5 by 11 inch paper, but does not fit most modern computer monitors very well.^[5]

References[edit]