Learn how to handle PDF files in a better way

It's crazy that everything available on the internet is in the form of PDF files. But these documents created with Adobe Acrobat software are not frozen. Throughout these pages, we'll teach you how to handle PDF files in a multiple way.

Will the PDF ever enters the dictionary? This file format is used universally and so it has become a common name. It is send and received most easily in the world eclipsing the Adobe Acrobat with which it was created. And yet it is installed on many workstations in enterprises and is often exploited in the most basic function of converting a document into PDF.

But Acrobat is loaded with features extremely practical and powerful, unsuspected by many users. It is possible to protect a document effectively, to create and edit collaboratively (and even in real time), adding forms and cut into several portions or, conversely, to assemble multiple PDF into one file.

While there are many software, often free, capable of opening and viewing PDF files, e.g. Adobe Reader or Foxit Reader very light; only Acrobat allows to exploit all the files of this format. It is true that they are innumerable. Indeed, a PDF can embed not only fonts but also comments, signatures, protections, scripts and other elements. This wealth is not without pitfalls: for example, two PDF files at first sight looking similar created by firing a single source can be completely different.

Allow changes

Take the example of a file obtained, first, from a scanned page with a scanner and, secondly, directly from a software like a word processor. Once the file is converted to PDF the possibility of changes will be radically different. In the first case, it will be impossible to edit the text or to conduct a search and the file size will be much higher. It is therefore preferred whenever possible to perform such actions from digital sources or, alternatively, use optical character recognition software (such a tool is included in Acrobat, accessible via the Document menu).

All the manipulations presented in this guide are achievable with all versions of Acrobat 9 (Standard, Pro or Pro Extended), except in some cases we will identify. But the free Adobe Reader does not with rare exceptions.

What is PDF

The Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format created by Adobe in 1993. Initially proprietary format, PDF is now an international standard regulated by Iso. It is no longer necessary to use Adobe software to create PDF files. During its existence, this format has undergone several changes. The current version, i.e. 1.7, is fully compatible with Acrobat 9 or Reader 9. It is possible to create files compatible with earlier versions by failing to use specific functions, such as encryption of data at 256 bits.

The PDF is derived from PostScript, the language used by printers to describe the page content. Thus, in a simplified manner, a PDF is divided into pages containing three types of objects: text, images and graphics. The position and dimensions of each object is referenced. This patchwork allows reconstructing the