Why a PDF format is better than spreadsheets or Word documents

Among the file formats that are used for document processing today, the PDF format is the most commonly used. It’s mainly used in real estate, medical and legal industries. It’s also commonly applied in academia, small businesses, and at home. After Adobe released it in 2008, many people started adopting this file type and used it for their everyday needs.

But why is PDF format considered to be the best when compared to word documents or spreadsheets? Here are reasons why you should be using PDF and not Word or Spreadsheets.

PDF is highly portable

PDF is designed to be portable and it forms part of its name. What this means is that you can transfer or move your files around without worrying about dependencies. Take for instance, how many times have you tried to open your document using another file format only to find its original format disfigured? What about being notified that there are some missing parts of the document? How about opening your PowerPoint presentation only to discover that some crucial images are missing? All these can be very frustrating. When you have your file in PDF formats, you have nothing to worry about because once you have finished creating the file; it can be shared with anyone without changing the images, tables, formatting, and fonts that are contained in it.

 Universal compatibility

This file format opens in all browsers that are available today. Also, most apps support it and modern operating systems come with some preinstalled apps that open PDF files. This means that PDF files look just the same when opened on MAC, Linux, or Windows.

 PDF is reliable

This file format is incredibly reliable and if you create a file that has many graphs, drawings of images, all the content is displayed precisely, regardless of the format that you are viewing it. If you want to share files with other people, this file format is the best since documents are transmitted through the web securely, and the information that is being transmitted will be received by the intended persons in the right format. This format is also fantastic for documents that you want to release to the public.

 Ease of creation

The ease of creation is one of the reasons for the popularity of PDF as opposed to Word and Excel Spreadsheets. You can use PDF mail merge to combine several PDF documents, from different emails, or from separate documents.

 Offers top-notch security

It is easier to secure a document in PDF file format using a password than an Excel sheet or a document in Microsoft Word. By making your document password protected, it’s only those who have the permission to access it who can see it.

 Allows for file compression

When you convert MS Word, Excel, or any other file format into a PDF, you compress the size. If your file has several images, and graphs, PDF file format allows you to decrease the file, therefore taking up smaller space in your computer’s storage.