eBook Guides: Editing PDF Files

Editing PDF Files: Advantages Of Using And Editing PDF Files

PDF or Portable Document Format files are created using Adobe Acrobat software. Unlike the Adobe Reader which can be downloaded for free, Adobe Acrobat is purchased. Adobe Reader is one of the software used to open and view PDF files. But in order to create PDF, Adobe Acrobat is needed. Is editing pdf files possible?

When a PDF file has already been created, the author has the power to lock the file so that no one can do further editing or modification even if he has the software capable of editing and creating PDF. If the author did not secure the pdf file, then it is possible to edit it using Adobe Acrobat program. This is done by using the Touch Up Text Tool or the Touch Up Object Tool which can be found in your Acrobat toolbar. As the name suggests, the Touch Up Text Tool allows you to edit the text while the Touch Up Object Tool allows you to make some changes if there are objects embedded in the file.

However, if the author has locked the file, therefore, the file is preserved and unless the author decides to make some changes himself, the file will stay as is even when sent over the internet or posted on the web. The original formatting of the document including the fonts, the design and content cannot be altered or changed.

Another advantage of .pdf document is that it can be viewed with the original formatting regardless of the type of operating system of the user. Whether the user is using Windows, Mac, Unix or OS/2, the lay out and content of the PDF document stays the same.

Aside from texts, a pdf file may also contain multimedia elements like sound files, video files, URLs and photos. PDF documents are also well protected against computer viruses which can be acquired from sending documents online. For this reason, many people prefer to save their documents as a PDF file as long they have the Adobe Acrobat software. However, this software can be expensive so one must really invest on it if he wants to create .pdf files.

Because editing pdf files is not always possible, not all files are suitable to be saved as PDF files. Which documents are best saved as .pdf documents? Reports, contracts, application forms, annotations, copyrighted documents and files which need to preserve its original content are best saved as .pdf files to protect its originality.