The Benefits of PDF
by Craig C. Powell (Systems Administrator/Pre-Press Manager)

Thank you for taking the time to explore the many benefits of the PDF workflow process.  It is my hope that we can create a system that will mutually benefit our  working relationship and allow for quicker production schedules, accelerated transfer times, and an increased stability in files.  I feel confident that we can utilize the latest software and techniques to achieve this goal.

I want to take the time to do a quick overview of the benefits of PDF as I see them.  Many of the positives of the Portable Document Format (PDF) are answers to reoccurring problems. Have you ever experienced frustrations over sending files to clients, partners, suppliers, solicitors and consultants and finding that the look and feel of your document has changed or worse still, the document could not even be read at all? Do you have similar problems when files are sent to you? Could the effectiveness and efficiency of your team be improved by knowing that every time you send or receive a document, it can always be viewed exactly as it was created? Do you have hundreds or maybe thousands of newsletters, manuals, technical papers and product specifications that you need published on the internet, internally, or at a third-party printer?

These common problems are why many companies have already defined PDF as their company-wide publishing standard. Over 200 million users worldwide can now read PDF format documents.

The PDF document format provides the following business benefits:

• Documents always look exactly the same, for all senders and receivers of a document, regardless of the hardware or software used.     
• The documents act as color, electronic fax machines but with much higher quality and speed. Documents can be distributed worldwide for almost zero cost and then be digitally printed in small or large volumes, at any location.
• The documents can be magnified by up to 1600%, with no diminishing of quality.
• The documents can be navigated by keyword search, table of contents or hyperlinks. This greatly increases their usability. 
• The format is ideal for presentations, since PDF documents always look exactly the same on all platforms.
• The file format is very compact, so files can be sent quickly to recipients.
• The file format is ideal for archiving, since the look and feel of documents is retained and the document size is compact
• The file format is essential for business documents like agreements and forms that must retain their exact appearance for legal reasons. For example, this may apply to application forms, tax returns, licence agreements, tender documents, quotations and logos.

All these advantages translate into faster, cheaper and less complex viewing, navigating, storing and printing, for business documents. So digital, document workflow throughout the company can become more reliable, with richly formatted PDF documents maintaining their very high quality, regardless of where they are sent or who views the documents. PDF is truly a global, document exchange format.  This format is put to use each and every day in our production workflow.  Combined with our experience in the use of this file format, we will guide you thru the successful implementation of a workflow that will benefit both of our companies in the effort to produce a better product.

For more information about PDF creation and some presets to help you along the way please visit the Pre-Press Preflight section of our website!