Now that you know a little bit about the PDF, its time to get you more acquainted with the format. For instance, what does a PDF look like? How does it look on screen? What can it do when you view it? What are its main features?

For new users of the PDF format, below is an introduction to the PDF. The following is a brief description of what to expect from a PDF file, what you can do with it and how you can use some of its features.

Convenience: The browser window

The PDF not only gives you the document you want to view, it also comes in a neat and tidy package. When you open a PDF file, a browser window pops up with the document surrounded by a tool bar sporting icons for different functions. Because the PDF browser window has this graphical user interface (GUI), you are given control over how you view the document.

• You can scale the document to larger or smaller size for reading preferences.
• Navigation buttons allow you to scroll and scan an entire page or the entire file.
• Print icons on the toolbar allows you to print a hard copy. This makes it ideal for forms and printing long documents to view later on.
• Document index search options are added, enabling you to find particular information in a document quickly.
• You can even take a snapshot of an image in the PDF and copy it into a word document. No printing, cutting and pasting necessary.

Electronic, efficient and economic, the PDF simplifies your working habits for you.

The PDF is more than just a single, one-dimensional file.

Unlike a Word document attachment to an email, the PDF is more flexible for your viewing needs.

• The PDF format can contain hypertext links, giving you the ability to view more content.
• Bookmarks are ideal for working with large PDF files to quickly go from one section to another just as easily as if you were flipping through the pages of a written document.
• Attachments can even be added for supplementary material.
• Another convenience of the PDF is that you can have a large PDF file “byte-served” to your computer; you don’t have to wait for the whole file to be downloaded. It gets downloaded onto your computer bit by bit so you can start reading the first page while the rest downloads onto your computer in the background.

Port-ability, Compact-ability, Ease-ability

The compact and electronic nature of a PDF file makes the format easily exploitable.

• It allows, for large files to be compressed into an electronic small file. Send documents via e-mail for business corporations that work with affiliates at a distance.
• Reading and researching articles on-line becomes easy and more economic. You can gather and have a number of resources (in the PDF format) organized and right at your fingertips.
• PDF can help in editing and proofing document drafts because you don’t have to deal with pen and paper copies and then have to print revised documents.
• Archiving becomes more efficient. Back issues, Rare articles, publications or any collection of data can be accessed with the PDF format. The PDF is up to date and consistently being developed to suit growing electronic needs with long term solutions.
• The flexibility of the PDF is also another good feature as the format can also contain video, audio and graphical elements. Publishing, designing and advertising on-line is made possible with PDF.
• PDF's can be secured, allowing you to send those files over the Internet without worrying about them being tampered with.

With all of the advantages that come with using the PDF, the format is already becoming a standard work tool in a growing electronic based world.

Graphic Integrity

Not only can you format written documents into PDF's, but you can also format non-text content such as images. Your PDF's can contain anything from simple textual information to extremely complex graphics, colours, and images. How? PDF technology.

You may notice how well a page is duplicated in the PDF format. Well, the PDF format outputs good page composition because PDF technology is derived from a programming language known as PostScript language which defines graphics and images, particularly suited to describing the appearance of a printed page.

In addition, this graphics based programming language is also combined with a structured storage system. The PDF is able to support highly efficient compression technology which allows the condensing of complex graphical elements. This means that the images you send in the PDF format can accommodate a smaller space without losing any or much of their integrity.

Most notably, an important aspect of the PDF format is to retain the overall originality of the document. PDF technology also accommodates this with a font-embedding/ replacement system which allows fonts to travel with the documents; it serves as a way to keep the appearance and structural flow of the original document when viewed.

The PDF format’s special technology gives the PDF its versatility, a unique quality that can greatly benefit any type of work (whether textual or graphical) you may have.