Adobe

One PDF To Go, Please: A PDF In The Palm Of Your Hand

The portable document format does live up to the word “portable.” Whether you’re a busy entrepreneur, a workaholic or a web surfer, location doesn’t seem to really matter anymore. Everything is going mobile.

And you’re probably seeing a lot of technology moving from the desktop computer to the handheld device, which adds yet another category of decisions about your working habits that change with along with the trends.

So if you’re interested in joining the iddy-biddy-sized mobile world with your PDF work, here’s a brief background on some details surrounding PDFs on mobile devices .

Creating A PDF Optimized For Handheld Mobile Devices

First of all, regardless of what PDF creation software you have, you can create PDF files specifically optimized for mobile browsers by paying attention to a few details about your PDF.

1) File size. Use the Save As command to save the PDF. This will re-write the entire file and not just append the changes made to it, making it a more compact size that won’t ruin the integrity of the PDF.

2) Images. For images, use the best compression settings to ensure that you don’t include unnecessary pixel data. Using a lossy compression (JPEG and ZIP) or downsampling will help to decrease this.

3) Fonts. Don’t embed many, unnecessary fonts as embedding fonts also increases file size. Mobile devices importing the PDF may already have the fonts needed to render the text.

4) Tags. One of the key differences between desktop PDFs and mobile PDFs is file structure. Just as structure is important for reflowing the text to fit screen readers, it serves the same purpose for mobile browsers. Ensure that only the necessary tags for smooth textual reflow are included with the PDFfile.

Software For PDF Mobility

Palm OS, Symbian OS, Black Berries, and MS Pocket PCs are the most popularly used mobile OSs. The OS’s compatibility will play a factor in your mobile PDF research as some PDF software for handheld devices won’t support all platforms.

But for starters, there’s Adobe Reader LE. The software is supported by Symbian OS, Windows Mobile (Pocket PC 2.0), and Palm OS. Reader LE comes pre-installed on some mobile devices and supports scrolling, zooming and decryption for viewing your PDFs. As well, the software can support text search, bookmarks, and links within the document. In addition, Adobe has a user discussion forum for users with any tech support topics or tips regarding the software.

Features for different mobile devices vary. For instance, for Symbian OS devices, such as Nokia Smartphones, you can view a PDF as either a tagged PDF or in its original formatting. With Pocket PCs, you can directly print wirelessly from your handheld device to a remote printer. Adobe Reader LE on Palm OS devices allows you to view and transfer your Digital Editions e-books to your device. And another thing to note, there are a different variety of language options for you to choose from with each individual download.

Other mobile software supporting PDF viewing includes Dochawk Platinum 2.0, Repligo Professional 2.0, mBrainsoftware, DataViz’s Documents To Go v.9.0. Add them to the research list as it might come in handy as well.

Why Would You Need Mobile PDFs?

Now many users already complain about the usability of the PDF because of the long periods of time that can be spent in front of a screen. And handheld mobile devices have viewing and interactivity problems of their own (how small can a keyboard get?).

So why would you need PDFs on the go? One major reason is that, light and compact, handset devices are ultimately a matter of convenience. And when working away from your desktop, you need to have access to all the important documents you need—even PDF documents.

Checking emails on the way to work has perhaps become a daily routine for some. And undoubtedly, opening email attachments that are in the PDF format may be part of that. Or, for a PDF workflow that is almost essential to niche industries, such as publishing, for instance, emergencies that need attention don’t anticipate (or care) where you’ll be when they happen. And unfortunately, for others, going on vacation or getting ill doesn’t mean they stop working altogether– not with a PDA in hand and thumbs poised in the air.

Going portable with portable documents. . . . It does add a nice spin to the name, Portable Document Format!

The ABC’s of the PDF: A-C

I must confess that I’m by no means an expert on the ins and outs of the PDF. Having said that, I must also confess that, since beginning this blog and writing articles for the company website, I’ve learned A LOT. And with that in mind, I thought it would be fun to share in the learning.

I’ve been wanting to do a series of postings for a while now and thought, what better topic to do it on than the ABC’s of the PDF? I’ll be researching tidbits surrounding the PDF, getting you to know the format in a different way. I’ll also include links to articles, both new and old, as well as to relevant sites if you’re interested in reading more about a topic so that I don’t leave you in the lurch (you can only cover so much in a blog entry!). So, if you’re ready for it, we’ll start (where else?) at the beginning.

Adobe System, Inc.

Proprietor of the PDF format, Adobe System, Inc. was founded in 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke (current Chairmen of the Board for Adobe). This company has been ranked and recognized in top business magazines, such as Fortune and BusinessWeek and currently consists of approximately 5,879 employees worldwide. In addition, the PDF actually makes up almost 10% of web content on the internet today. Did you know that the company, itself, was named after a creek in Los Altos, California located behind Warnock’s home? There’s even an Adobe Day on December 2, which was established in San Jose in honour of the company’s 20th anniversary in 2002. Does the company get the day off for that one?

Bruce Chizen

What is the history behind this PDF household name? In a 2001 interview with PlanetPDF, Chizen stated: “ ‘In five years I hope people can look back and base my legacy on what we were able to do with Acrobat.’ ” Well, five years later, Acrobat is more capable than ever and his legacy is safe. Since March of 2001, Bruce Chizen has been the president and CEO of Adobe Systems Inc., coming into his new role after having been with the company since 1994. For those 6 years in between, he’s held top head positions over the professional graphics division and Adobe’s consumer division. In his pre-Adobe days during the eighties, Chizen worked for Claris Corporation, Mattel Electronics and Microsoft where he gained the background and experience that would lead him to becoming Adobe’s head honcho.

Camelot Project

This project was the conception of the PDF, itself, as we know it today. As part of PDF history , the original document was written by John Warnock, as CEO of Adobe in the spring of 1991. Camelot was essentially geared towards making the fundamental elements of PostScript and PostScript Printers more efficient both electronically and economically. In the original document, Warnock envisions the technology, software, and implications of what, with innovation, the application of PostScript language could achieve: documents that were universally viewable. “This capability,” Warnock states,“would truly change the way information is managed. Large centrally maintained databases of documents could be accessed remotely and selectively printed remotely. This would save millions of dollars in document inventory costs.” The culminating result: PDF. The original name, ‘Camelot’, however, was later renamed to ‘Carousel’, which is said to be the reason why the PDF file type on Macintosh was ‘CARO’.

Okay, so that’s it for this series posting—don’t want to give away too much all at once now. There’s still more to come. Stay tuned for the next posting in the series where I’ll look into the nuts and bolts behind the PDF features which you use on a day to day basis.