{"id":4909,"date":"2014-03-11T16:28:26","date_gmt":"2014-03-11T16:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/?p=4909"},"modified":"2019-09-12T12:47:55","modified_gmt":"2019-09-12T12:47:55","slug":"4-common-pdf-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html","title":{"rendered":"The Truth Behind 4 Common PDF Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Magnifying<\/p>\n

\u00a0Photo Credit:\u00a0andercismo<\/a> via photopin<\/a> cc<\/a><\/h6>\n

Although the PDF is now a common digital format in almost all aspects of our habits online (sharing, downloading, and emailing), there is still a lot about the PDF format that we tend to gloss over and generalize.<\/p>\n

Whether you know it or not, a lot of general facts about the PDF format are usually taken out of context or misunderstood altogether. \u00a0The PDF format is constantly improving and changing.\u00a0 Thus, what we know about the format has to change as well if we are to use the format effectively.<\/p>\n

That being said, here are a few brief clarifications on the most common PDF facts we all know.<\/p>\n

Everyone Can View And Access PDF Files<\/b><\/h2>\n

When we say that PDF files can be viewed by everyone and on every platform, what we don\u2019t often mention is that there are exceptions.\u00a0 More specifically, if your file recipients have visual impairments or physical disabilities, reading and navigating your PDF content with a mouse is next to impossible for them.<\/p>\n

PDFs that can truly be viewed by everyone\u2014including users with disabilities, are accessible PDF documents that are tagged.\u00a0 A structurally tagged PDF can work with assistive devices like screen readers, allowing users to have PDFs read out loud to them.\u00a0 To ensure your PDF is up to par, consult the PDF\/UA<\/a> standard which provides an official guideline on how to generate PDFs that everyone can access.<\/p>\n

PDF Content Can\u2019t Be Edited Or Modified\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

A true fact, but there are two sides to this. First and foremost, PDFs are meant to ensure that its content stays intact. It’s a locked down format that protects against unwanted modification. \u00a0But if you ever tried, then you know that you can perform some edits to a PDF to a certain extent if you have the right PDF tool or if the assigned PDF permissions allow.<\/p>\n

\"EditingPhoto Credit: Nic’s events<\/a> via photopin<\/a> cc<\/a><\/h6>\n

For example, you can <\/span>modify PDF files<\/a>: \u00a0extract pages, merge or split PDFs, edit PDF metadata, add bookmarks or even headers and footers. \u00a0In other cases, you can add digital signatures, fill out PDF forms, add annotations, and notes. Also, if allowed, basic text copying should be done via PDF tools to prevent formatting issues. \u00a0Though for legit and drastic edits or content re-purposing, you\u2019re better off performing full PDF conversions instead. PDF content itself isn\u2019t meant to be freely edited like a Word document, but you can take some liberties.<\/span><\/p>\n

PDF Files Can Only Contain Text And Images<\/b><\/h2>\n

Because the format is generally known as a file format to use for professional purposes, there\u2019s this assumption that PDFs are boring, that they can only be used for text and images. Nothing can be further from the truth.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re actually great containers for compelling content. \u00a0In fact, though usually advised against for the sake of file sizes, multimedia PDF files are perfect for promotional material or e-brochures. They can include animations, audio, video, and even interactive elements. So next time you need something creative, you can add the PDF format to your list of tools. With a bit of creativity and the right media, you can improve your content ten- fold.<\/p>\n

PDF Files Are Naturally Secure<\/b><\/h2>\n

Because the PDF format adds a layer of security over your content, we usually tend to think that it\u2019s automatically impenetrable.\u00a0 But if you quickly publish a PDF on the web thinking your content is protected against plagiarism, think again.\u00a0 If indexed by Google, users can select the \u201cView as HTML\u201d option or click to view it in a\u00a0browser with a built-in PDF viewer<\/a>, like Firefox. Your content is then up for grabs.<\/p>\n

\"Securing<\/p>\n

Photo Credit:\u00a0Perspecsys.com via photopin<\/a> cc<\/a><\/h6>\n

To prevent that from happening, always add advanced security options on content you want to share, but keep control over. Include encryption, watermarks and even <\/span>PDF passwords<\/a> so you can specify exactly what users can or cannot do with the file. Remember, your PDF file is only as secure as you make it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Were you already aware of the fine print behind these major PDF facts? What are some others you\u2019ve come across?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Photo Credit:\u00a0andercismo via photopin cc Although the PDF is now a common digital format in almost all aspects of our habits online (sharing, downloading, and emailing), there is still a lot about the PDF format that we tend to gloss over and generalize. Whether you know it or not, a lot of general facts about … Continue reading \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[211,23,58,56,32,65,59],"class_list":["post-4909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-3-diversions","tag-accessibility","tag-edit-pdf","tag-multimedia","tag-pdf","tag-pdf-file","tag-security","tag-tips"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Truth Behind 4 Common PDF Facts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There is still a lot about the PDF that we tend to generalize. Here's a look at the finer details behind 4 of the most common PDF facts we all know.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Truth Behind 4 Common PDF Facts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There is still a lot about the PDF that we tend to generalize. Here's a look at the finer details behind 4 of the most common PDF facts we all know.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PDF Blog | Investintech PDF Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-03-11T16:28:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-09-12T12:47:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Looking-Through-Magnifying-Glass.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Reena\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@able2extract\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@able2extract\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Reena\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9d21ba7980d32dbd36069a4878f8e409\"},\"headline\":\"The Truth Behind 4 Common PDF Facts\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-03-11T16:28:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-09-12T12:47:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html\"},\"wordCount\":707,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Looking-Through-Magnifying-Glass.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"accessibility\",\"edit PDF\",\"multimedia\",\"PDF\",\"pdf file\",\"security\",\"tips\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Diversions\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html\",\"name\":\"The Truth Behind 4 Common PDF Facts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Looking-Through-Magnifying-Glass.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-03-11T16:28:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-09-12T12:47:55+00:00\",\"description\":\"There is still a lot about the PDF that we tend to generalize. Here's a look at the finer details behind 4 of the most common PDF facts we all know.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Looking-Through-Magnifying-Glass.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Looking-Through-Magnifying-Glass.jpg\",\"width\":640,\"height\":480,\"caption\":\"Magnifying Glass View\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Truth Behind 4 Common PDF Facts\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"PDF Blog | Investintech PDF Solutions\",\"description\":\"Everything PDF\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"PDF Blog | Investintech PDF Solutions\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Investintech-apryse-logo-w270.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Investintech-apryse-logo-w270.webp\",\"width\":270,\"height\":40,\"caption\":\"PDF Blog | Investintech PDF Solutions\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/able2extract\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9d21ba7980d32dbd36069a4878f8e409\",\"name\":\"Reena\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/aceff76f1b124f7ffb271de50b78f12a7599655c7087ea3a656b61cf9a89c376?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/aceff76f1b124f7ffb271de50b78f12a7599655c7087ea3a656b61cf9a89c376?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Reena\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Truth Behind 4 Common PDF Facts","description":"There is still a lot about the PDF that we tend to generalize. Here's a look at the finer details behind 4 of the most common PDF facts we all know.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Truth Behind 4 Common PDF Facts","og_description":"There is still a lot about the PDF that we tend to generalize. Here's a look at the finer details behind 4 of the most common PDF facts we all know.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html","og_site_name":"PDF Blog | Investintech PDF Solutions","article_published_time":"2014-03-11T16:28:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-09-12T12:47:55+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Looking-Through-Magnifying-Glass.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Reena","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@able2extract","twitter_site":"@able2extract","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html"},"author":{"name":"Reena","@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9d21ba7980d32dbd36069a4878f8e409"},"headline":"The Truth Behind 4 Common PDF Facts","datePublished":"2014-03-11T16:28:26+00:00","dateModified":"2019-09-12T12:47:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html"},"wordCount":707,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Looking-Through-Magnifying-Glass.jpg","keywords":["accessibility","edit PDF","multimedia","PDF","pdf file","security","tips"],"articleSection":["Diversions"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html","url":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html","name":"The Truth Behind 4 Common PDF Facts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Looking-Through-Magnifying-Glass.jpg","datePublished":"2014-03-11T16:28:26+00:00","dateModified":"2019-09-12T12:47:55+00:00","description":"There is still a lot about the PDF that we tend to generalize. Here's a look at the finer details behind 4 of the most common PDF facts we all know.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Looking-Through-Magnifying-Glass.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Looking-Through-Magnifying-Glass.jpg","width":640,"height":480,"caption":"Magnifying Glass View"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/4909-4-common-pdf-facts.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Truth Behind 4 Common PDF Facts"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/","name":"PDF Blog | Investintech PDF Solutions","description":"Everything PDF","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#organization","name":"PDF Blog | Investintech PDF Solutions","url":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Investintech-apryse-logo-w270.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Investintech-apryse-logo-w270.webp","width":270,"height":40,"caption":"PDF Blog | Investintech PDF Solutions"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/able2extract"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9d21ba7980d32dbd36069a4878f8e409","name":"Reena","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/aceff76f1b124f7ffb271de50b78f12a7599655c7087ea3a656b61cf9a89c376?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/aceff76f1b124f7ffb271de50b78f12a7599655c7087ea3a656b61cf9a89c376?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Reena"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4909"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8985,"href":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4909\/revisions\/8985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}