PDF. Three letters that continue to change the world.
Everything you need to know about the PDF.
What does PDF mean?
PDF is an abbreviation that stands for Portable Document Format. It's a versatile file format created by Adobe that gives people an easy, reliable way to present and exchange documents - regardless of the software, hardware, or operating systems being used by anyone who views the document.
The PDF format is now an open standard, maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). PDF docs can contain links and buttons, form fields, audio, video, and business logic. They can be signed electronically and can easily be viewed on Windows or MacOS using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.
Adobe created the PDF.
In 1991, Adobe co-founder Dr. John Warnock launched the paper-to-digital revolution with an idea he called, The Camelot Project. The goal was to enable anyone to capture documents from any application, send electronic versions of these documents anywhere, and view and print them on any machine. By 1992, Camelot had developed into PDF. Today, it is the file format trusted by businesses around the world.
Adobe created the PDF.
In 1991, Adobe co-founder Dr. John Warnock launched the paper-to-digital revolution with an idea he called, The Camelot Project. The goal was to enable anyone to capture documents from any application, send electronic versions of these documents anywhere, and view and print them on any machine. By 1992, Camelot had developed into PDF. Today, it is the file format trusted by businesses around the world.
PDF document conversion made easy.
Warnock’s vision continues to shape the way we work. When you create an Adobe PDF from documents or images, it looks just the way you intended it to. While many PDFs are simply pictures of pages, Adobe PDFs preserve all the data in the original file format—even when text, graphics, spreadsheets, and more are combined in a single file.
PDF document conversion made easy.
Warnock’s vision continues to shape the way we work. When you create an Adobe PDF from documents or images, it looks just the way you intended it to. While many PDFs are simply pictures of pages, Adobe PDFs preserve all the data in the original file format—even when text, graphics, spreadsheets, and more are combined in a single file.
PDF files meet high standards.
You can be confident your PDF file meets ISO 32000 standards for electronic document exchange, including special-purpose standards such as PDF/A for archiving, PDF/E for engineering, and PDF/X for printing. You can also create PDFs to meet a range of accessibility standards that make content more usable by people with disabilities.
Enjoy paperless documents and workflows.
When you need to electronically sign a PDF, it’s easy using the Adobe Acrobat Reader mobile app, or the Acrobat Sign mobile app. For managing legally-binding electronic or digital signature processes, try Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Sign.
When you need to electronically sign a PDF, it’s easy using the Adobe Acrobat Reader mobile app, or the Acrobat Sign mobile app. Access your PDFs from any web browser or operating system. For managing legally-binding electronic or digital signature processes, try Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Sign.
PDFs have standards.
You can be confident your PDF file meets ISO 32000 standards for electronic document exchange, including special-purpose standards such as PDF/A for archiving, PDF/E for engineering, and PDF/X for printing. You can also create PDFs to meet a range of accessibility standards that make content more usable by people with disabilities.
No paper printouts needed. Ever.
When you need to electronically sign a PDF, it’s easy using the Adobe Acrobat Reader mobile app, or the Acrobat Sign mobile app. Access your PDFs from any web browser or operating system. For managing legally-binding electronic or digital signature processes, try Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Sign.
Adobe PDFs are secure.
When you work with electronic documents, it’s important to make protection a part of your routine. You can password-protect your PDF files to prevent others from copying and editing. Redact them to permanently delete sensitive information. And even find and remove hidden data.
Integrate PDFs with other apps.
We partner with leading companies so you can add Adobe Document Cloud’s PDF tools to the applications your teams already use. With PDF tools embedded in Microsoft 365, you can instantly convert Microsoft Word documents, Excel files, or Powerpoint presentations to PDF format to simplify and streamline your workflows.
Integrate PDFs with other apps.
We partner with leading companies so you can add Adobe Document Cloud’s PDF tools to the applications your teams already use. With PDF tools embedded in Microsoft 365, you can instantly convert Microsoft Word documents, Excel files, or Powerpoint presentations to PDF format to simplify and streamline your workflows.
Integrate PDFs with other apps.
We partner with leading companies so you can add Adobe Document Cloud’s PDF tools to the applications your teams already use. With PDF tools embedded in Microsoft 365, you can instantly convert Microsoft Word documents, Excel files, or Powerpoint presentations to PDF format to simplify and streamline your workflows.
Scan documents to simplify your work.
You can scan paper documents and forms to save as Adobe PDF and get smart files that are easy to search, share, and store. Adobe PDFs use optical character recognition (OCR) technology, so you can edit and comment on the documents you’ve scanned. More than a PDF viewer, Adobe Acrobat Pro is a complete PDF solution that lets you create, edit, and convert PDF files to other formats.
