4 Reasons I Share My Microsoft Word Documents as PDFs

When I've finished my Microsoft Word papers and privation to nonstop it to others, I often prevention it successful a Portable Document Format (or PDF for short). Taking this measurement creates a preserved and wide compatible transcript of the document, reducing the chances of it causing issues down the line.

1 Preserved Formatting

The main crushed I similar to prevention and nonstop my Word documents arsenic PDF is that I tin warrant that the fonts, images, tables, and wide layout are preserved. This is due to the fact that Word documents saved arsenic PDFs are converted to a fixed-layout record format, which means they place and store the nonstop presumption of an entity connected the page.

Let's accidental you person a Word papers that you privation to nonstop to idiosyncratic other via email. While the recipient mightiness besides person Microsoft Word, this doesn't mean that they'll spot connected their surface precisely what you created connected yours, particularly if they're utilizing a mentation of the programme that is older oregon has less features and tools. On the different hand, redeeming and sending the papers arsenic a PDF increases the chances of the document's layout staying the aforesaid during the proscription from your instrumentality to theirs.

What's more, if you nonstop a Word papers containing an imported font oregon a typeface lone accessible to radical with a Microsoft 365 subscription, if they don't person the aforesaid font connected their system, the substance volition beryllium replaced by a substitute font. However, due to the fact that PDFs thin to embed the fonts utilized during the document's creation, they'll stay intact careless of the recipient's setup.

2 Wide Compatibility

Until July 2008, PDF was owned and controlled by Adobe, which meant that radical mightiness person faced bundle restrictions oregon compatibility issues erstwhile opening the file. However, since that date, the format has been an unfastened standard, which means that PDFs tin beryllium work by anyone connected virtually immoderate device—from laptops and PCs to smartphones and tablets. Indeed, astir modern-day devices travel with free, built-in PDF readers.

As a result, gone are the days of radical frustratingly replying to my emails to inquire for the Word papers successful a antithetic format. Even much usefully successful today's fast-paced world, radical tin reliably presumption the Word papers I sent to them arsenic a PDF portion connected the determination without having to interest astir navigating the pernickety idiosyncratic interface of the Microsoft Word mobile app.

My litmus trial for determining the compatibility of a programme oregon bundle is to get my dad—who (bless him) isn't peculiarly technologically aware—to interact with it. When I sent him a Microsoft Word document, helium struggled to unfastened it, recovered the interface overwhelming, and made accidental changes to the file. However, erstwhile I sent him a PDF, helium could unfastened it easy connected some his tablet and mobile, navigate and zoom without issue, and didn't inadvertently edit the content. It's harmless to say, therefore, that PDFs walk this compatibility test.

3 Locked Content

Although immoderate bundle allows radical to edit PDFs, sending a papers successful this format means that the contented is little apt to beryllium tinkered with than successful a Word document. What's more, if a PDF is modified, it often leaves an edit trail—like the modified day successful the metadata—meaning I tin place whether radical person made changes to the archetypal file.

For this reason, PDFs are utile for sending ceremonial oregon confidential documents similar contracts oregon letters, particularly if they don't request to beryllium further edited by the recipient. PDFs tin besides beryllium secured with a password, and immoderate PDF editors connection the enactment to restrict editing permissions.

4 Smaller File Size

PDFs are optimized for viewing and printing, meaning they bash distant with immoderate papers formatting data, similar array structures and paragraph settings, portion preserving their appearance. They often usage vector graphics for images and encode substance efficiently with embedded fonts, further reducing the size of the record compared to those saved and sent arsenic a Microsoft Word file.

When redeeming a Word papers arsenic a PDF by pressing F12 and choosing "PDF" successful the Save As Type field, there's an enactment to make a minimum-size PDF.

Taking this other measurement earlier clicking "Save" reduces the record size, meaning it takes little clip to upload it arsenic an email attachment. I tin besides connect much files to the email if needed, and the idiosyncratic who receives the email volition payment from a quicker download velocity and little abstraction taken up connected their device. Bear successful mind, however, that creating a minimum-size PDF somewhat reduces the prime of the content, though this trade-off is usually hardly noticeable.

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As good arsenic ensuring compatibility, integrity, and consistency by redeeming and sending Microsoft Word documents arsenic PDFs, you tin bash the aforesaid with OneNote notes, Excel sheets, Outlook emails, and PowerPoint slides.