What File Format Is The Best For Long-Term Preservation?

Factors in considering the right file format When it comes to long-term storage, there are many factors to consider. For example, what file format to use, the type of storage media, and what metadata to include (metadata is data that provides a description of other data). In this article, we will focus specifically on the choice of file format and discuss the pros and cons of each format for long-term preservation. It is important to understand that a single file format will not meet the needs for all long-term storage needs. This is because the ideal format needs to be...
Paperless Office Software For Your Small Business: Essential Tools

What is a Paperless Office? The paperless office is one that does not use any paper and has fully digitized processes. The idea has been around for many decades, but has only become reality in the past few years. This is mostly thanks to the rise of remote working, better tools, and an increased acceptance of electronic alternatives to paper. While the “dream” of a fully paperless office may be unlikely as some processes may still require use of paper-based forms (for example: government tax returns in specific countries), businesses can at least seek to use less paper. There are...
Ultimate Guide: Documents that Should Always be in PDF

Advantages of PDF PDFs were originally created as a format that will always maintain its exact formatting, regardless of device. This is highly convenient, as file contents are never distorted or altered. PDFs are compatible with nearly any browser and may be viewed or downloaded in seconds using a range of devices such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones. A PDF file will have consistent formatting no matter how you view it. Other file types, such as Microsoft Word documents, are less precise since they may be altered at any time by anyone with access to the file. The author may...
Perception or Reality? Debating Perceptions for PDF vs Word

The Main Difference Between PDF and Word Documents Despite the fact that PDF and Word document files are both major file formats for editing and reading written documents, they are each distinct. For starters, separate software companies created each format. Adobe Systems devised and developed both the PDF and Adobe Acrobat to edit PDF files. On the other hand, Microsoft designed and developed both DOC (the original Word document format) and Microsoft Word, a document editor. Perhaps the most common perception of PDF versus Word is that the PDF is a document format that is easily viewed, whereas a Word...
A Guide to Image File Formats (And When to Use Them)

Image files are everywhere: from photos on travel blogs to designs on t-shirts, everything begins with an image file. But to ensure the best quality and results with your images, it's important to use the right graphics file format for your application. For starters, image files are generally classified into two types: raster and vector. The type that you select depends on your project and where the image will live. Here's an explanation. Raster vs. vector images Raster images: Raster images (aka bitmap images), are made up of tiny pixels, or dots. The resolution of raster images is expressed...
Why You Should Use & Create Fillable PDF Forms

Reasons to create PDF forms Historically, transforming paper-based form and intake processes to an online system was both expensive and difficult. Thankfully, the PDF File format is so easy-to-use that it has come to help many ordinary organizations upgrade their systems without the need for a taxing conversion process. Beyond the global trend towards going digital, here are three good reasons to choose the PDF file form specifically: Easy to create While in the past organizations often had to purchase expensive desktop PDF software or rely on a separate service in order to create fillable PDF forms, this is no...
Common errors you might see in PDF to Word conversion

Scenarios for converting PDF to Word If you are handed a large paper file that needs to be reviewed and edited, scanning the file and converting it from PDF to Word is the most practical way to create an editable file. If your team is about to email a PDF proposal to a client and you catch a last minute typo, quickly convert it to Word, make the necessary changes, review it, convert it back from Word to PDF and send it off to the client. If you’re a book publisher who receives manuscripts in all sorts of formats, you...
A Brief History of Microsoft Word

Hiring the best talent Gates and Allen set out to hire the best programmers they could find. In 1981, their search led them to Charles Simonyi and Richard Brodie, two Xerox Bravo programmers who were instrumental in building Xerox's original word processing programme. Simonyi and Brodie worked tirelessly -- aiming to develop the world's best word processing tool to date. In 1983, Microsoft launched Word 1.0 in "What You See Is What You Get" (WYSIWYG) mode for Xenix and MS-DOS. Word 1.0 could run in graphics and text mode, but bold, italics, and underline features were only available in the...
PDF Compression: 5 things you probably didn’t know

1. What PDF stands for Adobe asked people in the business district of Salt Lake City what the acronym “PDF” abbreviates. Although everyone responded that they were familiar with PDFs, only 8% actually knew what “PDF” stood for. Do you? a. Portable Data File b. Portable Document Format c. Process Document Form d. Pretty Darn Fast If you selected “b. Portable Document Format,” congratulations -- you beat out 92% of survey participants. Compressed PDFs have become an integral part of our daily communications and filing systems. Yet, few people actually know what the acronym stands for, or the origins of...
Finding the Best PDF Editor - Features You've Definitely Gotta Have

First, do I really need a PDF editor? Admittedly, as creators of a PDF editor and longtime fans of one of the world's most popular file formats, we're biased - but yes, you should have a PDF editing tool you can count on. Here are a few benefits of using PDF: PDFs save paper and time. Instead of printing, completing, scanning and resending an online form or document, a great PDF editor skips a whole bunch of those steps. Just add text to the form using an editor, save it, and send it. No printer? No problem! If you don't...