Key Takeaways

• Secure your business documents by converting them to PDF format, which offers superior protection through electronic footprints and password restrictions[4].
• Streamline your document workflow by using PDFs to maintain consistent formatting across all devices and operating systems, eliminating compatibility issues[1][3].
• Build trust with clients and partners by sharing PDFs that preserve the original layout and prevent unauthorized modifications, ensuring professional communication[2].
• Discover the versatility of PDFs for managing diverse content types, from images to spreadsheets, while maintaining quality and reducing file sizes[6][7].

However, in today’s digital environment, the PDF format has become a better choice over other formats due to its many benefits. How we present, share, and store information significantly impacts the result we want to get. In this blog, we will overview the benefits of using PDFs over some common file formats, such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents, clarifying why they are the preferred choice for professionals, businesses, and individuals.

Reason – Why Use PDF Files?

Whether you want to prevent your document from unauthorized edits, ensure your document appears as intended, or share files with anyone effortlessly, here are 8 reasons why you should prefer PDF files over Word, Excel, and PowerPoint:

1. Universal Format

Many users commonly use Microsoft to create documents and convert them to PDFs because PDFs are consistent in their original formatting and appearance across all devices. As a result, a single PDF file will appear the same whether you’re using Windows, macOS, or another device. An MS Word document, however, can lose its intended layout and styling during transfer between different operating systems, such as moving from an Android device to a Mac or a laptop.

2. Better Reliability

PDFs are considered an excellent format for sharing documents and ensuring the intended message is wholly preserved without any unexpected changes in the document. PDFs provide a higher security level than Word documents, making it harder for unauthorized persons to modify the content. This feature protects sensitive documents such as contracts and legal papers from unwanted editing.

3. Great Portability

While opening a Word document, you may see that some fonts are missing from the document, or while viewing a PowerPoint presentation, some images have vanished; however, with the Portable Document Format (PDF), you don’t need to worry about these issues as there are no dependencies when transferring or shifting files. PDF files can quickly transfer or move without worrying; keeping everything intact—fonts, images, tables, and formatting ensures that the PDF looks the same no matter where or how it’s opened.

4. Reliable Security

Many consider PDFs one of the most trusted document formats, as they’re even used by legal professionals and are recognized in court. This is because all alterations can be easily traced via an electronic footprint on the file—so there’s no changing a PDF without the courts knowing about it! Another security feature that PDFs offer is the ability to restrict viewing by setting a password so that only those with this information can view the PDF file. 

5. Ease of Creation

To make your document easy to copy, share, or transfer files seamlessly, you can use a variety of apps and save it as a PDF. Using Word, Excel, or PowerPoint on a Mac, you can export your documents as PDFs and open them in an efficient reader, such as SwifDoo PDF, without hassle. The versatile reader and annotator also allows you to convert PDFs back into Word documents or other formats you might need.

6. File Size Reduction

A crucial advantage of PDFs is their ability to retain quality while reducing file size. Converting  MS Word, Excel, Image, and PowerPoint presentations to a single PDF will help reduce file size,  making storing files on servers or other storage devices easier. Additionally, suppose you’re dealing with a vast PDF with many images or complex graphs; sharing it via email or messaging apps may be difficult due to file size restrictions. In these cases, the PDF format allows you to lower the file’s quality to reduce it further.

7. Versatility

The PDF format is incredibly versatile, practical, and universally accepted. Essentially, it adapts to whatever you need it for—storing images, graphics, vectors, text documents, lengthy reports, school assignments, presentations, spreadsheets, and much more. PDFs handle all types of content with ease and consistency. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files are limited to specific devices. PDF files can be opened across any device or operating system, making PDFs more accessible than other formats.  

8. Editability

Microsoft, Apple, and Google have document apps to help you create PDF files and open and edit PDFs. These tech platforms all have tools to convert PDFs into editable formats. However, you may encounter difficulties with file types other than text-based documents, such as spreadsheets or slide presentations. In these cases, you’ll need specialized software, such as SwifDoo PDF, to edit those PDFs. Moreover, using the free online PDF to DWG converter, you can instantly convert PDF documents to editable DWG or DXF formats for updates or archival purposes.

Final Words

Today, PDFs are the benchmark for sharing documents in a world filled with countless file formats. They’re very easy to access and use, with built-in readers on most operating systems. They maintain fixed formatting, making documents appear identical regardless of the software or device involved. Many software tools can help you convert Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files into PDF format. In this article, we’ve listed 8 reasons PDFs are the preferred choice for sharing documents, making them a universal file type.

Frequently Asked Question

What are the advantages of paper documents PDF?

PDFs are easy to store, search, and share. They offer many editing options, allowing teams to collaborate quickly and efficiently by adding comments and annotations and making changes directly within the document itself. 

When to use PDF?

PDFs save files that can be shared and printed without modification. Businesses often use PDFs to share documents like contracts, reports, and invoices. 

What are the risks of PDF files?

There are many ways of hiding Viruses, Trojans, and malware inside a PDF file, and they typically show up in email downloads or attachments like eBooks and other documents.

How do PDFs maintain formatting across different devices when other formats can’t?

PDFs embed all fonts, images, and formatting elements directly into the file, creating a self-contained package that doesn’t rely on external resources. This encapsulation ensures the document appears identical regardless of the operating system or viewing device.

What makes PDFs legally admissible in court proceedings?

PDFs create an electronic footprint that tracks all modifications, making document tampering easily detectable. This built-in audit trail, combined with encryption capabilities and digital signature support, provides a reliable chain of custody for legal documents.

Can PDFs really help reduce storage space while maintaining document quality?

PDFs use advanced compression algorithms that optimize file size while preserving visual quality. The format intelligently compresses different content types (text, images, graphics) separately, allowing for significant size reduction without compromising readability or visual clarity.

What’s the difference between editing a PDF and converting it to another format?

Native PDF editing allows for direct modifications while maintaining the document’s integrity and format, while conversion transforms the PDF into an editable format like Word or Excel but may lose some formatting elements in the process.

How do PDFs handle complex content like spreadsheets and presentations?

PDFs can preserve interactive elements, layers, and complex formatting from various source files, maintaining the functionality of spreadsheet calculations and presentation animations while ensuring consistent display across platforms.

What security features do PDFs offer beyond password protection?

PDFs support multiple security layers, including 256-bit encryption, permission controls for printing and copying, digital signatures, and redaction capabilities for sensitive information.

Why do some PDFs appear larger than their original source files?

When PDFs embed high-resolution images, fonts, and complex graphics, they may become larger than source files because they’re storing all necessary components to ensure consistent display. However, optimization tools can reduce these files while maintaining quality.