Adobe - Acrobat or Adobe Reader

PDF Reader and Writer

What is Acrobat or Adobe Reader?

There are many names which Adobe's PDF software package goes by.  Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, Adobe Reader, Acrobat Writer and Adobe Writer.  This may sound confusing at first, but there are really only two flavors of Acrobat.

The first is a reader, Adobe Acrobat Reader.  The reader or viewer for Adobe PDF files is free and available on most computers out of the box, but can also be downloaded at Adobe's website.

The second is a writer, Adobe Acrobat Writer.  The writer is available for purchase in many of the Adobe software packages or as a standalone product.

The importance of Acrobat lies in the format of document it produces, PDF.  A PDF file is in what is called Portable Document Format, hence the PDF file extension.  PDF documents can be used cross computer platforms and across browsers on the web.  With a PDF format you can guarantee that your document is available to a wide audience and retains its format regardless of how that audience views it.

Adobe's other products such as Photoshop and Illustrator allow for files to be saved as PDF format as well as their own proprietary format.

How does WSI utilize Adobe Acrobat?

One of the most commonly committed crimes on the internet, is to post a file for a user to view that is platform dependant.  Many times, amateur web designers post Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel files on a website.  This wouldn't be a horrible thing if every web surfer was on a Microsoft Windows computer with Microsoft Office installed.  But, many users are on Apple or Linux based systems.  Microsoft Office may not be installed or even available to some of these web visitors.  This means that while they maybe able to download your document they wouldn't be able to view it.  This can cause your users to become frustrated or require them to purchase additional software to fully enjoy the information you have crafted for them.

WSI uses the PDF standard file type on the web as well as for a business document format.  Our proposals, web documents and many of our marketing materials are created with a wide range of programs, but when we look to distribute those documents to a large audience, we look to the PDF format to make sure our documents are viewable.

Something really cool and FREE, PDF995!!

Many business can't afford to have all their employees computers packed with expensive software such as Adobe Acrobat Writer.  An alternative that allows for computer users to create PDFs is PDF995.  This free program allows you to "print" from any program that allows printing to a PDF.  The free version requires you to view ads from the software's supports, but for a small cost you can upgrade to the full version which removes these ads.  Neat, huh?

If you would like to know more about what Adobe Acrobat can do for you, please feel free to contact us.