A Brief History of How PDF Became Such a Popular File Format
This article was written by one of our amazing contributors! Content may include promotional links.
If you work in any type of office setting, you have heard of a PDF.
Globally, this file format is one that cannot be missed. It is literally everywhere.
The PDF started as a competitor to other format options, but ended up being better and is still used almost 30 years later.
To learn some more about the history of the PDF and how it can be used, keep reading to find out more.
What Is a PDF?
PDF stands for portable document format and looks like an image of text. It can also have graphics on it, but it is mainly used to show text that can be printed, viewed, or sent electronically.
It is one of the most commonly found formats for files today. If you ever download forms from the Internet, you may see that they are actually PDF files. If you are sent an email with an attachment, it may be a PDF file as well.
The PDF is everywhere, so you might as well learn more about it and how it is used!
What Is a PDF File?
A PDF file is generally a copy of another type of file that was created elsewhere.
For instance, if you make a document using an editor that other people don’t have, how are they going to view it on their computers? In today’s modern world, many applications and programs, such as OCR Net, only work with the use of images or PDF files as well.
A simple way to do it is to turn it into a PDF file. This way, no matter what documents you have or what programs you have to edit, you can see look at the things you need.
With all of the things that are used with technology today, such as uploading things to the cloud or AI, the use of PDF and file formats that you can easily transfer is important.
This is true for both personal documents and business documents.
History of the Portable File Format
When the PDF first came to light in the early ’90s, it was quite expensive. In fact, many people did not even know about it until much later anyway.
The second version of the PDF was released in late 1994 and was able to include external links and notes, as well as other new features. A few more versions came out after this with new features and updates that made them better than before.
The main start of the PDF that we all know and love today came in 2001 with the release of Acrobat 5 and PDF 1.4. Overall, the PDF was finally able to function more efficiently for a variety of users rather than only those that used prepress.
In 2003, Acrobat 6 and PDF 1.5 came out for the public to use. This gave users more choice about how their PDF files looked and what they were able to include.
In 2005 and again in 2008, there were more new releases of the PDF. These versions had more support and a much more simple format. This was great for users that were looking for a more sleek way of transferring and transporting files electronically.
The late 2010s saw the release of a few more PDF and Acrobat options, each one improving on the pros and cons of the last one.
The PDF has come a long way. From the beginnings to now, you can see a vast improvement in design, ease of use, and cost, as well as the addition of more features that are beneficial for everyone.
In terms of the future, you can expect that the PDF is going to continue changing.
Using PDF Files Everyday
Without the PDF, who knows what the most commonly used file format would be today. It may have been something vastly different or it may have been something similar with a different name.
Regardless, PDF is what we have and what we love! You use it all the time and may not even realize it.
If you’d like to gain more information about how a small business may be able to use infographics in PDF format, feel free to check out our blog post.