The History of Adobe Acrobat
When Adobe Acrobat was launched with the PDF in 1993, the printing world, and the business world at large, changed for good. Adobe Acrobat was the first piece of business software capable of reading the newly created document file type called Portable Document Format, PDF for short. A lot of people ask, are PDFs still relevant for printing companies?
Today we’ll be exploring the history of Adobe Acrobat and the rise of the Portable Document Format!
“What industries badly need is a universal way to communicate documents across a wide variety of machine configurations, operating systems, and communication networks. These documents should be viewable on any display and should be printable on any modern printer. If this problem can be solved, then the fundamental way people work will change.”
— John E. Warnock, the cofounder of Adobe, discussed his thought process around the need for a simple document format
When Acrobat 1.0 initially launched, it was utilized by the IRS to democratize the distribution of tax forms. Now, instead of having forms sent to you by the IRS, you were able to print the forms out in your own office – as long as you had access to the disk with the files on it. One invention would completely change this document format forever – the world wide web.
By the 1996 tax season, that element was ready to go, as the Internal Revenue Service booted up its web servers—complete with more than 600 documents ready for download in PDF format, which cemented this document in history.
So why are PDFs still relevant for printing companies after all these years? Here are some specific functions of the document type that are super useful to printing companies and the graphic designers that work for them.
Are PDFs Still Relevant for Printing Companies?
One of the main advantages of a PDF from the printer’s perspective is that most of the elements within a PDF can be modified (if you know how to) to match specific equipment types, ink color variations, and other necessary adjustments. We can do this because we have specific types of software that allow us to do so without worrying about accidentally altering the rest of the document.
Everything your print provider needs is there.
Saving a PDF file on your computer is kind of like creating a tiny collection of all the different elements of your design in one document. From the fonts to individual shapes, to all the color information any printing company could dream of. If you want to make your printing providers’s life easier, send them your documents in a PDF format. You can thank us later.
This can save time, money, and headaches for everyone involved
Since Adobe Acrobat hit the market in the early 90’s, PDF’s have been dominating the market as an industry standard. They allow consumers and companies to transfer documents in a way that allows for a completely consistent look and feel. They also include all of the fonts, colors, and elements that anyone could ask for.
If you decide you need fifty flyers printed for your local event, we can take care of you here at Pinnacle Press at (330) 453-7060. If you do, remember to send us your files in a PDF (haha).