PDFs – or Portable Document Format files – can be exceptionally useful for sending and receiving documents. They are safe, secure, and compressed files that can be easily sent to anyone at any time. They are also extremely secure and can come with a variety of passwords and other protective measures. However, editing them can be a challenge, and there may be times that you need to do so. As such, here’s a look at how to quickly edit PDFs.
Download the Right Program
Using a PDF editor can enable you to make these changes. PDF editors are specific programs that allow you to make text, graphics, or other edits to a program. This, in turn, can allow you to make any edits necessary.
Fortunately, using a program like Adobe means that you can do more than just edit the text or graphics of a PDF. Using this method also means that you can add comments and annotations. This can enhance a document and make it much more useful than your standard word or PDF file. If necessary, you can even make edits, then use Adobe to convert the file to another format, like JPG.
Furthermore, you can enact other security measures, potentially enabling password protection on the file or limiting who can have access to it. Indeed, Adobe even makes it so that others cannot print the file. If security is a concern, these benefits can be absolutely critical.
Use Microsoft Word
There are a variety of ways to make conversions with this editing software, and Microsoft Word will allow you to engage in limited edits of PDFs as well. However, as Microsoft notes on their support website, this isn’t actually done directly in the PDF file. Instead, it converts the file to a word document, then allows you to make edits to that document. You have to reconvert it back to a PDF. This is less than ideal, as you aren’t actually editing the PDF document. Instead, you’re editing a copy of the document. Furthermore, it is possible that the conversion won’t work perfectly, meaning that some formatting errors may occur. Depending on the magnitude of an error, this can cause real problems in your conversion.
Convert, Edit, Reconvert
If you don’t have Microsoft Word, there are a variety of other programs and websites that can allow you to make a conversion, edit the document, and then reconvert it back.
Of course, this method is less than ideal, to put it politely. It requires a lot of effort, and the conversion process means that it can be difficult to make changes or undo changes that you’ve made. It can also be clumsy and time-consuming, and if your document contains sensitive information, it may pose security challenges.
There may clearly be a real need to edit a PDF document. Thankfully, it isn’t the hardest thing to do, and there are many ways to accomplish this goal.
Interesting Related Article: “Why PDF Conversion Tools Are A Business Owner’s Best Friend“