4 Biggest Mistakes PDF Users Are Making And How To Avoid Them
With a wide range of formats available to users today, PDFs have steadily become the preferred file format, transcending sectors and niches. PDF is a reliable and versatile choice for businesses and industries of all sizes. It offers an array of distinct advantages that make it the top choice for creating, sharing, and preserving documents. However, it would be safe to say that despite these user-friendly features, there are some minor hitches associated with this format. Let us take a look at some mistakes PDF dedicated users make and how to avoid them.
Working On Mobile Phones
Although PDFs are compatible with multiple devices and accessible in their true format, users still need to keep zooming in and out every now and then in order to read and understand the content appearing on their mobile screens. This wastes precious time and also causes strain on the eyes, which affects the work experience and also the work output and quality. Smaller displays are no match for wider, bigger screens. You need to shift to a PC, laptop, or tablet at the very least. If you absolutely must use a mobile phone for any reason, you will need to duplicate the PDF in a format that allows you to access the information in a single column.
Too Much Clutter
PDFs with just three pages of content can take up valuable space of up to 25 MB. This decreases the efficiency of your device, making it sluggish, which in turn wastes precious time, especially when you are up against the clock and have to meet deadlines. You can save space considerably by compressing the PDF to less than half its original size or merging different files together. This is easily achieved by using any free PDF merge tool available online to save space, improve accessibility, and enhance security, as well as streamline workflow.
Threat Of Malware
Although PDF is one of the safest formats in use out there, it is not immune to internal and external threats of getting corrupted. Users often face frustration when they encounter error messages displayed on their screens after toiling for hours on a document. When this issue occurs, PDF files become temporarily or permanently inaccessible, resulting in data loss.
What you can do to avoid this problem is make sure that you change the way in which you produce the PDF, whether you are using software that creates PDF files automatically or whether you are doing it manually. Avoid opening a file on a web browser, and also avoid opening emails containing PDF attachments from unknown or suspicious senders, as they might be infected with viruses.
Erratic Usage Of Images
Using images, links, and animation is desirable to make your PDF readable and eye-catching, and it has the effect of setting your document apart from the run-of-the-mill content in front of users. But sometimes, creators fall into the trap of overusing images to the extent of going for overkill. Using excess images can be a major turn-off for users who use other technologies to assess information. As a content developer, it is imperative that you avoid this rookie mistake and have all the text selectable and searchable within the PDF. Any images or graphs included must be accompanied by suitable text to describe the same and provide compatibility with the main text. Complex layouts or designs must be avoided.
Conclusion
In this piece, we have discussed four of the most common errors we, as PDF users, make, as well as the solutions for the same. It must be emphasized that in this matter, prevention is surely better than cure. By avoiding common mistakes like not using headlines or breaks and using difficult-to-read fonts or undesirable color contrasts, you can create a wider, more welcoming space for a larger, varied audience. Most of all, you can make your life easier and find it easy to fall in love with your work.