Talk:Portable Document Format

PostScript POV

The section of PostScript gives a one-sided "PDF is better". While this is certainly something Adobe wants us to believe, it is not necessarily true---and many who have experienced both prefer PostScript. I note that PostScript is human readable, can be edit in in a normal editor (if needed), is much easier for third-party products to support, that "imperative programming language" brings certain advantages, that it is immediately understood by good printers, ... 188.100.197.94 (talk) 02:06, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

The neutrality tag is inappropriate and should be removed: "Simply being of the opinion that a page is not neutral is not sufficient to justify the addition of the tag. Tags should be added as a last resort" (WP:NPOV_dispute). Nobody had rejected or reverted any changes that would present an alternative point of view. If you want to present alternative opinions (properly sourced of course), go ahead. If you don't offer a constructive edit to address the problem you perceive within a few days, I will remove the tag. Mrhsj (talk) 04:08, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

Removed the tag as explained above. Mrhsj (talk) 16:21, 17 March 2010 (UTC)

I think you are not allowed to do that. First of all, you're referring to an essay (WP:NPOV_dispute), not a policy. Essays are guidelines only. Secondly POV-tags, and its kin, can only be removed if the issue is resolved here on the talk page, or if the issue times out by three months. It isn't/hasn't. You removed it arbitrarily without reaching consensus. Thirdly IP 188.100.197.94 makes a proper talk page complaint, so it cannot be considered added hastily. In order to NPOV a text, all "better" and "has several advantages over" should be attributed to a specific usage, and preferably be sourced. In order to NPOV the PostScript section, the different usages should be highlighted. Subjectively: of course PostScript is better for this, and PDF better for that. They're just purpose specializations. The template

reads: Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. Rursus dixit. (^mbork³!) 13:52, 11 September 2010 (UTC)

Okay it is true that the link I cited is an essay, not an official policy. However it is the essay that the POV tag itself links to as a reference for how to deal with it. Is there an official Wikipedia policy governing removal of POV tags? Please cite. Thanks. Mrhsj (talk) 15:57, 11 September 2010 (UTC)

Dead Links

Some of the External Links are dead, including the first one on the list. Instead of deleting them, can someone provide the updated links? AmanAhuja (talk) 18:52, 22 October 2010 (UTC)

I found only two dead links, and took a stab at at updating both: [1]. Not so sure about the AIIM one; maybe someone else can do better. TJRC (talk) 19:07, 22 October 2010 (UTC)

Portable Document Format or portable document format?

Hello, I reverted one edit in the article and changed first letters of the name "Portable Document Format" to capitalised letters. According to ISO 32000-1 specification:

Section 4 (page 7): "4 - Terms and definitions"

• "4.38 - PDF - Portable Document Format file format defined by this specification ISO 32000-1".

Section Introdution (page 17)

• ISO 32000 specifies a digital form for representing documents called the Portable Document Format or usually referred to as PDF.

--89.173.68.19 (talk) 10:48, 11 February 2011 (UTC)

How to read a PDF file

The article needs some discussion on how to open a PDF file so you can read it. Most public computers I use CANNOT read PDF. They call for an association that has to be down-loaded, which is, in my situation, almost never possible. The idea that PDF files are universally readable is in error.211.225.30.91 (talk) 06:19, 12 April 2011 (UTC)

You may find this article instructional. Like most articles on software specs, the main article avoids talking about specific implementations, unless there is some notability (Adobe Acrobat and Reader are mentioned because they were the only official implementations when the format was proprietary). I believe the two most popular readers for Windows are Foxit Reader and Adobe Reader. --Nicholas Davidowicz (talk) 16:09, 12 April 2011 (UTC)

We have a list of PDF software but I don't see that helping you much if you can't run anything you download. You need to complain to the people in charge of those "public computers" and/or stop cheaping out and either get your own internet connection or find somewhere that actually cares about their users. PDF is a very common format and anyone offering a general purpose computer for internet access should really be offering a PDF reader. Plugwash (talk) 22:38, 12 April 2011 (UTC)

"Open standard"?

I question the description of this proprietary thing as "open standard". If this is allegedly an "open standard", why can I not access the source code of a PDF document and make changes? For example, I need to correct typographical errors in a document, but the publisher used an extremely obscure font that I'm not able to find anywhere. If the font is embedded in the document, this shouldn't be a problem if this was an "open standard", it would only be a problem for a very proprietary application that deliberately tried to prevent the document from being "open" -- and in any case, I'd be happy to use a different font to make changes such as adding a comma, I couldn't care less about the font that's already used. I'm aware that older versions of Acrobat Pro did not prevent you from editing text if you didn't have the exact same font installed. Potbirohotballa (talk) 15:03, 31 May 2011 (UTC)

Open standard does not mean any document can be opened and read by everyone. Open standard means the specifications for creating and reading documents are publicly available. --NeilN ^{talk to me} 16:02, 31 May 2011 (UTC)

Add "PDF searchable image" concept to the article?

There are a important PDF concept in the digitalization and OCR markets, the "PDF Searchable Image". It is produced by, ex., "Acrobat Capture" and "Capture SDK" Adobe products.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Krauss (talk • contribs) 23:27:52, 18 Jun 2011 (UTC)

Agreed. Virtually all computer-savvy people are well-aware of the large number of PDFs that have searchable text, when downloaded as eBooks, software manuals from major corporations, and other "professional" sources, and frustratedly aware also that their own home-generated PDFs are not searchable in such a manner. I'd be very surprised if a large proportion of readers of this article aren't here looking for an explanation. — SMcCandlish Talk⇒ ʕ(^Õل^ō)ˀ Contribs. 01:45, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

Postscript and transparency

Ghostscript can handle transparency in PostScript documents. As I understand it, they have implemented the feature because Adobe Distiller support it (or rather enabled it: that is, introduced the syntax for transparent vector graphics into PostScript and enabled support for transparency in bitmap images, since Ghostscript already had support for transparency when rendering PDF-files).

So, just like PDF, at least some versions of PostScript (as implemented by not to ancient versions of GhostScript and Adobe Distiller) do support transparency. --81.234.126.60 (talk) 11:49, 27 September 2011 (UTC)

Why call it "Portable" Document Format?

This is a wonder119.85.246.160 (talk) 00:01, 3 October 2011 (UTC)

I guess cause it is a Portable Document Format. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.71.63.46 (talk) 16:06, 3 October 2011 (UTC)

Because the creators of PDF go to great lengths to make it possible for different people to view and print PDF files and see the same thing using different types of computers and different operating software.

This is not true of many file formats. Just for example, some versions of Microsoft Word create files that cannot be understood by other versions of Microsoft Word. This is not to pick on Microsoft Word, which is an amazing program IMO, but just to illustrate what is meant by saying that a PDF file is "portable".

Wanderer57 (talk) 16:13, 4 October 2011 (UTC)

Disadvantages-abuse/misuse

I am surprised at the minimal mention of problems with PDF files most of which seem to come from a user's or application's misuse of the format, as is frequently the case with a "it can do anything" tool. While some PDF documents are excellent for printing most are horrible for viewing on a display. The format is hardly portable when it does not provide for presentation on device or even a windowed display which is not the same configuration as the author used. Many scanners/faxes create PDFs which are simply graphic images which would be much better represented by a graphic format like PNG. Even documents that are truly text are frequently generated with non-functional table of contents and pagination reflecting the author's original layout rather than the viewer's making navagation and simple scrolling impossible. The storage requirements for nearly PDF documents is extravagant to say the least. (Bring it on.) DG12 (talk) 19:48, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

Recent versions not fully compatible with Windows XP

Recent versions of Adobe Acrobat are not fully compatible with Windows XP. Printing is particularily problematic. Characters are displaced by one ASCII code value!

PDF Exchange Viewer is a freeware that is fully compatible with Windows XP, Vista and 7. Printing using PDF Exchange Viewer is perfect.

Adobe must surely be aware of the problem but don't appear to want to fix it. As XP is still the most used operating system in the world (just), such an attitude reflects badly on the company. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.30.7.97 (talk) 14:21, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

This article is about the file format, not about software by Adobe.--Oneiros (talk) 17:24, 24 January 2012 (UTC)