Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is the most complete PDF solution designed for today's multi-device world. Having an Acrobat Pro DC subscription enhances the process by providing a consistent user experience across desktop, web browser, and mobile platforms while delivering full Acrobat 2020 Pro functionality. By paying an ongoing subscription, as opposed to a single upfront cost for the perpetual version, you can create, edit, and manage PDFs from almost anywhere, at any time, using pretty much any Internet-connected device. And when you subscribe, you get ongoing access to the latest features, security updates, and upgrades at no extra cost.
The Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) file is one of the most ubiquitous means of communication on the Internet. It’s easy to see why these files are used for everything from brochures to technical manuals, since they can be viewed without quality or formatting changes, from practically any computer or mobile device. This cuts down on having to print and distribute paper copies, saving costs and the environment. Although many can get by using integrated tools across multiple applications to create PDF files, Adobe Acrobat 2020 offers a host of valuable benefits that help streamline the process of making professional, high-quality documents. The Standard Edition has a core set of features for creating, editing, and signing PDFs, while Acrobat 2020 Pro includes added functionality—not least of which is macOS compatibility and using preflight libraries for professional-grade printing. Here are just a handful of incredibly useful things that you can do with Acrobat 2020.
Create PDF Files from Almost Anything
Windows 10 and macOS allow you to print just about anything as a PDF file through an integrated virtual printer. However, the process has a number of limitations and drawbacks. For instance, I’ve experienced jumbled images, missing or cut-off text, and a host of other issues when I tried to print web pages as PDFs. I either learned to put up with it or had to fiddle with my print settings to improve the quality.
While Acrobat Pro’s “Convert Web Page to Adobe PDF” function has some quirks, it generally does a better job of making web pages appear less jumbled. I also noticed that converted web pages kept elements that were lost when the web pages were printed, including social media buttons and text boxes that could be filled in directly from the PDF. Another benefit is adding web pages to an existing PDF instead of having to track and organize multiple documents. On top of that, I could fix issues by rearranging images and editing the text directly instead of messing with the settings, reprinting, and hoping for better results.
Acrobat 2020 also provided me with a host of tools that I didn’t know I needed. In addition to creating PDFs from scanned documents and images, I can drag and drop files into the application. Alternatively, I can convert and combine files into PDFs without having to open them. One of my favorite functions is being able to create a document straight from whatever was copied to my clipboard instead of pasting it to an application such as Word or Photoshop and saving it from there. Although these might sound like small conveniences, they ended up saving me quite a bit of time. MacBook Pro users have the added benefit of Touch Bar functionality in Acrobat Pro to work more efficiently.
Edit PDFs from a Single Platform
Applications such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel allow you to save documents in PDF format, which is fine if you just need a one-off document. Things get a little tricky if you have to make edits, especially if they’re located on cloud storage services, requiring you to return to those applications and individually download and re-save multiple files. With Acrobat 2020, you can manage all the documents from a single application, including ones on Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and others. You can edit text and images, rotate and rearrange pages, and add rich media such as video and audio clips.
Use the Combine Files tool to bring together and manage multiple file formats such as Word, PowerPoint, image files, and more to create a single PDF. A straightforward interface allows you to drag and drop multiple files into Acrobat 2020 for quick and easy editing. The application also includes a comparison function that automatically finds and highlights the changes between two versions of the same document.
Collaborate Easily
Acrobat’s Send for Review (Send for Comments on macOS) function helps to streamline feedback from multiple contributors. Reviewers receive an email invitation with a link to the review document, and clicking on it allows your colleagues to use a host of editing tools. For starters, the Sticky Note and Highlight tools are used to leave comments and mark areas for edits. Both include different color options, and you can adjust the opacity of notes and the line weight of highlights to have them better stand out. Markup functions include underlining, strikethrough, and inserting text with pop-up notes where you can write in recommended text without making changes to the document. You can even record and add an audio comment to a document to save yourself some typing.
Other functions include a Text Comment tool that allows you to add formatted free-floating text for elements such as captions. The Text Box tool adds obvious notes to a page, which can be made even clearer by using the pencil to draw on the document in different colors. All tools can be used on scanned documents and images, but you’ll have to use the integrated OCR to edit text. Comments may be sorted by page number, author, date, type, checkmark status, or color. They can also be filtered and searched for efficient collaboration. Windows 10 users can take advantage of DirectInk technology to write notes using digital pens, providing a more natural experience when marking up documents.
All the tools Acrobat 2020 has to offer may seem overwhelming at first. But customizing the toolbar with preferred functions helps to streamline the editing process.
Auto-Complete Documents
For many, the Fill & Sign tool is one of the most important functions Acrobat 2020 has to offer. It allows you to complete documents digitally that don’t have electronic form fields built in. You can use the Form tools to insert custom fields anywhere into existing PDFs, which will auto-populate personal information based on your computer profile. Signatures may be added through Adobe Sign using a certified signature stamp, and you can customize your signature by typing your name and choosing a typeface, drawing your signature with your mouse, or uploading an image of your signature. Acrobat Pro 2020 for Windows 10 includes a Signature Panel that you can sign your name into using a digital pen.
Secure and Optimize PDFs
With just a few clicks, you can password-protect and redact important documents. These tools are especially important if your document contains sensitive information and if you want to protect copyrighted material. Adding a password allows you to control who can view and print PDFs, including the resolution at which they can print. Up to two passwords can be assigned, one for viewing access and the other for editing. You can also set permissions for copying text and images. Even metadata may be stripped from a PDF if needed. Additionally, the redaction tool places government-style black bands over selected text so you can block out personal information and other sensitive elements.
Once you’re finished securing your document, you can use the Optimize PDF tool to compress the file to a manageable size for emailing and sharing. You can adjust the quality settings to determine how well images are preserved when compressed. Acrobat Pro users have access to Preflight tools that help determine the document’s validity for print production by comparing it against preflight profiles and suggesting fixes for various issues.
Adobe Acrobat 2020 offers a suite of powerful tools for PDF creation, editing, and collaboration. What do you think are its most useful functions? Let us know in the Comments section, below.
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