Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Acrobat Pro

What are the features of Adobe Acrobat Reader?

Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free tool that allows you to view, print, and sign PDF files. Here's a comprehensive list of its features:

Viewing:

• Open and view PDF files with various layouts, such as single-page or multi-page displays.

Printing:

• Print PDFs in their original layout or in a simplified format (e.g., text-only).

Zooming:

• Magnify PDFs to focus on specific areas or texts.

Panorama:

• View and navigate through large-format PDFs, such as maps or posters.

Forms Filling:

• Fill out interactive forms within PDF files using various input methods (e.g., mouse, keyboard, or touchscreen).

Signing:

• Sign digital documents electronically using a variety of tools, including digital signatures, electronic signatures with authentication, and signature fields for filling in text or image-based signatures.

Search and Navigation:

• Search for specific text within PDFs.
• Navigate through PDF files using bookmarks, thumbnails, or the "Next" and "Previous" buttons.

Bookmarking:

• Create and manage bookmarks to quickly locate specific sections within a PDF.

Page Rotation:

• Rotate pages in a PDF file to improve readability or adjust for landscape-oriented printing.

Accessibility:

• Zoom and font size adjustment for users with visual impairments

• Support for assistive technologies, such as screen readers

Security:

• Verify the authenticity of signed PDFs using digital signatures and encryption.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is a powerful tool that provides many essential features for working with PDF files.

What are the features of Adobe Acrobat Pro?

Adobe Acrobat Pro, also known as Adobe Acrobat DC (Document Cloud), offers a wide range of advanced features beyond those in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Here's an exhaustive list of its features:

Editing and Manipulation:

• Edit PDF text: Edit existing text within PDFs using the "Edit" tool.

• Add text: Insert new text into a PDF document.

• Insert images: Add images, including scanned documents, to PDF files.

• Shapes and annotations: Draw shapes, lines, and arrows to highlight important information.

• Stamp tools: Apply pre-designed stamps (e.g., approval marks) or create custom ones.

• Redacting: Remove sensitive information from a PDF by redacting it.

Forms and Templates:

• Create forms: Design and populate interactive forms using templates or from scratch.

• Modify forms: Edit existing form fields, add new ones, and remove unnecessary ones.

• Form calculation: Use JavaScript to perform calculations within form fields.

• Conditional logic: Apply rules-based logic to form fields (e.g., "If this field is filled, then show/hide that section").

Multimedia Support:

• Add audio: Insert audio files into PDFs, including MP3 and WAV formats.

• Add video: Embed video files (MP4, AVI, etc.) into PDFs.

• Insert multimedia links: Create links to external multimedia content.

Interactive Elements:

• Buttons: Add interactive buttons with custom actions (e.g., "Jump to page X" or "Play audio").

• Links: Create hyperlinks within PDFs that open other files, websites, or applications.

• Bookmarks: Organize and navigate through PDF content using bookmarks.

Security and Authentication:

• Digital signatures: Sign PDFs electronically with certified digital signatures.

• Certificate of authenticity: Verify the origin and integrity of signed documents.

• Encryption: Encrypt PDFs to protect sensitive information (AES-256, 128-bit RC4, or ZIP compression).

• Password protection: Set passwords to restrict access to PDFs.

Collaboration and Integration:

• Share files: Share PDFs via email, FTP, or other file transfer protocols.

• Commenting: Enable others to add comments and feedback within a PDF.

• Track changes: Monitor revisions made to a PDF document.

• Integration with Microsoft Office: Edit PDFs directly from Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Conversion and Creation:

• PDF creation: Convert other file formats (e.g., Microsoft Office documents) into PDFs.

• Image-to-PDF conversion: Convert images into PDF files.

• TXT to PDF conversion: Convert plain text (.txt) files into PDFs.

• E-book creation: Create E-books from PDFs and export them in EPUB format.

Organization and Management:

• Organize PDFs using folders, tags, or custom categories.

• Search for specific content within PDFs and filter results by date, author, or other criteria.

• Perform tasks on multiple PDF files simultaneously (e.g., converting images to text).

Adobe Acrobat Pro offers a wide range of advanced features that make it an essential tool for anyone working with PDFs in a professional setting.

Adobe Acrobat Pro is available via the VU Software Store for departments to start a subscription using COA or POET.

Here's a quick summary of the main differences between Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Acrobat Pro:

Editing capabilities:

• Acrobat Pro allows for advanced editing features like adding text, images, or shapes, while Acrobat Reader only permits basic changes.

Form creation and modification:

• Acrobat Pro provides more robust form-creation tools, including templates and conditional logic.

Multimedia support:

• Acrobat Pro supports the addition of audio and video files to PDFs, whereas Acrobat Reader does not.

Interactive elements: Acrobat Pro enables you to create interactive PDFs with buttons, links, and other multimedia elements.

Adobe offers a range of subscription options for Adobe Acrobat Pro:

Single-User License:

• A perpetual license that allows one user to install the software on their computer.

Multi-User License:

• A volume license that allows multiple users to access the software within your organization.

Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription:

• If you're already a Creative Cloud subscriber, you can add Adobe Acrobat Pro as part of your subscription bundle.

You might consider upgrading to Adobe Acrobat Pro if:

You frequently edit PDFs:

• If you regularly need to make changes to PDF documents, such as adding text or images, then Adobe Acrobat Pro is a good investment.

You work with complex forms and templates:

• If you're responsible for creating or modifying complex forms, templates, or PDF-based surveys, then the advanced features in Adobe Acrobat Pro will be very useful.

You need to create interactive PDFs:

• If you want to add multimedia elements like audio, video, or animations to your PDFs, then Adobe Acrobat Pro is the way to go.

.If you only need to view and print PDFs, Adobe Acrobat Reader is a great choice. However, if you require more advanced editing features, form creation, or multimedia support, then Adobe Acrobat Pro is the way to go. We hope this breakdown helps you make an informed decision about your PDF editing needs!