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Adobe Acrobat 7 Training SolutionsAn error occurred. Please try later. |
PDF, or Portable Document Format as it is formally known, is ubiquitous on the Web. Surf the Internet for any period of time and you most likely will run into a PDF file, and no doubt will need Adobe Reader, Acrobat Professional or some program that can read this file type. Adobe's omni present program is one of those unique programs that has created a common file format in an area not known for interoperability. Both widely supported and able to allow a wide assortment of files created in an equally wide assortment of programs to be open, shared and commented on, the program has made disseminating information just that much easier.
What does this mean for the typical Web surfer? Actually, it means a lot. For example, say you have created a complex document in Microsoft Publisher 2003. You have pictures, images and text all formatted and set up to look good. Now that you have created this file, you want to share it with friends, perhaps even obtain feedback. All is well, but there is one problem. The file is 7 MB large, and not all of your friends have Microsoft Publisher 2003 on their computers, or email accounts that can handle files 7 MB. What do you do? This is where Adobe Acrobat Professional comes in handy.
With Acrobat Professional you can convert your large file into something smaller that you can email to your friends and associates. For those that do not have Acrobat Professional, Adobe has created Adobe Reader, a free program that allows everyone the ability to see, and now comment on, the file you created.
Solving one of the biggest problems in computing, interoperability, Adobe's Acrobat has become an industry standard, and one supported by a wide number of companies. Although some programs have the ability to convert Acrobat files built in, not all do. For those times when conversion is absolutely necessary, Acrobat Professional is the program to have available. This is particularly true for designers, graphic artists and nearly anyone who needs to share information without altering original source material.
As beneficial as Acrobat is, the Achilles heel of the program has been speed. Slow to start up and painfully slow when staring up within a browser, Acrobat files online have been greeted with less than enthusiasm. There is nothing worse than surfing the World Wide Web and then stopping because the program you are using is slower than molasses in summer.
Acrobat Professional, now version 7, not only remedies that problem, it also speeds up the program by having it load at launch time. The speed increases with the new Acrobat are obvious and very noticeable. More than anything, the speed enhancements make Acrobat 7 Pro, a must have for those impatient with slow programs. While the installation of the program is still time consuming, once it is set up, Acrobat runs at speeds one would expect. It is no longer the slow poke it once was.
Interface wise, the program has changed, but just slightly. The alterations make the program a bit easier to use, but not so foreign that old timers familiar with past incarnations will feel lost. As a rule, the improvements have made for easier navigation.
Outlook message folders can be archived as hyperlinked PDF files, and scanning is easier with the option to use OCR before scanning, a feature I do not recall on the previous version. For users of the gratis Acrobat, now called Adobe Reader 7, the speed improvements and the ability to annotate documents, a feature only available in the full version before, are now available to all.
New with version Acrobat 7 Pro is the PDF viewer and manager. Titled, the Organizer, this window allows you to view all previews of PDF files created over the past year. Arranged by date, this system permits you to build collections. keep track of PDF files visually, as well as by time and date.
Included with the Professional version, and this is only with the Pro edition, is a separate program, Adobe Live Cycle Designer 7. Previously available only as a separate application, this program permits you to create editable forms that can collect data using XML. For power users, and those that want to generate forms for the Web, this is one extremely polished program. Should you simply want to design forms for print use, the program is adapt in that area as well. Then again, this is the same company that created Adobe Photoshop, so expect solid design and decent layout tools here.
The Acrobat wizard incorporated is so good even a novice can obtain respectable results, the program can generate purchase orders, invoices and any number of assorted forms. You could think of the program much in the same way as Microsoft's InfoPath 2003. In terms of intuitiveness, Acrobat has the edge here over other programs in this department. Even if you never create an online form, the formats and ease of use make this easy for those that need to create business forms on the fly, or need to customize in detail. If you are familiar with Dreamweaver, or any major office program, and a bit of familiarity with the Adobe product line does not hurt, Live Cycle is not a major adjustment to contend with on any level.
As a program created to allow other programs files to be read, shared and emailed, the inclusion of Designer 7 with Acrobat shows the Acrobat program expanding towards file creation, and may just hint at areas Acrobat may be slowly entering. For those that enjoy Acrobat, the addition of the forms creation tool adds just another solid reason for going the Professional path.
Showing great expertise in handling paper documents in the digital divide, upgrading to Acrobat Professional is a no brainer. The only downside to all of the greatness here could be the price points. For those operating small businesses, or those that have tight budgets, the joy and utility of Acrobat Professional 7 could be prohibitive. However, if you can swing the upgrade, this is the one to get.
Of all of the upgrades I have seen recently, this ranks as one of the more essential.
For professional users, and even heavy duty enthusiasts, there is a lot to like about Acrobat 7 Professional. Although the price tag for this program is not bargain basement, if you can afford it, there is every reason in the world to upgrade. Resolving one of the long standing problems with the application, the very slow and sluggish start up time, Adobe has produced a compelling upgrade filled with increased speed and productivity. Clearly designed for the business user, the changes and improved performance make this a must for anyone who regularly depends on Acrobat in their daily computing routine.
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