Introduction to PDF vs Word
Called PDF, Portable File Format is the file format that represents the files in the given form in any type of devices and any editors without changing the layout. It carries the layout information within itself along with graphics, formatted text, size and shape. We can exchange documents easily using PDF. Most common format used by anyone to share documents so that anyone can read the documents from the system without any preinstalled software is called Word. Much technology is not needed to edit the word documents as the features are self-explanatory. We can create, edit and send word documents without much struggle.
Head to Head Comparison Between PDF vs Word (Infographics)
Below are the top 5 differences between PDF vs Word:
| Word | |
| It is not easy to edit PDF documents directly within the PDF editor itself. Either we need to change the same to Word document and edit it or we should have PDF license to edit the document. | Most of the documents have started as word documents where we can create, edit, format, and give layouts to word documents based on our tastes and preferences which does not require licenses in most of the systems. |
| Adobe released PDF editor in 1992 and it is necessary to have PDF license to use it in our system after the trial period which is not free. This has limited the number of users from using PDF format in their text documents.
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Though most used Word editor is Microsoft word, there are also other editors in the market. Most of the systems have Microsoft word for free or we can use Google documents to create or edit the word document. We need not pay money as it works with our Google account. |
| PDF has become a standard format as the layout will not change even if we open in different operating systems. This makes PDF a preferred format for resumes and technical publications as the unchanged format makes it easy for users to read and review the document. | It is not easy to keep the format of Word as standard as it keeps changing the layout in different systems. So users prefer to create and edit the documents in Word and convert it to PDF format so that they will not face any issue with the layout. |
| Uneditable format of PDF make it usable for legal documents and other important documents where recipients cannot change the content even if they wish to. Now, users can add alterations to the document so that creators can make changes. | Anyone who has the word document can edit the same without informing the creator. Word documents can be secured with password but passwords should be saved in order to read the same. Hence Word documents cannot be used for legal proceedings. |
| We can call PDF as an image where image of each letters is inserted into a document so that it cannot be changed easily. Also, any type of media can be added to PDF file but it is important to have a special editor to add the image or alter the size of the image. | Word documents are not images of any sort where we can add or edit images based on our needs. Special editors are not needed to change the size of any image or add any alterations to the word document. |
Key Differences of PDF vs Word
- The extension of PDF document is .pdf which we can save any documents to pdf format by giving this extension while saving the document or image. The extension of Word is doc or docx. Which supports other documents by saving it in doc format. This helps users to convert any document to word or pdf by saving it in the corresponding format and managing it in the system that supports both word and pdf. This helps users to convert any document from Word to PDF and the other way around by saving it in the corresponding format and managing it in the system that supports both word and pdf. This helps users to check the format and layout of the documents.
- If a hyperlink is added to the PDF document, we require a special editor to read the same and check the link in any browser. But special editors are not required to read or use hyperlinks which are present in the word document. We can add hyperlinks into the word document and use it whenever needed. This helps us to browse internet pages as needed. We can add words and delete it as per our wish but this will not happen in PDF documents.
- We can call Word as a Software which should be pre-installed in the system mostly or we can install from any resources. This software helps us to edit and create documents. PDF is a format or an extension that uses Adobe Reader to read documents. When we create any document from the scratch, we should use Word to create the same and after giving proper formats, we should change it into PDF format. PDF gives us the document in printable form, which can be printed directly without making any changes in the layout.
- PDFs can be used to create online contents and web pages which helps us to make directories as proper technical documents. As PDFs cannot be altered by anyone, we can publish it in the internet and we can add signatures so that no one will reuse the same as their own content in any platform. We cannot use Words as online contents directly as anyone can edit or make changes to the same. Moreover, there are various online tools available that can translate text, web pages, and documents/PDFs into different languages, making it easier for businesses to reach a wider audience.
- It is important to have archival storage of documents for future use. PDFs can be compressed and archived easily so that it will not take much space in the system. This will make storing documents easily unlike word documents which we cannot compress easily. Also, we can add any formats to PDF and make it as a single document which will work completely fine in PDFs.
Conclusion
PDF and Word are important for document generation and usage as editing can be done with the help of Word and formatting and layout is done with the help of PDF documents. This makes one as alter-ego of other and not a replacement of PDF or Word.
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This is a guide to PDF vs Word. Here we discuss PDF vs Word key differences with infographics and comparison table, respectively. You may also have a look at the following articles to learn more –
