22/09/2023
Ehdi Burcombe
This presentation was exported as a PDF
What?
Definition:
● PDF = Portable Document Format.
Purpose & Significance:
● Universality:Amajor goal of the PDF format was to create a file format so universal that individuals could open documents on any hardware or operating system, without needing the software that was used to create the document.
● Preservation: In addition to universality, PDFs are designed to preserve the fonts, images, graphics, and other elements of a document.This is crucial for professionals in fields like graphic design or publishing, where layout and visual consistency are paramount.
Why?
● Device & Platform Independence: Looks the same on any device or OS.
● Compact: Compresses text and graphics.
● Security: Password protection, encryption, and watermarking.
● Interactive Elements: Links, buttons, and forms.
● Accessibility: Supports features like reflowable text and screen reader compatibility.
1. Introduction
2. Brief History & Timeline
● 1982: John Warnock,Adobe's founder, had an idea for a universal document system. (Died a month ago)
● 1991: PDF concept unveiled as "Camelot".
● 1993:AdobeAcrobat and PDF 1.0 released. 30th anniversary
● 1999: Support for layers and digital signatures.
● 2001:Added support for tagged PDFs, making them more accessible for people with disabilities
● 2006: Enhanced support for multimedia, 3D content
● 2008: PDF becomes an open standard (ISO 32000-1).
● 93% of all uploaded files are pdf
● This will be even more significant with the growth of integrations
● 16+ file formats supported
3. PDF and Issuu
4. What is inside a pdf?
Document level data
● Bookmarks: Navigation (like a table of content)
● Security data: access to the document
● Files attachments: files attached to the pdf (pdf like a zip file)
● Document Scripts: triggered for document level events (opened or printed)
● Form field: Whole document property
● Metadata: software, creator, dates, …
Pages
● Widgets, Comments, Page content
5. Creator softwares and Issuu users
Using Metadata of Issuu’s pdfs, we can monitor popularity changes in software use.
● Enhanced Interactivity: With the rise ofAugmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), PDFs might incorporate more immersive content.
● Integration with Cloud &AI: Smart search, auto-tagging, and predictive text.
● Environmentally Friendly: Reduced need for paper in many sectors.
● Mobile optimization: PDFs are increasingly designed to be mobile-friendly and responsive.
● Accessibility improvements: Continued efforts to improve accessibility features for visually impaired users.
● Machine generated content will become more prevalent, problematic of spam and quality
Unconventional uses: Glitching, Non linear comics,AR.. What is your story?Any anecdotes?
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmP7pbcAl-8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDF
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_PDF
6.
The future of PDF
