Not everyone uses the same software or even the same version of a program. As an example, the default format for Word 2010 is a .docx document. Older versions of Word, like 2003, use the .doc format. If the Word 2003 user has not installed the compatibility pack, they cannot even open the .docx file.
As well, not everyone needs to be able to modify a document that is sent to them. Just seeing and/or printing the file may be enough.
This is where the PDF (portable document format) file format comes in. Files that exist in the PDF format are “portable”. That is, they can be moved between computers and programs of different types.
Not every program can output its files to a PDF format. To generate a PDF file, you may need a program that converts the program output to a .pdf file. Two of the best programs that can do this for you are PrimoPDF (www.primopdf.com) and CutePDF Writer (www.cutepdf.com). Both programs are free and work very well.
