Reliable free PDF editors are typically loaded with exciting features to help you view, edit, review, and share PDF files. Our blog details these capabilities.
Portable Document Format (PDF) files are popular because they make it possible to share documents that can be opened regardless of what kind software the sender or receiver has installed on their devices. However, while viewing a document is universal, there was still a need to create or edit PDFs. This is where PDF editors come in handy, but users may find the best options to be priced too steep.
There are a lot of free PDF editors available online as an alternative for startups and small-scale pros who have limited budget. You may be wondering about what exactly you can do with one of these, so here’s a rundown on some of the things you can do with a free PDF editor.(1)
You can also check or visit what is a pdf portfolio , and its uses.
1. Edit Text
With a free PDF editor, you can easily do the following:
- Add new words, sentences, and paragraphs to existing text
- Add images and drawings
- Edit existing images, for instance by cropping
- Highlight parts of the text using different colors
- Italicize text
- Change document font type and size
- Delete unwanted parts
With the more advanced free PDF editors, you can do all these edits on both computers and mobile devices. This is convenient, as you don’t have to be behind your desk to work on a given document; you can comfortably do so on-the-go, whether on a flight or out in some park.
2. Review Documents
Being able to give feedback on submitted tasks is critical in business. A good free PDF editor allows you to add comments to contentious sections of the content. After that, you can share the feedback with the task assignee for them to make the necessary changes.
Another aspect of reviewing is spell-checking. As no human is perfect, typos and grammar lapses are all too common on documents. Luckily, many free PDF editors have the ability to scan the document against the dictionary and point out misspelled words.
3. Merge documents
A typical project may involve submissions by different people, after which you need to compile the individual PDF files into one comprehensive report. A free PDF editor with the merge feature makes such a compilation a breeze.
All you have to do is upload the different files in the order you want them to appear. Even if you miss a step, there’s the option to re-arrange the files once uploaded to the tool. In addition, you have the option of numbering the pages so that it looks like one document instead of appearing as different pieces. (2)
4. Split PDF
In other instances, you’d want to split a large document into smaller sections. This is more or less the opposite of merging. As an example, if you have a report with several chapters, you may want to extract just one of the chapters and share with a peer reviewer. This is possible with a free PDF editor.
Aside from splitting a document into two, some PDF editors allow you to divide the document into any number of sections. Your task is to specify the page ranges and the tool does the splitting in a spur of a moment. The videos in this channel https://www.youtube.com/c/FoxitSoftwareInc/ will fill you in on such PDF tips and tricks.
5. Sign documents
Adding signatures to documents is a very important procedure, especially for official files. Think about that contract agreement form you have to sign as a form of acceptance of the offer or an official letter. Some years back, the norm was to print the document, sign with a biro pen, and then scan the signed document. This procedure is tedious and unsustainable, especially with the present drive to go paperless and save trees.
Fortunately, a free PDF editor allows you to append your signature electronically. The easiest way is to type in your signature on the keyboard using cursive fonts. But this doesn’t always feel original. The second option is to insert a handwritten signature as an image.
The more advanced free PDF editors also allow you to handwrite your signature using the mouse or touchscreen. All three options are faster and more economical compared to the archaic procedure described above.
6. Convert Scanned pages into editable text
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology has changed the way people work with documents. Picture yourself taking notes in a meeting on your paper notebook.
If you want to summarize the meeting notes and share them with the rest of the team members, you don’t have to type every word all over again on a word processor. With OCR, you can quickly convert the handwriting into editable text and spruce it up a bit before sharing. (3)
7. Export to other formats
Document handling is usually very dynamic, necessitating the conversion from one file format to another. For instance, you may want to convert a PDF file to other formats such as .xls, .doc, .ppt, or .jpg. Free PDF editors support such conversions. This saves you a great deal of time and energy which you’d have used to manually transfer the content from the PDF file to, say, a spreadsheet or word processor.
The vice versa is also true. You may have a document in other formats and you want to convert it to PDF. Many people prefer saving files as PDFs because the format takes negligible storage space. You can even compress a PDF file further to save more disc space. This goes a long way to saving computer resources, sparing the memory for more critical tasks. (4)
8. Collaborate on a document
Remote collaboration is a familiar concept in the modern workplace. It’s common to have team members on a particular project spread across different geographical areas. This shouldn’t stop them from working as a team.
With a reliable free PDF editor, all of your staff may get access to a particular document and work on it simultaneously. In the end, the team completes the project on time, while encouraging teamwork.
9. Secure files
The Privacy of documents should always be a top priority. The minute a sensitive file gets into the wrong hands, you would never know what they can do with the information. For instance, if your business secrets leak to competitors, they could use that info to outshine you.
With a free PDF editor, you can restrict access to a given document by setting a strong password. Only those with the access code can open the document, and even password-cracking software would take a long time to get thru the password.
Conclusion
Free PDF editors are loaded with exciting features that enable you to modify files in dozens of ways. However, it’s good to note that some features are exclusively found on premium editors.
If you want to enjoy most of the advanced features, you may have to part with a few coins to subscribe to the full version of a given software. All in all, there’s a lot you can do with these tools. Find your favorite one and start editing PDF like a pro.
References
- “The 5 best free PDF editors that allow you to edit and save a PDF file”, Source: https://africa.businessinsider.com/tech-insider/the-5-best-free-PDF-editors-that-allow-you-to-edit-and-save-a-PDF-file/ql3n78v
- “How to Combine PDF Files”, Source: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-combine-PDF-files
- “How to Scan Documents Into PDF2b”, Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Scan-Documents-Into-PDF
- “The Advantages And Disadvantages Of PDF”, Source: https://ezinearticles.com/?The-Advantages-And-Disadvantages-Of-PDF&id=9643536