What Is Acrobat PDF Writer?
Adobe Acrobat PDF Writer is a creation tool that was used to quickly create PDFs. It is no longer distributed as part of the Adobe Acrobat software package.
Other People Are Reading
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Function
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The PDF Writer is a PDF creation tool that used to come as part of the Adobe Acrobat Software. The Acrobat PDF Writer would install on your computer as a printer driver, letting users easily created PDFs to distribute to their customers. They would simply print to this so-called printer, and a PDF would be created. The PDF Writer was a quick way to make PDFs, but did not give a full functioning PDF. It is no longer distributed with Acrobat.
Expert Insight
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According to a presentation given by James C. King (PDF Architect and Principal Scientist, Advanced Technology Laboratory at Adobe Systems Incorporated), the shelf life of Acrobat PDF Writer was from 1993 to 2001. One of the slides in this presentation refers to the product as a poor solution, and he gives a number of reasons. He writes that it's a "faux print driver" and the user only gets what they print. When the Acrobat PDF Writer was used, the PDF did not include the table of contents, hyperlinks or notes. It allowed for only a little structure, used glyphs and not Unicode, and provided the lowest level of graphics with no EPS.
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Prevention/Solution
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To include some of the missing functionality, the Acrobat Distiller had to be used. Nowadays, Adobe sells a different product, Adobe Acrobat, which includes the same functionality, along with many other features.
Misconceptions
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Over the years, the term "Acrobat Writer" has become synonymous with utilities that let users produce and distribute PDF files. Adding to the confusion, various names have been used to refer to this product, including Acrobat Writer and Adobe Writer; however, these names are not the actual name.
Significance
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Once a PDF is created, other people can read it using the Adobe Reader, which Adobe makes available for free. PDF files make it easy to share content with others, since the document will appear the same on every computer and cannot be edited without permission.
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