What Is Adobe Acrobat Reader's Purpose?

Adobe Acrobat is a program designed to make computer documents accessible across various hardware and software platforms.

PDF, also known as a portable document format, is a computer file which may contain images, hyperlinks and words, according to Indiana University. Adobe developed the PDF format and the Adobe Acrobat Reader software to allow people to read, print and create documents regardless of what type of word processing software is available.

Purpose

The main purpose of the Adobe Acrobat program is to create, read, share and archive PDF files. It allows for seamless transition with documents created using different software programs.

Acrobat vs. Reader

Adobe features two programs designed to help users access PDF files. The Adobe Acrobat program is an advanced program designed to allow users to read, create and manipulate PDF documents. For those who only wish to read PDF files, Adobe offers the Reader program. Reader is available for a free download directly from Adobe.

Creating Files

When creating a document, save it with file extension .pdf in order to make it accessible using Adobe Acrobat. Acrobat also allows users to save files opened as a PDF as word documents without losing the document's formatting.

Accessibility

Originally Adobe Acrobat was created to allow people to simply read and create PDF documents. With the release of version 7 and subsequent versions, Adobe focused on making PDF files accessible to everyone. According to the Web AIM website, the program allows people to customize their options, allowing them to access PDFs on everything from desktop computers to handheld devices.

References

• Adobe: Reader 9
• Web AIM: Accessibility Features in Acrobat Reader 7
• Indiana University: Knowledge Base: What is a PDF file?
• Adobe: Adobe Acrobat