If you have ever tried to edit a Portable Document File, also known as a PDF, you most likely have found that its not a straight-foward as editing a Microsoft Word document.
This is because the PDF format was not designed for document editing at all.
When the PDF format was introduced by Adobe in the 90s, the idea behind the format was to work with documents the same work you would work with paper. A PDF was only supposed to be a digital representation of the printed hard copy.
As the format has grown in popularity since its inception, so has the need to be able to edit PDF documents.
Ways to Edit a PDF Document
Here are some of the tools you can use to edit a PDF document.
1. Use an Online PDF Editor: there are over a dozen website that allow you to upload your document and edit it. Whilst most of these services are "free", you have to ok with sending your information to an unknown third-party server. You may also be limited by how many documents you need to edit as well as their size (online editors require you to upload the documents)
2. Use Adobe Acrobat Pro: This is the most popular and dare I say, "official" way of editing PDF documents. Adobe has however moved all their software pricing to the SaaS model and require an Adobe account and a monthly payment of at least $14.99/month for Acrobat Pro.
3. Convert the PDF to Microsoft Word: this method is likely to be the most agreeable way to edit a PDF document. Since most people already have Microsoft Word on their work computers, you can simply convert PDF documents to the Microsoft Word format and then edit it as normal. Once you are done editing, Microsoft Word allows you to save the document back as a PDF. To convert a PDF to MS Word, you can use a tool like All-About-PDF ($29.99 for one off perpertual license) which allows you to convert multiple PDF documents to PDF at once. With other benefits such as ability to merge PDFs, split them into seperate files and more, you get a lot of value for the small price.
To get started with editing your PDF documents, download All-About-PDF now.