FAQ: Why use PDF format for IBM I (AS/400) reports?

Why should I convert a spool file to PDF to distribute my documents?

By converting a spool file to PDF, you can be sure that everyone sees your document just as you do, as PDF was designed so that you can transfer any document with ease.

Ever send someone a Word file only for them to tell you it was unreadable when they opened it, because the font you’d used wasn’t available on their PC? That can never happen with a PDF because fonts are built into the PDF file itself and are therefore guaranteed to be available when the file is opened.

The same is true of images: the image files a PDF file refers to are saved inside the PDF itself, so they don’t need to be separately managed.

With a PDF, you can be sure that what you see if what your users and customers also see.

That’s why PDF has become the de-facto standard for document distribution. That’s also why virtually everybody nowadays will have the free Adobe Reader application installed, whether it be on their PC, mac, Linux server, even their iPhone!

PDF: the ISO standard for document archiving

Why should I use PDF to archive my documents?

PDF (specifically a subset of the full PDF standard called PDF/A is also now the international standard for document archiving.

With PDF you can be sure that what you see today is also exactly what people will see 10 or 20 years from now when they need to look back at that document you need to archive.

If you need help with any of the techniques described above, or have any other concerns or queries feel free to contact our support team.

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