Description
PDF format

PDF is an evolution of PostScript (see ). PostScript's maturity is irrefutable, but PostScript documents are not suitable for on-screen reading for several reasons:

• you need a PostScript interpreter to display them, which requires considerable power and resources;

• a PostScript document does not always allow for a non-linear path;

• With the advent of the World Wide Web and hypertext, users are demanding the ability to navigate interactively in digital documents, which PostScript does not provide;

• a PostScript document containing fonts cannot be distributed without infringing copyright laws (analogous to a program, see ), which, for example, usually prevents a graphic designer from sending his work to a customer.

To overcome these problems, Adobe created the PDF format.

Unlike formats derived from...