PDF in Russia - standard or non-standard?
Why in Russia PDF is actually not a standard, although it has the status of an international standard (fixed ISO / IEC 32000-1: 2008)?
It would seem that PDF is an electronic document management standard recognized in the West, the format is convenient, compact, and the formatting does not crawl when opening a file on different computers. Programs for viewing and creating PDF-files are easily and free of charge on the Internet. And yet we have little use of this format. Let's try to figure it out.
What is happening now. PDF (in particular, its version of PDF / A) as an archive format is used by companies in which electronic document circulation is implemented. Documents on PDF are slowly starting to appear on the websites of state authorities - and this is good news. Almost all instructions and manuals posted on the Internet “live” in PDF. Rare advanced users send each other files in PDF. However, this case is limited. In everyday life at home, and at the corporate level, in business and personal correspondence this format is almost never used, even serious tender documentation is sent to the contest in MS Word format.
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I think one of the main reasons for the Russian dislike of PDF is “this is not accepted here.” If I need to post information to the network or send to colleagues in our Western offices, I make a PDF. If you send documents to your acquaintances, colleagues in Russia, the file usually flies to Word or Excel. Firstly, this is faster (there are no unnecessary gestures to print on a virtual printer), secondly (and this is the main thing), the “unedited” document may not be adequately perceived by the Russian addressee: he may think whether I show off source
Another possible reason is that, despite the availability of PDF-readers, they are not installed by everyone (let alone editors). The majority of users have a computer - an office work tool, communication with colleagues, friends, and very many people working with documents rarely go beyond the standard functionality (which, for example, provides MS Office) - unfortunately, this is especially noticeable in Russian regions.
Although sharing documents in PDF, in my opinion, is much more correct.
First, the addressee will see the entire document that was sent to him. When viewing a file, it is almost impossible to accidentally delete a fragment of a document (as happens in Word or Excel).
Secondly, there is confidence that when you further send a PDF document its contents will remain the same, file properties and metadata will not change (of course, if you set a goal for yourself to change something, you can find the desired program, but random edits - see the first item - practically excluded).
Thirdly, personally, I am much calmer at opening a “foreign” PDF file than a foreign .doc, xls. Whatever may be said about the “holes” of the Adobe format, they are far from MS.
Fourth, if you do not live in the desert, and communicate, especially with foreign partners, it will not be superfluous to adhere to their usual standards. When I see compact PDF scanners on the tables of ABBYY’s Munich office managers, I regret that we haven’t grown up at home. No, not to scanners - until readiness to scan any document in PDF and readiness of our addressees to receive these documents. The fact that PDF is a standard in document scanning was also confirmed soon at home, when Xerox MFPs were installed in my department. The default scan mode offered PDF — apparently for a reason. In Western Europe, in America, it is “fashionable” to behave correctly, to adhere to standards. And there are more standards of them (but that is another topic ...).
Fifth, PDF is convenient for sending documents created in non-default applications. Situation from the life of my company: we move to a new office, the administrative service sends to all employees the floor planning in the * .vsd file. AND? Should lawyers, accountants (even in an IT-company) not only know how to use, but just have MS Visio installed on your computer? Should not. And MS Project, and others are not all obvious applications. In addition, the company may not have licenses to install such specific software for each workplace. If these files are saved in PDF (which was finally done), all our recipients will be able to read them.
At sixth. On the screen, the addressee will always have what you expect, and not the type that he chooses to view (such an option, for example, in MS Power Point). When Americans distribute PPT presentations of seminars on disks, they always give them away as hand-outs in PDF format. If the trainer considers it necessary, only slides are sent to the virtual PDF printer, if the slides notes contain valuable information, both slides and notes are converted to PDF. As a result, all course participants see the same information.
Etc. The list can be continued :)
It is believed that PDF will gradually gain widespread "domestic" popularity. Still, this is the format with which it is quieter, “more standard”. Sent - and do not worry if they understand it correctly.
Why do you think PDF is not widespread in Russia? When do you save your files in PDF? Interesting!
Elena Korotkova
Head of the training center
It would seem that PDF is an electronic document management standard recognized in the West, the format is convenient, compact, and the formatting does not crawl when opening a file on different computers. Programs for viewing and creating PDF-files are easily and free of charge on the Internet. And yet we have little use of this format. Let's try to figure it out.
What is happening now. PDF (in particular, its version of PDF / A) as an archive format is used by companies in which electronic document circulation is implemented. Documents on PDF are slowly starting to appear on the websites of state authorities - and this is good news. Almost all instructions and manuals posted on the Internet “live” in PDF. Rare advanced users send each other files in PDF. However, this case is limited. In everyday life at home, and at the corporate level, in business and personal correspondence this format is almost never used, even serious tender documentation is sent to the contest in MS Word format.
')
I think one of the main reasons for the Russian dislike of PDF is “this is not accepted here.” If I need to post information to the network or send to colleagues in our Western offices, I make a PDF. If you send documents to your acquaintances, colleagues in Russia, the file usually flies to Word or Excel. Firstly, this is faster (there are no unnecessary gestures to print on a virtual printer), secondly (and this is the main thing), the “unedited” document may not be adequately perceived by the Russian addressee: he may think whether I show off source
Another possible reason is that, despite the availability of PDF-readers, they are not installed by everyone (let alone editors). The majority of users have a computer - an office work tool, communication with colleagues, friends, and very many people working with documents rarely go beyond the standard functionality (which, for example, provides MS Office) - unfortunately, this is especially noticeable in Russian regions.
Although sharing documents in PDF, in my opinion, is much more correct.
First, the addressee will see the entire document that was sent to him. When viewing a file, it is almost impossible to accidentally delete a fragment of a document (as happens in Word or Excel).
Secondly, there is confidence that when you further send a PDF document its contents will remain the same, file properties and metadata will not change (of course, if you set a goal for yourself to change something, you can find the desired program, but random edits - see the first item - practically excluded).
Thirdly, personally, I am much calmer at opening a “foreign” PDF file than a foreign .doc, xls. Whatever may be said about the “holes” of the Adobe format, they are far from MS.
Fourth, if you do not live in the desert, and communicate, especially with foreign partners, it will not be superfluous to adhere to their usual standards. When I see compact PDF scanners on the tables of ABBYY’s Munich office managers, I regret that we haven’t grown up at home. No, not to scanners - until readiness to scan any document in PDF and readiness of our addressees to receive these documents. The fact that PDF is a standard in document scanning was also confirmed soon at home, when Xerox MFPs were installed in my department. The default scan mode offered PDF — apparently for a reason. In Western Europe, in America, it is “fashionable” to behave correctly, to adhere to standards. And there are more standards of them (but that is another topic ...).
Fifth, PDF is convenient for sending documents created in non-default applications. Situation from the life of my company: we move to a new office, the administrative service sends to all employees the floor planning in the * .vsd file. AND? Should lawyers, accountants (even in an IT-company) not only know how to use, but just have MS Visio installed on your computer? Should not. And MS Project, and others are not all obvious applications. In addition, the company may not have licenses to install such specific software for each workplace. If these files are saved in PDF (which was finally done), all our recipients will be able to read them.
At sixth. On the screen, the addressee will always have what you expect, and not the type that he chooses to view (such an option, for example, in MS Power Point). When Americans distribute PPT presentations of seminars on disks, they always give them away as hand-outs in PDF format. If the trainer considers it necessary, only slides are sent to the virtual PDF printer, if the slides notes contain valuable information, both slides and notes are converted to PDF. As a result, all course participants see the same information.
Etc. The list can be continued :)
It is believed that PDF will gradually gain widespread "domestic" popularity. Still, this is the format with which it is quieter, “more standard”. Sent - and do not worry if they understand it correctly.
Why do you think PDF is not widespread in Russia? When do you save your files in PDF? Interesting!
Elena Korotkova
Head of the training center
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/105006/
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