Adobe Acrobat 9
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PDF communications can get a new face list next week with the Acrobat 9 series set to release next Thursday. The Acrobat 9 series will feature 3 new programs and of course the standard reader version.
So what is new with Acrobat 9? Some of the features presented with new version is a launch time that takes half the time to load than the previous Acrobat 8 version. It will also be able to transfer scanned documents, Microsoft Word and Excel documents into PDF files. Also with the purchased version there will be integration with the free users where they will have access to fill out documents and eliminate faxing and printing.
The differences between the four versions of the software range from minimal to many features depending on which version is used.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
The free version of the software is a bare bones application that is good for users who are not really planning on creating PDF documents, and are just using the software to obviously read them. With the free version you can view, search, and print PDF documents including PDF Portfolios and PDF maps. There will also be some integration where you can author, store, and share on the Acrobat.com website. The Adobe Acrobat Reader is free for download on the release day from the Adobe website.
The standard version of the software offers more features than the free Reader obviously, but the features are expansive compared to it as well. There are great security options on this software and is recommended if you need to share documentation of your latest project and want to protect it. You can use passwords to protect it, and also apply printing, copying and altering restrictions as well.
The difference between the newer version and the previous are easier creation of PDF forms. Flash integration is now in the software which will allow you to allow video and audio. With the new optical character recognition (OCR) technology Acrobat 9 Standard will support a broader rage of scanners. It also offers a handy searching through various PDF files at once feature, which can be useful for those who work often with various PDF files.
One of the best features is the integration with Word and Excel documents that can convert them to PDF files. With The Standard release of Acrobat 9 there is also a feature that also allows you to convert Websites to easily edited PDF files.
The standard version does not come at the cheapest price however. It retails for $299 and sells on Amazon at $279.99. However if you have version 8, the upgrade is cheaper and available on Amazon as well for $89.99.
The Pro version of the software offers all the features of the previous versions and has some added features which can be useful for the more business oriented user. It offers a great deal of integration not only with the previous documents mentioned in the Standard version, but also with drawings and e-mail. You can control the use of the documents by using the password protection feature, and also control the printing, copying and editing of your documents. It also offers a form tracker which can manage your forms through interactive document review.
The Acrobat Pro retails for $449.00 but can be bought at Amazon for for $399.99. An upgrade is also available for $149.99 on Amazon.
The Pro Extended is the mother of all PDF documentation. It includes all the features of the previous versions and is great for presentations, especially where 3D is needed. It features the ability to create a single PDF portfolio including audio, video, 3D, and maps. It also features interaction with voice over, quizzes and demos with included Adobe Presenter software. It converts a wide variety of video to FLV format to integrate in PDF files and it requires no additional media software to view them. It also permanently removes sensitive information from documents. This can allow you to share your documentation and search to remove the sensitive stuff you do not want others to know about.
The extended pro is probably the best option out there for companies who are working with a great deal of presentations, or sensitive development information. It retails for $699.99 and sells on Amazon for $629.99. It also comes in an extended up shell from Pro 9 for $209.99 on Amazon and upgrade from version 8 for $209.99 on Amazon as well.
Acrobat 9 series works with Windows XP and Vista and also has versions for Mac.
