Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Standard

Rating:
Summary: Trouble with Acrobat, you must pay to get help.
Review: Be warned: If you have any problems with Acrobat, their only interest in helping you is obtaining your credit card number. Then, MAYBE they can help you. I was unable to make pdfs from certain programs which have worked before, and which even work on an identical computer. Both computers are brand new. When I called, the person was rude, arrogant, and condescending. Unless I gave him my credit card number, he would not help me. He would not give his last name, allow me to speak with a supervisor or even give me his supervisor's name. I have Acrobat software which is useless to me.

Rating:
Summary: WOW Great program.
Review: Review of "Adobe Acrobat 7 Standard"
by Randy Brandon.


Pros: Feature rich, and robust. Simple user interface.

Cons: No full manual.

What can you say about the Adobe Acrobat program? What you should be saying is WOW!

Who would have guessed that all of these years down the road that Acrobat would have become such a total industry standard. And that there would be no fewer than four Acrobat programs to work with; Acrobat 7 Pro, Acrobat 7 Standard, Acrobat Elements, and of course Acrobat Reader.

I have been an Acrobat user since way back in Version 3, and I still use some form of Acrobat at some time during every day.

What I still think is a bit odd, is that dozens of people that I consult with about their computers every day, still have no real idea as to what Acrobat files really are, or even how to create them. They know what they look like, and use the free reader to view them, but that is a far as most of them go.

So, with that thought in mind, here goes my very own explanation as to what Adobe Acrobat does. It is a graphics application program that bundles, and encapsulates graphic and text files together into a single file. Now this is an extremely simplified version of what the program ultimately does, but you get the gist of its main purpose, and function.

That usually begs the next question: Why do I need to bundle all these files together?
The short answer is that if you want to insure that the person receiving your file is seeing the file like it looked on your side when you sent it.

And, in their own words " Adobe® Acrobat® 7.0 Standard software is the simple way to create and share more secure, reliable Adobe PDF documents"




So, in its essence, Acrobat 7 is the great equalizer, and the supreme translator all wrapped into one program. Ever since the computer/internet world found its legs, there was a problem with people sending a combined graphics and text file. And when they sent it, the layout looked great to the sender. But, alas, when that file arrived on the other end, it was a mess with text over here, and photos over there, etc.

The solution was Acrobat. This application was built to convert all types of file formats into a singular format that anyone could view with a free browser on all computers.

In making this giant leap to Version 7 Acrobat from my ancient version 4, I am a bit star struck with all of the new features in Acrobat 7.

To start with, there are numerous programs out there which can now create PDF files via a one click feature. These include Office, Excel, Internet Explorer, and Outlook Express.
Several of these options are Windows only features, and we can only hope that the Mac mail and browser programs will soon be added to this list.

And here is a new twist; You can now attach a file to your PDF document. Sort of like putting an attachment to your attachment...

There are several improvements to adding headers, footers, backgrounds, and watermarks, and the process is much easier that it ever was.

As always , the usage rights that users issue with their PDF files can be even more customized than before. Added control of the end user is really the key when limiting that control is important.

Acrobat 7 now supports both static, and interactive forms. Those Interactive type of forms created with either Acrobat Professional, or Adobe Designer allow for digital signatures, and electronic form completion.

Passing documents for review back and forth from art director to client, and back again is what Acrobat does very well. All browser based reviews done with a Mac are performed through Safari.

So when a designer sends out an Acrobat file to a client for review, the PDF files arrives at the client side, and a commenting toolbar shows up(if sent in a managed review document).
The reviewing tools provided include; The Callout tool, Group markups, Dimensioning tool, Exporting of comments and markup,Tracking Reviews, and finally, Approving documents in 4 eastern languages. There is a lot of control here, and that is why designers like it so much.

New security features allow for even more secure signature validation, plus revokable limits, and even secured attachments to your PDF files.

There are noticeable improvements to the accessibility features. There is extended language support, along with a much faster searching function that I personally use a great deal.

Acrobat 7 has now added an "Autosave" feature that can safeguard your data being backed up to another file name without messing up the original.


For the times when it is necessary to view some 3D content in a PDF file, version 7 can now do just that.

Version 7 can now create, and save "PDF/A" files for archiving, It can also scan paper documents directly into a searchable PDF file. Very nice.

One of the newest features in Version 7 is the new "Organizer", and is similar to Photoshop's Browser. Very easy to use, and well thought out.

There are lots of additional new features included with this version 7, but I will let you do the additional exploring for yourselves. Adobe has always been at the forefront in loading up their software with amazing features, and this latest version of Acrobat 7 certainly proves that point. The entire Acrobat family has grown to epic proportions in the scope of what it can do for documents, and their users. It's popularity in itself shows that the program works, and not only does what it is supposed to do, but does it beautifully.

Adobe Acrobat 7 steps up to the plate, and knocks it out of the park. Oh, did I mention that I am impressed? Now, some of my amazement could possibly stem from my shock at jumping from a much older version to this new version 7, but great software is a joy to use, especially when you need it.

Adobe Acrobat 7 is a feature rich, amazing, and quality product. There simply is no substitute. If you don't already own it, then you need to.

Rating:
Summary: Angelex Technologies
Review: Thanks, Angelex, for your prompt response. Sorry I was so confused about the order.

Rating:
Summary: Still the leader in document creation and protection.
Review: The most immediate feature you will notice about Acrobat 7.0 from previous versions is the load time. Although still not the fastest program, the loading time is cut dramatically from 6.0. It also does a very nice job of converting webpages into PDF files. Great for sharing.

Some of the new features in 7.0:

Adobe® Acrobat® 7.0 Standard software is the simple way to create and share more secure and reliable Adobe PDF documents.

* Create Adobe PDF documents from Microsoft Outlook
* Enjoy improved performance
* Use enhanced headers, footers, and watermarks
* Enjoy improved attachment capabilities
* Organize Adobe PDF documents

The READER is still a free download if you don't need to create/edit docs.