Portable document format - PDF is a file format industry standard that allows for the transfer, presentation and printing of electronic books and/or documents, regardless of the type of computing or communication system that was used in the creation process.

A PDF file is composed of media objects that can be different types such as numbers, strings, or text, and even can be streams of media. Objects may be embedded (direct) into the PDF file or they may be linked (indirect) to external media such as images or media streams. A good overview of PDF files can be found at http://www.adobe.com/devnet/livecycle/articles/lc_pdf_overview_format.pdf

PDF Convertor - A PDF convertor is a software program that can transform a document or file into a PDF format. A PDF file convertor program may be installed as a printer type which means that almost any type of document or file can be converted into a PDF file.

PDF conversion can have unusual results, especially if unique types of programs or unusual content types (specialty fonts) are used. To confirm the conversion has worked correctly, the PDF file can be viewed on different versions of Acrobat readers.

PDF Distiller - A PDF distiller is the main software program (the engine) that converts media from one format (such as a word processor file) into a postscript document format (PDF). The distiller program provides access to many conversion options such as image resolution and compression types.

PDF Editor - A PDF editor is a software program that can select and change elements within a PDF file. Because PDF files are vector structured (each line of text is located at a specific position), the direct editing of PDF files is often difficult, as text will not automatically wrap between lines as letters are added or deleted. However, the PDF editors can be very helpful for the correction of words that are misspelled.

Link Embedding - Links can be added (embedded) with objects in a PDF file to allow users to select (click on) text, and objects and be redirected to other web pages. Embedded links can include tracking codes to allow for the identification or interaction of readers with the white paper.

PDF Security - PDF security is a form of file access control that can be setup to require the use of a password to access the file (user password), or to require a password to change or copy the content (owner password). PDF file security can also have security level options such as limiting the printing of the document or limiting the resolution of the printed document.

This figure shows how a word processor file is transformed into a PDF file (a vector based media format) by using a convertor/distiller program. This example shows that the content in a word processor file is converted line by line into locations within a PDF file. Each line of text is given a starting location point within the PDF file, along with its attributes such as font type, size and characteristics. After the conversion is performed, each line in the PDF file must be separately edited.