Have you received a PDF file that you cannot open with the programs installed on your computer? Or maybe you need to transfer something from one program to another? In these situations, a file conversion tool will undoubtedly come in handy. What exactly does this operation involve?
The term file conversion refers to changing the format of various types of files. The conversion can be performed on audio and video files, as well as text or graphic documents. The most popular formats in terms of text files include doc, docx, PDF and RTF, audio files: mp3, mp4, midi, wma and wav, and video files: avi, dv, flv, vcd and mpg. So you can freely and quickly use the file conversion tool to switch from one format to another without significantly losing quality!
You can also freely adapt the file format to your needs – you work in the format that is most advantageous for you at a given moment.
PDF conversion
PDF file conversion is possible both online and by installing dedicated PDF programs – the choice is varied! Are you wondering if all programs will be safe? For this purpose, it is best to ensure appropriate antivirus protection – browse and use online tools safely, and the antivirus installed on your computer will warn you about possible dangers.
A professional antivirus program, as well as its regular updates, also ensures safety when installing programs – so if you focus on security as the first step, it is undoubtedly worth choosing a high-quality, proven antivirus program.
The second issue of secure file conversion concerns quality. Are you wondering how to convert Word to PDF without losing quality when changing the format? Each format has different characteristics – e.g. referring to the graphic formats PNG, which supports transparency, when converted to JPG will lose this feature. Some formats also store more information than others – when converting files, it is worth considering what is most important to you and familiarizing yourself with the general characteristics of a given format in advance.
Certainly, if you care about the highest quality file conversion, it is worth investing in dedicated software that will have many more functions and setting options – so that the resulting file after conversion is of the highest possible quality.
PDF compressor tools
If you work with PDF files, you know how they can become very large very quickly if they contain graphics and images. Fortunately, you can compress PDF files because you can compress any other file, which can mean big savings in PDF file size.
To optimize your PDF file and reduce its size with the available tools, you can use the following options:
SwifDoo PDF: The SwifDoo PDF for Windows is available as a desktop version, offers PDF compression functionality. Open the PDF file with the program, then select “Edit” > “Compress”. You can adjust compression settings such as compression quality and level to reduce the file size.
Smallpdf: Smallpdf is an online tool for compressing PDF files. You can visit their website and upload your PDF file. Smallpdf will automatically optimize the file, reducing its size. The free offer includes a limited amount of compression, but it is a simple and convenient tool.
Preview: If you’re using a Macbook, you can use the built-in “Preview” tool. Open the PDF file in “Preview”, then select “Export as PDF” from the “File” menu. In the dialog box, you can select a quality level that will affect the size of the PDF file.
File conversion and compression
Although these two terms are often used interchangeably, they refer to two different operations. File conversion, as previously mentioned, involves changing the file format, while compression involves reducing the size while maintaining the original data. Reducing files is most often necessary when we want to send a document via e-mail or save it on a storage medium.
We can distinguish between lossy compression – in which there is no perfect reproduction of the source data, but often the lost information are unnecessary fragments that you won’t even notice are missing – and lossless compression, which is characterized by a perfect copy of the source material.
Two programs are most often used to reduce files and pack them for convenient sending or saving on a medium: 7zip and WinRar. Both stand out for their ease of use, as well as their quick file shrinkage and the ability to send securely using encryption.
Final words
Do you want to be sure that only an authorized person will open a given PDF file? PDF encryption allows you to set a password that you will need to enter when unzipping the file. You can also add a signature to a PDF file, and a PDF program like SwifDoo PDF allows you to copy signature from PDF files as well. Without the password, it will be impossible to unpack or see the contents of the compressed file – file shrinking along with encryption is therefore widely used in the business world.
But what else should you pay attention to in terms of safety? An encrypted file is one thing, but the password is another issue – so transfer it safely so that it does not fall into the wrong hands!