3 Ways You Can Write on a PDF and Boost Productivity
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Writing and editing a PDF is easier than ever since there are a multitude of tools at anyone’s disposal which makes it not only easy but even fun depending on what sort of work you are doing with your PDF. While many people think of sitting in a cubicle filling out forms and inputting the same information, there are other ways to think about PDFs and who uses them and for what. A teacher on the bus on the way to work, adding some last minute details to an assignment, or even a student filling out a quiz from their bed since they have to stay at home. PDFs are no longer limited to the mundane but are part of a dynamic globalized interconnected society that still needs to document its comings and goings.
Editing and using a PDF can actually be quite chic in a way. Sitting in a café with an iPad and a stylus, typing and writing away while sipping a coffee isn’t the worst thing that someone can think of. While editing and filling out documents isn’t always exciting, that doesn’t mean it needs to be difficult or inefficient. Many of us are working from home right now, and we still have to manage our lives both at home and in the workplace. Being able to complete, edit and even sign documents while remaining safe is a reassuring thing and these virtual documents will only become more useful in the coming years.
1. Edit a document
No matter what profession you are in, in the modern economy you are likely to encounter some fillable PDF file that asks a multitude of questions. If you are a teacher and want to use your google docs test as a PDF for an E-Learning platform, it is likely you will need to use a free online PDF editor like LuminPDF or Adobe Acrobat. Also if you are an engineer and not using a CAD type of program or Photoshop, you are likely using a PDF and this will be true of almost all contracts pertaining to buildings, design, and so forth. So there are a number of people and an almost infinite number of uses for these documents.
So how does one go about filling out a PDF? Well, there are a number of ways depending on which editor you use and for what purpose. Many people might simply fill in the information as needed and this is often true of contracts, invoices, syllabi, or even quizzes and exams for students. People in the business world use them for a wide range of things so when making notes and trying to not just fill in the document to make suggestions or draw attention to something, a stylus might be used to circle some question or graphic or write notes for others using the document to see, etc. So depending on your device and purpose there are many ways to fill out a PDF.
2. Review or approve a document on the go
Over the past year and a half, many people have made the switch to remote work and that has brought along many positives and negatives relative to people’s working life. While it might not have a positive impact or negative in so far as it can be determined, being able to do your work from home does allow for a certain degree of freedom that office work doesn’t give. This means though that people now have to review and check their work from home or on the go in some cases. Managers, department heads, and C-Suite level members of a company often have to sign off on important documents such as plans and contracts. Being able to mark up PDFs with a stylus and make annotations to premade or fillable PDF documents online is useful since it allows others to see this and be able to understand what needs to be changed.
Reviewing documents from home or out and about means a manager or whoever is in charge of a project or class in the case of E-Learning, can make finishing touches without having to physically be present. They can issue a final stamp of approval of a document to go to whatever the next step of the process is, be it finished or on to another group or further editing and changes. The fillable PDF forms can also be certified with a stamp or with a virtual signature certifying the document as legitimate.
3. Sign a document
There is an abundance of pre-made fillable PDF documents online that can suit anyone for any particular reason, and many of these pre-made PDFs are important such as contracts, invoices, and consulting statements; however, it is often the case that these documents are not valid until such time as they are signed and made official either by the person who made the document or another party whom the document is made for. While it may seem superfluous to need to sign it virtually rather than just printing your name, there is a definite security feature with this that matches your signatures to other documents and verifies their accuracy.
Most people who work with fillable forms prefer to use a stylus since it acts as a surrogate pen for signing and it can more easily match a natural signature on a given document that is then ready to use in an official capacity. With a freehand signature at the bottom of the document, it is now not only ready but also secure and certified.
Online PDFs or fillable PDF forms are an integral part of the modern business world which extends beyond the office and into the classroom and even into the home where so many people know work. Although things can be complicated at the moment and certainties hard to reach, the ability to be confident in the security and professionalism of documentation means that is one less thing to worry about. Productivity, efficiency, and even security are all hallmarks of proper documentation.
