It feels almost like a different lifetime when our desks were buried under mountains of paper documents, right? That was before the digital revolution swept in. And now it’s been around for more than 30 years since the birth of PDF (Portable Document Format), the tool we so often take for granted.
But PDF’s story is huge; it has evolved into a universal technical standard, and is now significantly aided by artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The switch to managing documents digitally has made things more efficient and marks a big step away from using so much paper.
Evolution of PDF technology
A little bit of history Since its inception, the PDF format has come a long way, evolving from a basic tool for preserving document integrity to a versatile instrument for digital communication. Our PDF editor is designed to keep pace with the latest market demands, ensuring that users have access to advanced features. But going back to history, let’s take a closer look at the dates that have shaped our present.
1990 – Project Camelot is initiated by Adobe co-founder Dr. John Warnok
1993 – PDF format is officially presented as a digital solution
1994 – Improved password encryption is implemented for better security
2001 – PDF 1.4’s imaging model is extended to allow transparency
2008 – PDF is now a standard — ISO 32000-1
2017 – PDF 2.0 supports multimedia and 3D models
2020 – Corrections and critical updates to normative references
Today – PDF evolution continues: enhanced document accessibility, various security features, cross-platform compatibility, digital signatures, certification, etc.
