Why are you posting my documents as PDF files?

While many documents are submitted to us as Word or Excel files, Web Design & Support will convert them to Adobe Acrobat PDF format files before we post them online. We do this for a few reasons.

The foremost reason is that the PDF format is considered a universal document format and most Web-browsers have PDF reading capability built right in. Even if they do not, Adobe’s Acrobat Reader software can always be downloaded easily and free-of-charge.

While every computer on campus has Microsoft Word, off campus users might not have it installed on their computer (as it is part of a suite of programs which costs over $100 to purchase). Thus, off campus users or students and University employees using personal computers might not have the proper software to use word files.

Another reason is security. It is much easier to edit a word document than a PDF file (given access to the Word program itself). There have been incidents in the past of individuals tampering with university documents for personal gain and secure documents will help protect the University’s reputation from such events in the future.

Having said all this, we will occasionally post documents in their original Word or Excel files if said documents are forms designed for users to input and submit information, or if having the original Excel sheet provides a substantial advantage in the organization of the data. In such cases a PDF alternative is always provided in case a user does not have access to Microsoft Office.