I have a supplier and a sub, each of which emails me quotations and document submittals, using Adobe Acrobat. I like it for the way that drawings and graphic detail is presented so cleanly, and is so easily storable and printable.
I am thinking of getting the software myself so that I can communicate out to customers, as well as to other subs and suppliers.
If you make use of Adobe, tell us your experiences.
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Replies
Keep in mind that Acrobat isn't a word processor--you'll still need Microsoft Word or some other editor to create and, well, edit. Acrobat is a set of tools that allows you to convert documents into a universally-readable (and faithfully reproduced) format and view them. The .pdf reader is free, but Distiller (the converter) and other pieces together cost $200-300.
Pros:
Cons:
I like it for two reasons... the document can not be modified once it is converted to .pdf. So your number can't "accidently" change. Two it produces a smaller file size, making it easier to email.
Peace,
Martin
Martin,
PDF files can be edited unless you are very careful about password protecting the file. I have seen several cases of fraud in the lending industry where PDF files were edited.Mike K
Amateur Home Remodeler in Aurora, Illinois
I use it extensively in my business. Now mind you, I am not in your biz. I am a graphic designer and video producer that comes to this site by way of home renovation.
I have used Acrobat for many years to send clients design proofs as well as business documents. I once convinced an international client to purchase 2500 licenses of Acrobat to use throughtout their enterprise. Too bad there was no commission in it for me.
You can buy various versions of Acrobat to "distill" or convert your docs. However, most software worth its salt has a PDF output available within the software itself. I believe WORD has a "save as" or export to pdf option built in. The Reader is free, so if you are on a budget you might get away without having to purchase a thing.
I've been distributing PDF invoices quotes and other documents for years now. Way back when I bought Adobe distiller just for that but as of 20 months ago when I moved over to Mac OSX PDF creation was built-in to the system so I no longer needed the distiller anymore. There are still some valid reasons for Mac Users to get the full Adobe package with the distiller in that it allows you to do a lot more things such as creating electronic forms in PDF format but for the basic purpose of publishing an Invoice what you get for free as part of the Mac OS is just fine. So while getting yourself set up to create PDF's may be expensive for Windows users it's a basic part of life for Mac users.
I first really started to get serious about PDF use when in the case of one of my GC clients every time it was time to get paid he used to call me up and ask me to fax him another invoice since he had lost the one I had given or mailed him. So what I did was I created a password protected directory on my website for his company where he could always find any document I had generated related to his company 24/7/365. We still hand him, e-mail him, or USPS mail him hard copy but we also have the documents published to the folders for the respective companies and clients on our web site. We also do that with documents our employees need too. There's no excuse now for anyone to ever saying they lost a document.
I do the Invoices in our own FileMaker based system and then hit print and choose the option to publish as a PDF and then just upload it to the correct folder, e-mail a copy, and print out a hard copy too. Here's a sample of one of our old style invoices that I had published as part of a post on this same subject ironically almost exactly a year ago (msg#31877.2 6/19/2003).
Sample_Contract_Invoice.pdf
View Image
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I downloaded a preogram called "PDF995" from:
http://software995.com/
It allows you to print things in PDF format as long as you're willing to look at their ads. You could use that if you wanted to try out the PDF idea without spending a fortune in software.
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On the other hand - I have a friend who does high-end website design. He used to email PDF versions of proposals and invoices to his customers.
But he found that if he faxed it instead it got more attention. He believes it's because the faxed copy is tangible - Unlike the PDF file, which may not get printed out.
A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
"Jaws PDF Creator" does most of the the same things as Acrobat. About $79. It works as a virtual printer. Whatever you can print, Jaws will make it into a PDF file. There are other brands as well. I use it for invoices with Quickbooks. Also works with Autocad, autosketch, etc. etc. When I'm web browsing for stuff, I print to a PDF file instead of saving as a web page. Makes it real easy to exchange product brochures and stuff.
I use the PDF format not only for documents but for drawings too. It is a pretty universal thing anymore so I can email drawings o subs and suppliers without worrying about what CAD format they may or may no use. It reproduces accurately also, unlike the fax transmissions which can skew the aspect ratios.
For concept drawings, I can print to pdf in an oddball scale with no dimensions shown so that if anyone wanted to steal my copywrited design work, they would have a hard time of it.
I was able to put together my latest proposal presentation with photos, drawings, 3Ds, financials, details, etc, all in one package and come discussion time on the phone, page numbers are the same for everyone looking at the whole document - try that in Word - every one changes font sizes to suit themselves and the whole thing gets torn apart.
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My invoicing software includes a pdf creator that converts the db files to pdf for e-mailing. This is very useful; so far only one of my on-line clients has been unable to 'deal with' downloading Acrobat Reader so she can open them (her, I fax to).
The invoicing program that I've got is not a particularly sophisticated one, either; it cost me $49.00 and seems to do about everything except wind the baby and wash the clock. Lots of finanacial reports and other stuff available that I don't even use very often. If you don't have such a program already, you might want to consider this one. It's called NOVA INVOICE AND ESTIMATES PRO, made by Dynacom. Contains full database capability and custom graphic capability. The input form is fixed, however; but how much do you expect for fifty bucks?
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
I like Acrobat files for all the same reasons as others here, but found that it could not accurately reproduce my business logo (a .tif or .jpg imported into a Word doc) on letterhead I ran thru it. If you've got any graphics on the docs you make, be sure they'll work properly.
In my last engineering job, I used Acrobat to "print" files (AutoCad, Word, Excel) as pdf's so I could email them. It worked like a charm.
Now, in my custom cabinet business, I run my AutoCad drawings, etc thru the scanner to Paint, then save them as jpg files. A little more time consuming, but it seems to work well.
When I get a little "extra" money in the bank, I'll probably pop for the Acrobat program - lol
Edited 6/21/2004 9:34 am ET by Dave
Engineer turned cabinet maker. I like that. Tell me more.
Look up above in the posts to this thread. One tells of a free download that gives you the .pdf function. I did the download and can do all you said. The program inserts itself as a printer, and I can print CAD (I use Cadkey), Word, Excel, web pages, virtually anything printable. Cool!
Got your crying towel?? - lol
I had a thirty year career as an engineer.......20 years in Nuclear Power and another 10 in Telecommunications. Went from entry level grunt to senior management in two fields - both of which tanked on me. (Great career planner, aren't I?) Did some fascinating work, worked with some really great people, made some really good money, and had a ball most of the time.
The master plan was to retire in a few more years and turn my woodworking/cabinet making hobby into a retirement business, but after I got laid off last year and beat the bushes for six months, I realized that it was pretty much over so I told SWMBO that I was advancing the schedule. At 59, I don't bring smiles to many HR faces and I just ain't gonna re-invent myself a third time. (Fourth, if you count the change from military to civilian - lol)
So far, it's going fairly well. I advertise on the internet and get lots of calls. Most of them fade away when we start talking price, but a few have signed up so I'm hopeful. As a CYA move, I'm still talking to a couple of my old telecom clients and may do some consulting.
I saw that post about the free download and may give it a shot. I'm using Windows XP so I'm a little cautious about software compatibility. I tried to upgrade an old computer to XP last year and that turned into a serious train wreck. - lol
Works good with my XP OS. The free downloads for .pdf, that is.
Same ages, you and me. An engineer by degree, I never practiced per se, as in PE types of things, but I was doing lots of different things in commercial and industrial construction, since way back before the first moon landing, and it was good to have the BSCE in my back pocket sometimes. In my last ten years of working for someone else, though, I was the top technical guru with a large and very successful building products firm.
But that was then. I have been retired since late '99 and doing some new housebuilding for three years now. I have a pretty complete workshop and have done some really nice furniture and cabinet things, but I now prefer the scale of houses.
Practiced? That word has always bothered me. I've had a PE License (Mechanical) since '80 and thought I was fairly competent - until someone said "practicing". Oh well, doctors "practice" medicine and lawyers "practice" law. Makes me wonder if any of us will ever get it right. - lol
I'm also getting my GC license later this year. I don't intend to do any big stuff but I want to be able to do small one-man projects without trying to work around Californias $500 limit for "handyman" projects.
try using an EPS version of your logo instead. the PDF file format is losely based on postscript and handles postscript files better than most, especially if the logo is highly detailed.
FWIW, thats what most folks in the graphics business do when creating PDFs.
Bob,
Using Adobe Acrobat, I email scanned ink drawings and documents, Quickbooks invoices, drawings from Cabnetware, photographs, and just about anything else that could otherwise be printed. I print them to "Acrobat Distiller," which responds like another printer, giving from 1200 to 4000 dpi resolution in B&W or color. The lower the resolution, the smaller the file.
I bought my full copy of Adobe Acrobat, version 5, for under $200, and consider it to be an essential piece of software for all the reasons others have mentioned: documents can't be altered, they take up little space, and most downloadable website documents are .pdf files (which I save in my Adobe Acrobat folders).
Namaste,
Gary
http://gwwoodworking.com/