You’ve probably been asked to create a presentation for work, and you’re wondering: Should I use a PowerPoint or a PDF file? The answer is it depends. It all depends on the situation, but we recommend using either of these formats. So which one should you use? This article will compare and contrast both types of documents so that future presentations can be as effective as possible.
PDFs vs. PowerPoint
PowerPoint is the best way to present your ideas and the most effective way to communicate them. It’s also the most effective way to communicate your ideas to an audience.
But what if you don’t have PowerPoint? Or what if you can’t afford it? What if you’re allergic to PowerPoint? Should you use PDFs instead?
PDF advantages
- They are easy to share. If you need to send your presentation to someone, they can download a PDF version and view it wherever they want.
- They are easy to read. As opposed to PowerPoint’s busy look, the text in a PDF document is easier on the eyes for more extended periods without the user getting tired or distracted by the background images and animation.
- They are easy to print out if necessary (especially important if you’re presenting at an event).
PDF disadvantages
But it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. There are some disadvantages to using PDFs as well:
- PDFs aren’t interactive, so you can’t add things like video or audio files, nor can you create hyperlinks to other documents.
- PDFs aren’t mobile-friendly. That is, they don’t look good on mobile devices of any kind (unless the viewer has downloaded a particular app that allows them to view your document).
PowerPoint advantages
One of the most significant advantages PowerPoint has over PDFs is that it’s easy to use. You don’t need to learn a new program or tool, and you can easily create presentations, slideshows and documents with sequential pages that are easy for readers to follow.
PowerPoint also offers many features that make it easier for you to create beautiful presentations. It has all kinds of templates and built-in designs, so you don’t have to spend time designing from scratch each time you create a presentation.
PowerPoint disadvantages
While a PPT is very good at clearly communicating information clearly, it has significant disadvantages. The first disadvantage is that PowerPoint is not as interactive as PDF. When you share a PPT with others, they cannot change the text or format elements in any way (unless they have access to your computer). For example, a PDF, on the other hand can be easily edited by anyone who has access to it and can be printed out for sharing purposes.
Both have pros and cons, but PDFs are far better for securing confidential information. Therefore most companies use PowerPoint to PDF converters to quickly convert their data.
“When you use the Acrobat online tool to convert Microsoft PowerPoint files to PDF, each slide will be turned into an individual PDF page in the converted file,” says Adobe Acrobat experts. Hopefully, this post has helped you decide which format is best for your presentation.
