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Anyone still back-save to earlier versions for slow-to-upgrade users?

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2010-08-24 10:24:11
dalrympj
Registered: Aug 29 2007
Posts: 1

Hi all -

I work for the Social Security Administration. My department has a policy of saving all of our PDFs to be compatble with "Acrobat 5.0 or later" before posting to our web site - in case there are any end users out there who are still on outdated equipment.

But I have a feeling that that policy itself is outdated. I'm trying to figure out what the latest consensus is on backsaving so that the widest number of users can still access the PDFs without problems. I'm finding an answer hard to find online (market share, usage rights, etc.).

Any advice?
Thanks.
-Jessie

My Product Information:
Acrobat Pro 9.3.1, Windows
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2010-08-24 16:57:16
#1
George_Johnson
Expert
Registered: Jul 6 2008
Posts: 1876
It can't hurt to do that. You should read up on the PDF/A standard.
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2010-08-24 18:09:11
#2
daka630
Expert
Registered: Mar 1 2007
Posts: 1420
Jessie,

I suspect that the SSA has to submit to NARA.
Submission of PDF costs less than paper (shipping and handling costs if nothing else).
Last time I looked NARA only accepts PDF version 1.4 (Acrobat 5.x).

So, processing any and all content bound for PDF to version 1.4 might be easier, administratively.
Of course, that can preclude incorporation of rich media features, available via Acrobat 9, into PDFs meant to support "stack holders" (aka the 'public') that could promote a better understanding of the what & how of the SSA.Be well...

Be well...

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2010-08-25 07:26:54
#3
gkaiseril
Online
Expert
Registered: Feb 23 2006
Posts: 4308
Since the Social Security Administration like the Internal Revenue Service provides a number of fill-in forms, one has to be able to support a group of users with very old versions of Reader and other free PDF reader products. A quick check of the IRS offerings show the color publications are designed for PDF version 1.4, Acrobat 5.X, while the forms are set for PDF version 1.7, Acrobat 8.X. Now that does not mean the forms utilize features of PDF version 1.7 that are not in PDF version 1.4, but the forms could.

Since the SSA services a very large user base, it would be best to support the largest possible group of users. Acrobat 5 is probably a very good choice, since many developers still have and use this version for their work and there are many Windows XP users still out there and using the version of Reader provided by the system's vendor. But if you want to use a newer product that can not create a PDF at PDF version 1.4, then do not use any newer features like multi-media.

George Kaiser

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