Formats Better than PDF

A PDF document is arguably the most important file document in the world. Since its creation in the 1990s, it has gradually become the most used file document to present information across both the public and private sectors. Nonetheless, several types of documents exist, which are used by different organizations for different purposes. In fact, some document formats provide better functionality for some specific tasks, and PDF documents do possess some disadvantages. Therefore, a handful of document formats can be considered better than PDF documents for some functions.

Better Document Formats

The documents that are considered better than PDF documents are listed and discussed below.

XPS
HTML
PostScript
XML

XPS

XPS stands for XML Paper Specification. It is considered by many as a good alternative for a PDF file. Some of the factors that make an XML better than a PDF file are highlighted below.

An XPS file offers a user an easy way of editing information on the document. With an XPS file, a user can easily utilize free software to edit the file's content. On the other hand, to edit a PDF file, a user needs to purchase expensive software.
Creating software applications that work with XPS files is very easy. Therefore, any user with basic programming knowledge can quickly create an XPS viewer.
XPS generally occupy less space than PDF files, which is crucial when storage is an issue.

HTML

When a user desires to produce content with markup and plain text, an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) file is often considered the desired format. Also, HTML is quite accessible as it provides graphics and text in the proper reading sequence. Therefore, it provides users a decent screen design, which aids viewing and reading. Although an HTML file can contain interactive content, it occupies a smaller storage space while allowing for the attachment of other document formats and friendly search engines.

PostScript

Although PDF documents are based on PostScripts, however, PDF utilizes the PostScript instructions in a completely different manner. PostScript is basically a robust programming tool that allows a user to develop a simple game or another file document format. Therefore, with PostScript, a user can develop far more complex information than a PDF file. For example, Postscript can allow a user to create barcodes, which can be printed.

XML

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is another type of document format. XML, unlike PDF, is flexible enough to integrate with different forms of databases seamlessly. Also, it effortlessly works with data exchange and publishing applications. Additionally, an XML helps to describe the content within a document, unlike a PDF, which describes a document's appearance.

Conclusion

Although a PDF file is a desirable file format, it still possesses some disadvantages, including difficulty in editing, cost of software, and more. As a result, other document formats compensate for some of these disadvantages. The document formats include XPS, HTML, PostScript, and XML. Each type of document provides a user with some advantages that a PDF file does not.

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