Convert Word to PDF

Why send a PDF instead of a Word file

A .docx file looks different on every machine: if the reader does not have your fonts, Word substitutes them, the layout shifts, page breaks move, and the CV you spent an evening on arrives with a heading stranded at the bottom of a page. A PDF carries its fonts and layout with it, so what the reader opens is exactly what you saw. It is also read-only by default, which is why job applications, invoices, quotes and signed documents are expected as PDFs.

What it converts

• Word documents — .docx and the older .doc.
• Excel spreadsheets — .xlsx and .xls.
• PowerPoint presentations — .pptx and .ppt.
• OpenDocument files from LibreOffice — .odt, .ods and .odp.

Headings, tables, images, page numbers, headers and footers carry over, and links in the document stay clickable in the PDF.

Converting a CV, an invoice or a form

These are the three documents people convert to PDF most often, and each has its own reason. A CV has to survive an applicant tracking system and a hiring manager’s screen without the spacing collapsing. An invoice has to be a fixed record that nobody can quietly edit before paying it. A form has to print the way it was laid out, with the boxes where you put them. A PDF gives all three, which is why they are almost always requested in that format.

After the conversion

Once the file is a PDF you can merge it with other documents, add your signature, or compress it if the images inside made it too large to email.