Free and powerful PDF tools are hiding in plain sight. Here’s how to find them.

Quick Tech Talk
With Steve Yoss
CPE Today

When you think about Portable Document Format (PDF) files, there’s a good chance Adobe Acrobat comes to mind first. But here’s something most people don’t realize: PDFs aren’t an Adobe-owned format anymore—they’re an ISO standard for digital paper. That means anyone can use, create, and manage them without paying for an Adobe subscription.

And the options go far beyond the familiar. Whether you’re creating workpapers for clients, sharing contracts with staff, or archiving important documents, there’s an entire toolbox of PDF solutions—many of them free—that can get the job done just as well as premium software.