Portable Document Format (PDF) is one standard for the secure and reliable distribution and exchange of electronic documents and forms around the world. PDF is a universal file format that preserves the fonts, images, graphics, and layout of any source document, regardless of the application and platform used to create it.
Such files are unusable by any transcription software since they are pictures, not any form of ASCII, mark up language, or similar machine-based code file. For brailling purposes, such files can be exported into a usable file in a number of ways including importing them into an Adobe Acrobat program and exporting it from there, or using OCR software. In either case, careful attention must be given to anomalies such as missing information, rearranged information, or poorly formatted information that may occur.