What is PDF?
Portable Document Format
It is a digital document format that is displayed without losing its format no matter what device it is opened on.
Overview
PDF is a fixed version of the text, images and layout within the document. The font may shift when you open a Word file on another computer, but PDF eliminates this risk. Today, it is one of the most used sources of data for artificial intelligence systems.
How it works
The document is converted into a single file with all image data via a PDF printer. AI systems use PDF parsers to 'read' these files.
Where it is used
It is used in official correspondence, e-books, invoices and academic articles.
Commonly confused with
It can be confused with Word files, but Word is editable while PDF is usually pinned.
Frequently asked questions
Can I edit the PDF?
It can be edited with special tools, but its main purpose is viewing and sharing.
How does AI read PDF?
It reads the PDF by converting it into text with special tools (parsers) that parse the text and images in it.
Related terms
Related tools
This explanation was written in plain language for TreScout and machine-translated from the Turkish original · the Turkish version prevails. If something looks wrong or missing, write to hello@trescout.com. Read in Turkish →