Foxit PhantomPDF 7 Brings First PDF Shared Review to Desktop and Mobile Users

Foxit Software, a leading software provider of fast, affordable, and secure PDF solutions, today launched PhantomPDF 7.0, the next major release of PDF software which provides users a cost effective solution to securely work with PDF documents and forms.

New capabilities in PhantomPDF 7.0 include Shared Review, an Outlook Add-in, Document Sanitization, increased PDF portfolio support, document modification improvements, security improvements, 2D barcode display, and more.

PhantomPDF is a full featured business ready PDF solution to view, create, edit, comment, share, secure, organize, export, OCR, secure, and sign PDF documents and forms. PhantomPDF is available in two editions, PhantomPDF Business and PhantomPDF Standard, which offer an extensive range of usability and power features that meet the requirements of large enterprises, small and medium-sized businesses, and consumers.

Details of the new capabilities in PhantomPDF 7.0 include: First Shared Review for Desktop and Mobile Users Foxit Shared Review bridges the gap between mobile and desktop knowledge workers to foster positive collaboration to develop better documents. Shared Review allows document authors to share a document where all reviewers can provide comments and view and respond to each other's comments. Since knowledge workers use both desktop and mobile devices, PhantomPDF Business users can initiate a Shared Review to include users of the Foxit Reader (desktop users) and the MobilePDF Business apps (mobile iOS and Android users).

Document authors can host a Shared Review on a network folder, SharePoint workspace, or through an email based review. Authors can manage document reviews and view the status of each review.

Outlook Add-in The PhantomPDF Outlook Add-in provides a PDF creation and editing capability by enabling users to convert emails to PDF directly from the Microsoft Outlook application. Once created, users can archive or edit the PDF. Users can select one email, several emails, or even a whole email folder. The output can be a PDF portfolio or a PDF file containing all the emails and email attachments. The automatic archival feature allows users to convert preset folders to PDF file automatically.

Document Sanitization During the development of a document, multiple modifications occur due to collaborative annotations, attached files for reference, and other information that the author may not want to make public in the final document. Before final publishing, the Document Sanitization feature will remove 13 different kinds of information from your document like metadata, comments, hidden data from previous saves, hidden layers, overlapping objects, and more. Therefore, authors can publish documents with confidence.

PDF Portfolios Enables PDF Portfolio creation and editing. This enables PhantomPDF users to view and edit existing compliant PDF portfolios - protecting users' investments in existing portfolios. Users can also create new portfolios which can be viewed from any compliant PDF reader or edited from any compliant PDF editor.

Modify Document Improvements Today's documents are frequently being changed and updated over time. In the past, knowledge workers struggled to convert content back and forth between word processors and PDF and not lose content changes or layout. PhantomPDF is addressing this issue by providing powerful editing capabilities similar to a word processor to significantly increase the productivity of users. PhantomPDF 7.0 enhances existing editing capabilities by enabling users to: Link together text boxes in a document with sophisticated layout and have the text automatically reflow across the text boxes as you edit.

Write and draw on PDF documents just as they would on paper through Pressure Sensitive Ink (PSI) technology.

Replicate the text's style (font, bold, color, etc.) when copying and pasting text.

Edit an objects shading, change text to shape, and text merge/split.

Digital Signature Security PhantomPDF has been enhanced to help protect the integrity of digitally signed PDFs by providing the following new features: To protect against unauthorized usage of a digital signature, PhantomPDF users can set a password to protect their digital signature. Therefore, no one can use your digital signature without knowing the correct password, even if they gain physical access to your computer which contains the digital signature.

Enables users to digitally sign XML Forms Architecture (XFA) forms and verify the digital signatures on XFA forms signed by others.

RMS Security Improvements Foxit PhantomPDF allows users to consume, modify, and protect PDF in Microsoft Active Directory Rights Management Services and Azure Active Directory Rights Management environments. New enhancements to this solution include: A mechanism that revokes a PDF document that has already been issued, which is called dynamic revocation. For example, remove rights from an individual when they leave your organization or remove access to a document when it becomes out of date.

Ability for users to sort, filter, correlate, and analyze log entries, for information such as who accessed documents, which documents were accessed and when, how many copies were printed, and more. This provides valuable business intelligence regarding the usage of protected documents.

Additional access rights control allowing the document owner to control the following: The number of times a user can access a document.

-- The number of times a user can print a document.

-- Select which pages users are allowed to access. This is very valuable when it's required to provide rights to only certain pages of a document.

Only allow users within an IP white list to access the document - for example, only users in the building versus external users.

Protection (encryption) PDF files when creating the PDF files using the Foxit add-ins within Microsoft Office.

2D Barcode Display Displays 2D barcode generated from Ultraforms enabled fillable PDF forms. Foxit Ultraforms enabled forms generate a 2D barcode right onto the form that contains the variable data entered into the form by the end user. After printing and signing, submitted forms can be quickly scanned and the form's data can be easily and accurately captured into databases or applications.

'Foxit PhantomPDF 7.0 delivers a full featured PDF solution that enables users to be more productive when working with PDF documents and forms,' says Frank Kettenstock, VP of Marketing at Foxit. 'By providing fast, affordable, and secure PDF software, PhantomPDF delivers a superior return on investment compared to other PDF products.' For more information, contact Foxit at http://www.foxitsoftware.com or at 1-866-MYFOXIT.

About Foxit Software Foxit is a leading software provider of fast, affordable, and secure PDF solutions. Businesses and consumers increase productivity by using Foxit's cost effective solutions to securely work with PDF documents and forms. Software developers reduce costs and improve time to market with Foxit's Software Development Kits (SDKs) to incorporate robust PDF technology into their application workflows. This technology shares the same underlying technology that powers Google's open-source PDFium project. Winner of numerous awards, Foxit boasts over 275 million users and has sold to over 100,000 customers located in over 200 countries. Since Foxit products are ISO 32000-1/PDF 1.7 standard compliant, they are compatible with other PDF products like those from Adobe.

Foxit is a registered trademark of Foxit Software. Other trademarked names or terms used in this document are the properties of their respective owners.

Foxit Reader 7 Delivers Collaboration and Security Enhancements

FREMONT, Calif. –September 24, 2014 – Foxit® Software, a leading software provider of fast, affordable, and secure PDF solutions, today announced a new version of its flagship PDF reader, Foxit Reader 7.0, providing both a consumer and enterprise edition. Foxit Reader’s success and popularity has resulted in over 275 million downloads; making it the second most used PDF technology in the industry. Now organizations can deploy a consistent and proven PDF solution enterprise-wide, allowing everyone to view, create, and annotate PDF documents.
Details of the new capabilities in Foxit Reader 7.0 include:
First Shared Review for Desktop and Mobile Users
Foxit Shared Review bridges the gap between mobile and desktop knowledge workers to foster positive collaboration to develop better documents.  Shared Review allows document authors to share a document where all reviewers can provide comments and view and respond to each other’s comments.  Since knowledge workers use both desktop and mobile devices, Foxit Reader and MobilePDF Business users can participate in a Shared Review initiated by Foxit PhantomPDF Business.
Updated Foxit Enterprise Reader RMS Plug-in for Security Improvements
The Foxit Enterprise Reader RMS Plug-in allows users to view, annotate, and protect PDF in Microsoft Active Directory® Rights Management Services and Azure™ Active Directory Rights Management environments.  New enhancements to Foxit Enterprise Reader RMS Plug-in include:

•  A mechanism that revokes a PDF document that has already been issued, which is called dynamic revocation. For example, remove rights from an individual when they leave your organization or remove access to a document when it becomes out of date.

•  Ability for users to sort, filter, correlate, and analyze log entries, for information such as who accessed documents, which documents were accessed and when, how many copies were printed, and more.  This provides valuable business intelligence regarding the usage of protected documents.

•  Additional access rights control allowing the document owner to control the following:

-  The number of times a user can access a document.

- The number of times a user can print a document.

­-  Select which pages users are allowed to access.  This is very valuable when it’s required to provide rights to only certain pages of a document.

­ - Only allow users within an IP white list to access the document – for example, only users in the building versus external users.

• Protection (encryption) PDF files when creating the PDF files using the Foxit add-ins within Microsoft Office.

2D Barcode Display
Displays 2D barcode generated from Ultraforms® enabled fillable PDF forms.  Foxit Ultraforms enabled forms generate a 2D barcode right onto the form that contains the variable data entered into the form by the end user. After printing and signing, submitted forms can be quickly scanned and the form’s data can be easily and accurately captured into databases or applications.
User Environment Customization
Foxit Reader’s user interface is built on a ribbon-based toolbar based on Microsoft Office 2013 (Office 15) style design, providing users with a familiar user experience.  A ribbon is an interface which provides graphical command buttons organized in tabs based on function, which is a more intuitive and efficient way for users to find, comprehend, and execute commands. Foxit Reader 7.0 now allows users to create new tabs or customize current tabs.  User can define which buttons should be located in which tab, or direct create a new tab with their favorite buttons.
"Foxit Reader’s feature richness, high performance, and easy deployability make it the PDF Reader of choice for many of today’s largest and most demanding enterprises," said Phil Lee, VP of Enterprise Sales at Foxit Corporation. "Foxit provides enterprises with a complete PDF platform joined through a common user experience, allowing them to standardize on a single PDF provider."
For more information, contact Foxit at http://www.foxitsoftware.com or at 1-866-MYFOXIT.

Optimizing Images and Graphics for PDF

There’s no question that a picture is worth a thousand words. In fact, studies show that 40 percent of people will respond better to visual information than they will to plain text. This is likely because 90 percent of the information that comes to the brain is visual. That’s why using illustrations, photographs and other images greatly enhances the context of your PDF document. Using images gives a visual representation to your text. In technical documents, images make it easier for the reader to follow and comprehend directions and explanations.

Using PDF software it’s easy to embed an image into the document you’re creating using tools built into the application. Unlike many word processing software packages and text editors, Foxit PhantomPDF Business offers a robust set of tools for editing these images in the application itself. Using this option, there’s no need to open up an outside image-editing tool.

There is, however, a difference between simply adding an image into a PDF document and making sure that the image is set up properly. Optimizing image files aids with accessibility, clarity and the overall size of your PDF document so it’s an important consideration. Yet as important as optimization is, it’s not a difficult process. Here are some best practices for optimizing images in your PDF files.

Optimize for accessibility

Accessibility ensures that anyone can read your document without limitation. For people who are visually impaired, PDF software allows you to include alternate text descriptions for images that you include in your document. This allows any text to speech or read out loud tools to describe what the image is. Visually impaired readers don’t miss out on the enhancements your images provide to the content.

Accessibility also affects people who speak languages other than the one used in the original document. Images that contain words and descriptions in them can cause problems when translating document into other languages, as translators don’t usually change image text. If the content contained therein is important, its meaning is lost on some. To ensure that you leave no one out, images should not contain any text if possible. Instead, use captions or reference the image in the content itself.

For more tips on creating accessible PDFs, see this article.

Provide clarity in images

If readers have trouble making out the image, its effect can be lost. That’s why it’s a good idea to use images with enough resolution so that readers are able to see things clearly.

Larger graphics also present a problem for some documents. If too much is conveyed in one image, readers might find the graphic to be more confusing than helpful. Optimizing graphic images for clarity means that the image should only convey what you describe in the text. This not only helps the reader understand your content more clearly, it also keeps the image to a manageable size.

Optimize file size

Including images in a PDF document will increase the size of the overall file significantly. This can cause problems when delivering documents via email or uploaded through a file transfer, as there are usually file size restrictions in these environments. You can easily manage the impact that images have on file size.

Using the right file type is important. Images saved in .jpeg format often have the best clarity since you generally use this format for photographic images. The result is that .jpeg files are also larger. On the other end of the spectrum, the .gif file format is smaller in size, but you lose sharpness. As a result, consider opting for the middle ground found with .png files. These keep a higher level of sharpness and clarity, while keeping the file size much lower than that of a .jpeg.

So as you—and recipients of your PDF documents—can see, optimizing graphics and images for PDF not only makes good sense, it’s easy to implement as well.