Acrobat 8.1 Professional for Windows

Manufacturer: Adobe Systems Inc. Part number: 22020403

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CNET Editor rating:
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Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 3 reviews

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Bottom Line:: For composing long PDF packages at an office that requires security and wants to use the new digital forms, Acrobat's got the goods, but it's overkill if you only seek to make short PDF files.

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CNET editors' review

Acrobat 8.1 Professional for Windows

price range: $188.92 - $428.61

Reviewed by: Elsa Wenzel
Reviewed on: 11/09/2006
Updated on:06/08/2007
Released on: 11/02/2006

The good: Acrobat 8.1 lets you fill out and collect forms digitally instead of having to print them; intuitive wizards walk you through the features; better manages redactions, metadata and security; integrates with Acrobat Connect to collaborate with other users.

The bad: We ran into quirks during testing; Acrobat Reader can slow down Web surfing.

The bottom line: For composing long PDF packages at an office that requires security and wants to use the new digital forms, Acrobat's got the goods, but it's overkill if you only seek to make short PDF files.

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Acrobat 8.1 Professional for Windows offers more intuitive software than Acrobat 7 to better bridge the gap between the online and print worlds.

Whenever you download and print event registration forms, large reports, books, or sleek brochures from the Web, you usually wind up dealing with a file in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). Adobe Acrobat is the standard-bearer for creating and editing complex PDF files. But why do you even need Acrobat when dozens of competing applications and free, Web-based services also can create PDF files?

While the price remains the same from Acrobat 7, we think the $449 Acrobat is unnecessary if you merely need to create little PDFs. However, version 8.1's enhancements make it richer than its predecessors if you require additional security and data-sharing that the little PDF makers can't provide. The additions to Acrobat 8.1 should appeal to those working in fields that deal with sensitive data--especially legal, medical, and financial professionals.

The Getting Started screen takes you to wizards that make Acrobat's many features easier to navigate than in the past.

The download took us about 10 minutes on Windows XP. We chose the Typical installation, but you can select individual features with Complete or Custom setup, too. Acrobat version 8.1 now works with Windows Vista, too; you can visit Adobe's Web site to update from version 8 to 8.1. During setup, Acrobat adds Create PDF buttons into other software you may have, including Microsoft Office applications from 2000 to 2007.

Once Acrobat is running, the Getting Started screen presents big buttons for the major features: Create PDF, Combine Files, Export, and so on. The Start Meeting and Review & Comment buttons take you to Adobe Connect, which replaces Macromedia Breeze for hosting virtual meeting spaces. Acrobat 8.1 Professional offers tighter ease of use, with wizards to take you through PDF creation and management step by step if you need some hand-holding. The drop-down menus from the refreshed toolbar are also pretty easy to figure out, and you can customize the toolbars. Also, there's more control over redactions to keep your top-secret documents snoop-proof.

Acrobat 8.1 steps you through bundling a bunch of different file types, such as spreadsheet pages, letters and reports, and images, into a PDF document or package.

Finally, you can fill out Acrobat forms digitally instead of having to download a form from the free Acrobat Reader, print it, then turn it in by hand, via snail mail, or by fax; this is long overdue. Now your company or block club can send out a questionnaire or a party invitation via e-mail, collect the completed forms, and pool the data paperlessly in one place. The Acrobat Professional 8.1 edition can detect form fields in a PDF document automatically, enabling you to convert those flat lines to live fields ready for data input.

The Combine Files wizard steps you through packaging varied file types, such as a Microsoft Word letter, an Excel spreadsheet, and a variety of JPEG and GIF images to make one print-ready, PDF file. You can grab selected page ranges from within a Word document or pick individual worksheets from an XLS file, leaving the unnecessary stuff out of your final PDF. It's easy to optimize file sizes and to drag and drop the components to put them in the order you want. In about four minutes, we bundled more than five Word, Excel, JPEG, and PDF files totaling 227KB into a nine-page PDF of 101KB. You can export your PDF files to JPEG, TIFF, HTML, XML, text, and other formats. In addition, a "Send to FedEx Kinko's" option within the File menu allows remote, paid printing at that brand's stores around the country.

Acrobat 8.1 also adds new integration with Microsoft Office 2007, such as the capability to create a PDF file by right-clicking the mouse from within supported applications. Microsoft Outlook 2007 can now preview multipage PDF files within e-mail messages, just as it already displays Office documents. And Mac users will be able to view Flash movies within Adobe Acrobat and Reader 8.1 instead of using QuickTime.

To prevent your document from revealing secrets, Acrobat 8.1 makes it easier to apply redactions that permanently black out sensitive text.

What if your intelligence report contains the name of an undercover operative? In the past, people suffered when text they had blacked out in Microsoft Word was wrapped into a PDF file that unpeeled the highlighting and revealed sensitive sentences underneath. Now, Acrobat lets you black out text permanently, even letting you search for keywords to erase so that you won't miss one. Alas, as more people adopt this feature, it may not bode well for investigators and journalists hoping to dig up data that used to be sloppily buried.

After you Apply Redactions, Acrobat 8.1 forces you to inspect metadata, annotations and comments, bookmarks, and so on for other tidbits you might want to keep under wraps. Once you're ready for other eyes to see your new PDF file, the Secure and Sign drop-downs from Acrobat 8.1's toolbar help you to add 128-bit encryption and a digital signature to protect your intellectual property.

Adobe provides many support resources at its Web site, such as Flash tutorials, user forums, FAQs, and a searchable knowledge base. Acrobat's online resources are well-organized and thorough. However, Adobe's four support plans, from Bronze to Platinum, are costly. Installation help by phone is available only via a toll telephone number, for instance. You'll need to sign in to get customized help online.

So far, we find Acrobat 8.1 to be a more useful and intuitive tool than its ancestor, although you don't need to plunk down hundreds of dollars unless you're really craving the security features.

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Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 3 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

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3 stars

SCREWED UP MY COMPUTER

by TheRealStranger on February 4, 2008

Pros: MY COMPUTER DIDN'T EXPLODE

Cons: IF I CAN'T GO BACK TO PREVIOUS VERSION, I'LL HAVE TO DO A SYSTEM RESTORE

Summary: Windows xp did not like this piece of crap. Change is not always progress. Adobe has done this to me before. New rule: NEVER update Adobe.

Summary: Windows xp did not like this piece of crap. Change is not always progress. Adobe has done this to me before. New rule: NEVER update Adobe.
3 stars

Engineered to death

by ebbrown on December 4, 2007

Pros: Making forms, to a small degree. Perhaps greater security

Cons: Slow, expensive, convoluted mess. Best features over-engineered to the point of being useless.

Summary: What can Adobe possibly be thinking? Seriously, just who are they designing Acrobat Professional for?

The CNET review is essentially correct: use the Reader to view PDFs and software like

...

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Summary: What can Adobe possibly be thinking? Seriously, just who are they designing Acrobat Professional for?

The CNET review is essentially correct: use the Reader to view PDFs and software like Open Office to create them. The usefulness of Acrobat Professional is small and diminishing with each upgrade.

Version 8 is decided NOT more intuitive than Acrobat 7, not that 7 was all that intuitive. Iâ??ve been using Acrobat since is was invented and Pro version 8 crosses my eyes. The forms function is somewhat improved, although you will still create forms manually half of the time. Maybe security is better. So what. If your data is that sensitive, you have other protocols in place.

Acrobat Professional used to be a product that would provide document creators--writers, editors, graphic designers--a convenient way to e-mail, comment on, and finalize drafts. That process is now so painful that weâ??re back to step one: using PDFs to transmit information digitally, and nothing else.

Using the commenting feature, either entering or viewing, is grossly cumbersome. Now weâ??re going back to commenting in separate Word documents with references to the PDF.

As far as coping text, tables, or graphics, Iâ??ve never seen software regress so profoundly. If we need to copy and edit part or all of a document, weâ??ll use OCR programs, even for small segments.

In addition:
Many of the features included in the program are silly and useless.
Dialog boxes sometimes open partially off screen and cannot be scrolled through. Sigh.
And, of course, version 8 is even slower than version 7, which was slower than version 6, etc.

Thereâ??s more, but weâ??ve stopped testing because thereâ??s no point. Needless to say, we are not upgrading corporate wide, and after many years we are looking for alternatives. Adobe has thoughtlessly engineered Acrobat Professional if not to death, then certainly close to it.

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7 stars

the industry standard

by di_2526 on May 29, 2007

Pros: functional

Cons: no overwrite

Summary: acrobat is a must-have for anyone who creates or edits written business materials. it's good for cranking down high-quality documents, though i do wish it allowed for over-writes in ...

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Summary: acrobat is a must-have for anyone who creates or edits written business materials. it's good for cranking down high-quality documents, though i do wish it allowed for over-writes in custom fonts. there are several inexpensive third-party products that will "learn" a custom font, but reproduces the overwrites in a low quality.
nothing flashy or exciting, but it gets the job done & is easy to use.

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Adobe Systems Inc.
Part number: 22020403
Description: Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional software enables business professionals to reliably create, combine, and control Adobe PDF documents for easy, more secure distribution, collaboration, and data collection. Easily create Adobe PDF documents from Microsoft Office, Outlook, Internet Explorer, Project, Visio, Access, Publisher, AutoCAD, Lotus Notes, or any application that prints. Combine documents, drawings, and rich media content into a single, polished Adobe PDF document. Optimize file size, and arrange files in any order regardless of file type, dimensions, or orientation. Enable users of Adobe Reader software (version 7.0 or 8) to participate in shared reviews. Use the Start Meeting button to collaborate in real-time with the new Adobe Acrobat Connect line of products. Easily collect and distribute forms, combine collected forms into a searchable, sortable PDF package, and export collected data into a spreadsheet (Windows only). Control access to and use of Adobe PDF documents, assign digital rights, and maintain document integrity.

General
Category Creativity application
Subcategory Creativity - desktop publishing
Version 8.0
Language(s) Adobe Universal English
License pricing Standard
Software
License Type Complete package
License Qty 1 user
License Pricing Standard
Platform Windows
Distribution Media CD-ROM
Package Type Retail

System Requirements
OS Required Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2, Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition SP2, Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2
Software Requirements Internet Explorer 6.0
Peripheral / Interface Devices CD-ROM, XGA monitor
System Requirements Details Pentium III - RAM 256 MB - HD 860 MB

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