Combining different types of files
You already know that you can convert many types of files into Adobe PDFs. But you can also group files as you convert them, so that the end result keeps those files together. For example, you could combine all the documents for a specific project—such as the text documents, email messages, spreadsheets, CAD drawings, PowerPoint presentations, and so forth—into a PDF or PDF package. When you use the Combine Files wizard, you can even limit the conversion to specific pages (or spreadsheets, or slides) within individual source documents.
There are three types of PDFs that involve multiple files:
- Merged PDFs
- You can convert multiple files of various types to produce a merged PDF: one in which converted documents flow into the PDF as sequential pages.
- PDF packages
- You can use the Combine Files wizard to convert multiple files of various types into a PDF package: a set PDF components in which each file appears separately and has its own pagination. Component files also retain their individual security settings, forms features, and default views, and digital signatures stay intact. On Windows, you can archive Outlook or Lotus Notes email messages and message folders as PDF packages, using PDFMaker within the email application.
- PDFs embedded in other files
- You can insert PDFs into files in other formats that support Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), such as Adobe InDesign or Word documents.