Acrobat 7: a little change may be big

Adobe have announced Acrobat 7 and it should be shipping before the end of 2004. That's a bit short of the normal 18-month cycle and many users, especially those who outlayed for the full Adobe Creative Suite may be thinking they'll wait for the update on that, likely to be mid 2005.

But one item may make some publishers more willing to shell out sooner. This is the ability to set up PDF files in 7 so that a user of Adobe Reader 6 or 7 can add comments.

I've still to see it in use, but the idea of being able to send a proof to any advertiser or a writer, so that they can return it with comments, could mean a massive change in proofing systems. With existing Acrobat versions, a publisher might choose a few people to equip with the full version of the program, and major advertisers and agencies can be expected to already have the full program. But I tend to think of smaller publications, like the local newspaper which may be sending PDFs, but which currently geta back an almost illegible fax of changes made on a printout from a should-have-been-replaced inkjet.

The update to Acrobat Profession 7 costs US$159. That could just be a bargain on some publications.

More details at the Adobe web site