The onscreen PDF viewing experience has always had a mixed reputation. To me, one important and often-overlooked factor contributing to this negative perception stems from the variety of ways in which a PDF file can be displayed.
Unfortunately, with this flexibility comes an inevitable inconsistency, which can’t help but increase the possibility of a negative user-experience.
The problems are usually a result of:
- Publishers of PDF files not considering the best way to present a PDF file when it is opened (and not utilizing the ‘initial view’ settings).
- Recipients of PDF files not realizing that there are different page-display modes, which are fully controllable in all PDF files.
By taking into account the recipient when producing a PDF file, and understanding what you can control when receiving or viewing a PDF, you can create a better PDF viewing experience.
In this post, we’ll explore how the settings work and how you can use them to improve the resultant output. The settings are standard in most quality PDF viewers and PDF editors, but for today, we’ll focus on how they work with Nitro PDF Professional.
Page display modes
All good PDF viewers support four main display modes. You can switch between these modes manually when viewing a PDF file, but you can also set individual PDF files or your PDF viewer itself to always use a particular display mode.
- Single. Displays one page at a time, with no portion of the previous or subsequent page visible onscreen (my favorite). It allows you to scroll through a document much more quickly than the Continuous mode – when you hit the end/start of a page; you immediately jump to the next. It works well regardless of the magnification-level selected, and most importantly – it feels as though you’re working with a physical document.
- Continuous. Displays pages in one long column, for continuous scrolling. This is the default page-display mode for most PDF viewers, and pages are displayed in a single, continuous, scrollable screen – like a web page. It’s familiar-feeling, and works with shorter documents, but can become painful when viewing lengthy PDF files.
- Facing. Similar to the Single mode – displays two pages (a.k.a. ‘page spread’) at once. If you’re viewing on a large screen, this can work well. It’s also useful when previewing before professional printing, as you can view the spreads as they’ll appear in the printed form.
- Facing Continuous. As the name would suggest – similar to the Continuous mode, but displays the pages side-by-side. Like the Facing view, it’s best reserved for large screens and previewing page spreads for print.
Fixed page views
Most PDF viewers also have standard ways to display and fit pages in your PDF viewer. Like the page display modes, these can be changed and set manually as you view the PDF – or set at an individual document or document-viewer level.
- Actual Size displays the page at 100% zoom.
- Fit Width makes the width of the page fill the width of the Document pane. As screen size and resolution have increased, this view has become less practical.
- Fit Page forces both the page width and height to fit within the Document pane. Importantly, the page size adjusts based on the size of your PDF viewing application, resulting in a consistent experience regardless of how small or large your application window may be at the time.
- Custom Magnification lets you specify the exact zoom level that a PDF is displayed at upon opening.
Publishing a more usable PDF file with the Initial View settings
When publishing a PDF file, consider how your recipients may use the file. The more you understand, the more likely you are to create a positive viewing experience for the user or recipient. Here are some relevant questions to keep in mind…
Q. Are all recipients viewing your PDF files on similarly-sized screens, or are they likely to be quite varied?
Q. Is the PDF a long or short document? Will your recipients be reading every word, or will they be skimming through the document?
Q. Are your recipients sophisticated computer users? If not, is it safest to keep the scrolling in a continuous mode to create a familiar experience, like using a web browser?
Q. Are all your recipients viewing a PDF file on a large screen, or is the PDF likely to be professionally printed?
Q. Do you want to ensure the text is immediately readable, regardless of the recipient’s screen-size? Or, would you prefer the entirety of the first page is always visible?
Q. Will displaying the Bookmarks or Pages panel alongside your document make reading and navigating the file easier?
Once you have better-defined your recipients, it’s a simple matter of heading to your Initial Settings options and configuring your PDF file. To do so in Nitro Pro:
- Click the Nitro PDF Button; click Document Properties; and then click the Initial View tab.
- Select the options you would like to use.
- Click OK.
- In the Document Properties dialog, click OK.
Controlling how your PDF files are displayed
Most PDF viewers allow you to control and override the Initial View settings, so all PDF files open in exactly the same fashion. As a seasoned PDF user, it’s the first preference I customize after installation. To do so in Nitro Pro:
- Click the Nitro PDF Button; and then click Preferences.
- Click General and update your display preferences.
- Click OK.
What’s my preferred way to view PDF files?
I set my preferences to Single page display mode and switch the default magnification to Fit Page. Over the years, I’ve found this to be the best way to handle the broadest variety of PDF files. Quickly scrolling through the pages is easy, and I can see the entire first page, regardless of size – from that starting point, it’s just a matter of flicking between the Hand and Zoom tools, and making good use of the scroll-wheel on my mouse to easily work my way through any PDF document.
Do you have a favorite way to view PDF files? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
