by Dave Riley
Nothing annoys me more in my web existence than pdf files. This hard copy 'printing industry ' format is nothing to do with the massive capacity of the web to share and showcase material. Instead each pdf file's content is hidden behind an annoying protocol of download + open viewer + scroll through document.
When I'm presented with a pdf file all I can do is upload it and offer it as a download-able url.
But today I came c across a web platform that gives the web another way to deal with pdf.: Scribd.
Scribd is a document sharing website which currently houses over 350,000 documents. That may seem perhaps a bit useful in itself -- a sort of online library. But this year Scribd launched the iPaper service which allows users to embed documents into a web page...even pdf documents!
So here below is a sample: lefties can now share their pdf handiwork on the web.
This is a very broad document -- the width of Green Left Weekly page -- but it is still viewable in the limited 500 px I have available here in the body of a blog post. Furthermore in way of viewing, the toolbar options in the top right are very powerful.
Have a fiddle.
When the documents are allowed their full width such as here -- even more options are displayed.
You have to be signed into Scibd to download a document but each viewer allows you to print a copy. Nonetheless, iPaper is a snazzy way to display your wares.
You'll also find whole books and magazine available on Scribd.
