PDF is 20 years old and is now ISO standard.

[michaelejahn]

I would have never believed that 20 years ago that PDF would be as ubiquitous.

Katherine O'Brien Editor of AMERICAN PRINTER MAGAZINE called me a while back asking questions about the early days of being a PDF Evangelist for AGFA - I sent her to my boss at the time - John Harrison, here is his interview;

Catching up with workflow pioneer John Harrison | KOB on Commercial Printing

We got back on the phone and I must have talked for an awfully long time ( yeah, I know big surprise, stop your snickering) - many people are surprised to learn that PDF needed evangelism - in 20 things sure change - and boy 20 years sure went by fast.

Catching up with PDF Evangelist Michael Jahn (Part 1) | KOB on Commercial Printing

Catching up with PDF Evangelist Michael Jahn (Part 2) | KOB on Commercial Printing

I would love to read how other people first confronted PDF, and how they use it today.

[Printing.mu]

Happy Birthday PDF .. PDF has been very useful for ages

[MrRWright]

Michael, how time flies... I remember when we had more hair and no grey ones either.

I'm not surprised that PDF took a while to catch on in the professional graphics industry, as a whole the industry tends to be change resistant. I am, however, surprised how many in the general business community are not aware of the vast array of uses and benefits PDF can offer. For example, data collection from forms.

I would advocate that there are still opportunities for some evangelism. The need is certainly there.

Keep up the good work.

Richard Wright

[Lukas Engqvist]

I remember the launch of Acrobat, also remember sitting in an IT-comitti (never figured how to spell that) for an international NGO and we were discussing how to exchange information. Since country offices were autonomous I suggested going for exchange formats like RTF, but for the more complex information I suggested PDF... I was not taken serious since many of the geeks had not even come across the PDF format, and those that had limited it's usability to a narrow graphic sector. Several years later (around 96 I think) I remember creating a print ready PDF, and burning it on a CD thinking this would be printable in any printshop. The person I gave the CD wasn't able to find anyone to print it... I tried myself with the same file a year or so later, and was not able to get it printed till I was allowed in the Prepress department to show them how to.
I am glad the PDF has come to stay and it really is such an advantage over Postscript, with all the tools we now also have to trouble-shoot and if necessary do last minute fixes. It does also help that color management has become more reliable