"Recently I conducted an interview with Roger Parker entitled "PDF
Newsletters: retro or a smart move?" (www.wordbiz.com/archive/pdf_enewsletters.shtml).
Do you see any problem in sending an e-mail newsletter as a PDF attachment?"
-- Debbie Weil, WordBiz
Report
I am a great fan of Roger C. Parker's One
Page Newsletters concept (www.onepagenewsletters.com). He is the design
genius of our generation who taught desktop publishing excellence to thousands.
There's no doubt that PDF is the only popular medium that allows a publisher
to control with precision how an e-newsletter is finally viewed.
The real drawback to PDF e-zines, however, is the fact that they don't open
automatically in current e-mail programs. They come as an attachment -- and
many people (myself included) think twice about opening attachments, even if
they know the sender. Too many PDF e-zines just don't get read. And perhaps
20% of recipients don't yet have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader plugin needed
to view PDF documents.
One compromise might be to use an HTML "wrapper" message to describe and outline
the contents of the newsletter, teasing recipients to open a PDF attachment
and assuring them of its safety. If you can convince readers that the attachment
is both full of excellent content and not a virus carrier, PDF e-zines can be
a great medium. Perhaps a better alternative is not to send a PDF e-mail attachment
at all, but have readers click on a link in your e-mail wrapper to download
the PDF e-zine from your site. That way they get your carefully designed newsletter
without triggering attachment paranoia or a warning about opening a PDF attachment.
