Discover why PDFs remain dominant in digital publishing by comparing their UX strengths to HTML5 and EPUB formats.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Universality and Accessibility Across Devices
- Layout Fidelity and Print Accuracy
- Offline Reliability and Archival Longevity
- Simplicity and User Expectations
- Security and Document Integrity
- Annotations, Collaboration, and Document Navigation
- Multimedia and Interactivity: A Win for HTML5 and EPUB
- Real-World Adoption and Institutional Standards
- Conclusion: UX Is About Context, and PDF Still Fits the Bill
Introduction
In today’s rapidly shifting landscape of digital publishing, new formats and technologies are constantly emerging to meet the growing demands for dynamic, interactive, and accessible content. Among these, HTML5 and EPUB have positioned themselves as leading solutions, praised for their flexibility, adaptability to various screen sizes, and support for rich multimedia experiences. These formats are especially popular in web-based applications and e-readers, offering seamless integration with modern devices and user preferences.
Yet, despite these innovations, one format remains firmly at the center of digital document exchange: the PDF (Portable Document Format). Introduced by Adobe in 1993, PDFs were originally created to solve a specific problem — ensuring that documents look the same on any device, regardless of platform, software, or printer. Over three decades later, that promise of consistent visual fidelity remains one of the format’s defining strengths.
What’s surprising, however, is not just that PDFs have survived in this new digital age — it’s how well they continue to thrive. From legal contracts and academic papers to user manuals, business reports, and official forms, PDFs are still the default choice for countless professionals, institutions, and organizations around the world. They are the go-to format for final, authoritative versions of documents, particularly when a polished, print-ready layout is essential.
This raises an important question: what accounts for the PDF’s enduring popularity in an era where interactivity and responsiveness are increasingly valued? Is it simply due to familiarity and habit, or does the PDF offer tangible user experience (UX) advantages that newer formats like HTML5 and EPUB struggle to match?
In this article, we dive into that very question, comparing the UX characteristics of PDFs with those of HTML5 and EPUB. By evaluating key dimensions such as usability, accessibility, consistency, portability, and user control, we aim to uncover why the PDF format continues to hold its ground — and in many cases, outperform its more modern counterparts.
Universality and Accessibility Across Devices
One of the core reasons PDFs continue to dominate is their unparalleled universality. Regardless of the device or operating system, PDFs maintain a consistent appearance. This “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) principle is a cornerstone of the PDF format’s UX appeal.
In contrast, HTML5 and EPUB content often varies slightly (or significantly) depending on the reader application or browser rendering engine. Fonts may change, layouts may shift, and interactive elements may behave differently. While EPUB 3 and HTML5 offer responsive layouts optimized for mobile devices, the inconsistency across platforms can disrupt the user experience.
Example: A user opening a contract in PDF on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop sees the exact same layout, which is crucial for legal documents. By comparison, an EPUB file may reflow the text in ways that confuse formatting or remove essential spacing, compromising readability.
UX Verdict: PDF wins for consistent cross-device presentation — a vital aspect in professional and academic contexts.
Layout Fidelity and Print Accuracy
PDFs are unmatched in maintaining layout fidelity. Designers and content creators know that a PDF will preserve every design element, from kerning and spacing to exact image placement and font embedding. This is not just a convenience; in many contexts, it’s a requirement.
EPUB and HTML5 prioritize reflowability and adaptability. These formats are excellent for flexible reading experiences but sacrifice layout control. In HTML5, complex designs like multi-column layouts or layered visuals often require extensive CSS and JavaScript, and even then, results may not be identical across browsers.
Example: A resume with a meticulously designed visual layout may render perfectly in PDF but lose formatting integrity when converted to HTML5 or EPUB.
UX Verdict: PDF wins for layout preservation and print-ready accuracy, giving users confidence that what they see on screen will match the printed page exactly.
Offline Reliability and Archival Longevity
PDFs are inherently offline-friendly. Once downloaded, they are fully functional without internet access. This makes PDFs ideal for archiving, distributing, and reading in low-connectivity or secure environments. ISO-standardized PDF/A formats further ensure that PDFs can be archived and preserved long-term without losing fidelity.
HTML5 content, while technically viewable offline with caching and service workers, is generally dependent on web technologies and server environments. EPUB files can be read offline via compatible apps, but the experience varies depending on the reader software, and features like media overlays may not always work.
Example: Government agencies and research institutions routinely publish reports in PDF to ensure long-term access, even decades later.
UX Verdict: PDF wins for offline usability and archival permanence, particularly in regulated or security-sensitive industries.
Simplicity and User Expectations
There’s a strong familiarity factor at play when it comes to PDFs. Most users intuitively know how to open, read, and navigate a PDF. Features like bookmarks, search, and zoom are ubiquitous and work similarly across all PDF readers. This results in a low learning curve and a high comfort level, especially for less tech-savvy users.
HTML5 and EPUB, while flexible and powerful, often require users to navigate new interfaces, especially in EPUB readers where UI design can differ drastically. For users unfamiliar with specific EPUB apps or dynamic HTML5 layouts, the experience can feel inconsistent or overwhelming.
Example: In a business setting, sending a quarterly report as a PDF ensures recipients can access it without needing to install a new app or worry about formatting.
UX Verdict: PDF wins for simplicity, predictability, and user familiarity, reducing friction in the reading experience.
Security and Document Integrity
Security is another critical area where PDFs excel. With support for password protection, encryption, watermarks, and digital signatures, PDFs offer robust tools to secure and verify the integrity of documents. These features are essential in legal, financial, and governmental workflows.
HTML5 content, being web-based, is inherently more exposed to risks like unauthorized modifications, spoofing, or theft of embedded media. EPUB files offer limited DRM (digital rights management), but their protections are often circumvented with ease.
Example: A digitally signed PDF contract ensures all parties can verify its authenticity, while an HTML5 or EPUB version might require complex backend verification.
UX Verdict: PDF wins for built-in security features that protect both content creators and readers.
Annotations, Collaboration, and Document Navigation
Modern PDF readers support a wide range of collaboration features, including annotations, comments, highlights, and bookmarks. These tools are widely used in academic and corporate settings for collaborative review and note-taking. The document remains a self-contained unit with all annotations intact.
HTML5 offers collaboration capabilities via third-party platforms (e.g., Google Docs or Notion), but these require internet access and external storage. EPUB, being primarily a reading format, has limited built-in support for annotations, and notes may not persist across devices unless tied to a specific app ecosystem.
Example: A team of editors can annotate a manuscript PDF using highlights and sticky notes, then share it without relying on cloud tools.
UX Verdict: PDF wins for seamless, offline-friendly collaboration and robust document navigation tools.
Multimedia and Interactivity: A Win for HTML5 and EPUB
While PDFs dominate many UX categories, they fall short in multimedia and dynamic interactivity. HTML5, with its native support for audio, video, canvas graphics, and responsive design, is the ideal format for rich web-based experiences. EPUB 3 has also evolved to support media overlays, read-aloud functionality, and dynamic content.
PDFs can include multimedia (via embedded video, audio, and interactive forms), but compatibility is inconsistent, especially on mobile devices. Many PDF viewers block or ignore rich media content, limiting the user experience.
Example: An interactive children’s book with animations and read-aloud features performs beautifully in EPUB 3 or HTML5, but the same features in PDF often require Adobe Acrobat Reader and specific desktop configurations.
UX Verdict: HTML5 and EPUB win in this category, offering superior tools for dynamic, media-rich experiences.
Real-World Adoption and Institutional Standards
PDF remains the de facto standard in many institutional workflows — from academia and healthcare to legal and government documentation. Regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA (for health data in the U.S.) and the EU’s GDPR rely on secure and auditable formats like PDF. Many journals, courts, and agencies even mandate PDF submission formats.
HTML5 and EPUB formats, while embraced in publishing and education (particularly for ebooks and online learning), are less commonly used in formal documentation. EPUB is not considered a standard in legal or archival contexts, and HTML5 is seen more as a delivery layer than a document format.
Example: A university submitting a dissertation or thesis often requires it in PDF/A format to meet archival standards.
UX Verdict: PDF wins for institutional acceptance and trust — essential for workflows where format compliance is critical.
Conclusion: UX Is About Context, and PDF Still Fits the Bill
PDFs continue to win in the UX battle, not because they’re the most modern or feature-rich format, but because they serve specific needs exceptionally well. For static, high-fidelity, secure documents that require consistent presentation, offline access, and long-term preservation, PDF offers a user experience that HTML5 and EPUB simply can’t match — yet.
That said, HTML5 and EPUB are crucial for responsive, interactive, and multimedia-rich content. They shine in consumer-facing applications, e-learning, and publishing environments where adaptability is key.
Ultimately, the choice of format should be guided by purpose, audience, and context. PDFs aren’t better by default — they’re better for certain jobs. And as long as those jobs remain vital to communication, education, law, and commerce, PDFs will continue to win in their UX lane.
If you want to know about PDF’s Future: Innovating with Emerging Technologies, you can read about it in our previous blog article.
