A Practical Guide to Creating PDFs
Amarjot Butcher
21 September 2026The FCA expects firms to communicate information in a way that consumers can understand and act upon. As part of Consumer Duty, firms should consider whether their communications are clear, consistent and presented in a format that reduces the risk of misunderstanding.
Whilst Microsoft Word documents remain a common way of drafting and sharing information, PDFs (Portable Document Format) offer several advantages when distributing documents to clients. Unlike Word files, PDFs preserve formatting regardless of the device being used, helping to ensure that important information appears exactly as intended.
PDFs can also help firms:
- Maintain a professional and consistent appearance.
- Prevent accidental alterations to documents.
- Make important disclosures easier to read and review.
- Share documents securely with clients.
- Ensure documents display correctly across computers, tablets and smartphones.
The good news is that creating a PDF is straightforward and can usually be done using software most firms already have access to.
How to Create a PDF from Microsoft Word
Most Microsoft Office users can create a PDF in just a few clicks.
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Step 1: Open the document you want to convert.
Print to PDF
Final Thought Creating a PDF takes only a few seconds, but it can significantly improve how information is presented to clients. By helping ensure documents remain consistent, accessible and easy to review, PDFs can play a small but valuable role in supporting good consumer outcomes and demonstrating a customer-focused approach to communication. This aligns with the FCA's focus on firms delivering information that consumers can understand and use effectively. |
