[UPDATE (April 2015) – The next major release of Adobe Acrobat – the new Acrobat DC – is now shipping… Download a free trial!]
Two weeks after its official introduction, this morning Adobe released the Acrobat XI family – the 11th generation of the world’s most popular PDF creation and reading software.
The Adobe Reader XI is out as a free download in 27 different languages, while Acrobat XI Pro and Standard are now available for purchase or (if you’d like to try the product out first on your own system) free trial download.
Celebrating its 20th birthday next year, you may wonder what new could Adobe add to this industry-standard product line to make it work better and more effectively, and enable you get your work done faster, saving time and money? The answer is, surprisingly, a lot…
Workers, whether in education, government, or commercial organizations, spend the majority of their time working with documents. As a result, enabling better efficiency with documents can have a significant impact. Even today with all our electronic communications, over 25% of the average workweek is wasted on documents-based challenges, according to IDC.
Some of the top frustrations from end-users in this area include time spent on searching through email attachments of various kinds, pulling together information that exists in different files together in one document, gathering and deciphering feedback, consolidating data from forms, getting important documents signed or protected, and other manual work associated with paper. If organizations were to address these areas and close the gap, it would be like hiring 21% more workers.
What’s New?
Let’s summarize how the new and improved Acrobat XI features align within the context of the four key challenges identified by IDC:
User Productivity
- Acrobat XI let you make quick updates directly to PDF files. Edit text and automatically reflow paragraph text. Crop, resize, or swap out images. Editing a PDF is intuitive and natural with the new, unified editing tool.
- If you want to repurpose existing PDF content and you don’t have the original file or the tools, you can simply export to PowerPoint, Word, and Excel without losing content, formatting, or layout – and even when OCR is needed. Saving PDF to PowerPoint is new in Acrobat XI.
- Actions can save users a lot of time by automating a set of document preparation tasks. Actions has been significantly improved to increase ease-of-use and flexibility. Also, it is easier for IT to be able to create and deploy these to their organization and centrally manage them.
Collaboration
- In addition to the rich capability of Shared Reviews in Acrobat that speed document review cycles, Acrobat XI includes improved integration with SharePoint and new support for Mac and SharePoint makes it easier to work with files in a SharePoint environment.
- Also new in Acrobat XI is the ability to accelerate approval processes and obtain instant e-signatures in place of hassling with fax machines and paper. This can save a lot of money.
- For building forms, Acrobat XI Pro will include the all-new FormsCentral desktop app which makes it easy to create brand new, professional-looking forms. It is integrated with the FormsCentral online service to further provide capabilities for form distribution, data collection, and analysis.
Information Security
- Improved application security in Acrobat XI, protects your organization’s networks and data and reduces out-of-cycle patches that has been shown to lower IT costs.
- With Acrobat XI, it is easier for users to protect PDF in one simple step to prevent copying and editing within Acrobat and also in Microsoft Office through the Acrobat ribbon.
Working Across Devices
- Acrobat XI is touch-friendly and can be deployed on a tablet running Windows 8 or via virtualization through Citrix XenApp
- Adobe Reader XI provides a reliable platform for viewing and interacting with PDF. For example, sign a document electronically, fill and save forms and add comments to PDF files through Adobe Reader for mobile.
For a more detailed feature-by-feature listing and comparison, see: What’s the Difference Between Adobe Acrobat XI vs. X vs. 9?
What’s Available?
The line-up for Acrobat XI includes two new releases – Acrobat XI Pro and Standard. Pricing for full and upgrade licenses is unchanged from Acrobat X. The family also includes two integrated services, FormsCentral and Echosign.
- Acrobat XI Pro contains the most robust feature set within the Acrobat family. It’s truly the complete solution for working with PDF documents and forms.
- Acrobat XI Standard is primarily focused on helping customers reliably create, edit and sign PDF documents.
- Adobe Reader XI is free and is the most reliable way to view and interact with all types of PDF files.
- FormsCentral helps customers create, distribute, and analyze forms or web surveys without writing a single line of HTML code. It allows them to share links via email, or post forms to their website. Users can submit responses online, and customers can collect and analyze them in real time.
- EchoSign helps customers sign, send, track, and file contracts electronically to close deals faster.
What’s the difference between the editions? See Acrobat XI Pro vs. Standard vs. Reader.
Note the Acrobat Suite is no longer featured within the family line – this product is not being offered for Acrobat XI.
Further, LiveCycle Designer will not be shipping with Acrobat XI – but don’t worry, because Adobe is offering LiveCycle Designer ES3 free for the asking once you upgrade to Acrobat XI, just so you can keep on using the programs you’re used to.
Acrobat XI Pro has also been added and included in the Creative Cloud for all paid members.
To learn more see the excellent Acrobat XI FAQ or check out the free Acrobat XI tutorials.
See Also
- Creative Suite 6 Launch Guide
- Download free Adobe books (choose over 30 titles)
- What are the differences between CS6 vs. CS5, 4, 3?
- Free Adobe CS6 Tutorials – 30 hours of video training
- How to save 60% with the Adobe education editions
- What’s new features for each product in the suites
Do you have any questions about Acrobat? Just ask them below and we’ll get you answers fast!
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It’s really worth to install and use new versions from all aspects. Good job is done.
Hi Bojan, nice to see you again. Yes, we feel the same way – this is really a tight, polished release, and sort of does for Acrobat Pro what CS6 did for Photoshop… Thanks for your comment!
who won the contest?
where is mine..?
Still open Jonny – a few more hours! Then we’ll do the drawing and will be contacting the winners next week.
how do we sign up
Sure Mal, that’s easy:
http://www.AcrobatDC.com
Does the current Acrobat XI full version work with Windows 8? Thanks.
Yes, it should Adam – see the full Acrobat XI System Requirements…
Actually one of the cool new features is that AXI is touch-ready.
Bring new life in my photography and produce wonderful images.
Hello,
I just purchased CS6 Design and Web Premium Suite and found to my dismay that the latest version of Acrobat Pro is not included. I really did expect to get the latest software available for that much money.
Please tell me I’m missing something and can get the Acrobat XI Pro instead of X.
Thanks,
Jules
Hi Jules,
Historically over the years the Creative Suite has been sold as discrete releases that are purchased and frozen in time… Those releases wouldn’t change until the next annual cycle. But Adobe is now working to provide other options for those who want the latest-and-greatest versions of all components at all times.
For example, Creative Suite 6 came out in May and Acrobat XI came out in October – but the most recent versions of both are now available through the Creative Cloud, and members receive immediate and exclusive access to these.
If you don’t want to subscribe to the whole offering because you already own a suite (even with a 40% discount), then it’s certainly possible to get simply one product (like Photoshop CS6 or Acrobat XI for $19/month) and then you’ll receive the absolute latest release of that tool that can run together with any other Adobe software you may own.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for all the info you’ve been providing. It’s more complete than what I get surfing Adobe.com!
I understand that Adobe is going exclusively CC. Does that apply to all their products? I got the impression from Adobe.com that Acrobat XI Pro can still be purchased as an individual product, but I think I can easily misread their site.
If it can be purchased, what is your suggestion? Wouldn’t you have the same updates as Acrobat CC?
Thanks,
Louis
Hey there Louis, thank you for your kind words about our site. That’s an interesting question about Acrobat. Acrobat Pro is definitely included in the Creative Cloud, however there is not a ‘CC’ version of Acrobat as it comes from a separate division of the company… So Acrobat was not updated with the recent CC release of new products.
There has been speculation for a long time whether Adobe would ever combine the more business-oriented Acrobat division with the more creatively-oriented CS & CC division… But so far it hasn’t happened.
Meaning for now, Acrobat XI Pro/Standard remains the latest version out, and is available for purchase as part of the Cloud as well as sold standalone as a perpetual product (as before), or as its own separate subscription.
With all subscriptions that include Acrobat, you get free automatic upgrades to future releases… and with the traditional version it still works as it has in the past, where upgrades cost extra and are sold separately.
Hope that answers all your questions, if not then just post back!
I purchased Adobe Acrobat XI Pro last year for my HP Computer. I just bought a new ASUS computer and am trying to download my program. My new computer is a ultra-thin notebook (ultrabook) and does not have a dvd dock or disc drive.
We downloaded the program from the computer but when I enter my program key it tells me it is invalid. I have the dvd and box and all info right in front of me so I know it’s valid. What do I do to install and activate the full version that I already purchased?
Hello Susan, did you use our Acrobat XI direct download links to get the free trial program? If so, are you certain you have the exact same version as what you purchased before?
If everything matches up and the software is not licensing properly for you or converting from the free trial, you would have to contact Adobe Customer Service as they are the only ones who have power to control or change that… Via live online chat is usually the easiest/fastest.
I need to download adobe acrobat 11 professional. I have the serial numbers I need but cannot find the disk.
Adobe customer service directed me to this site, but I only found v. 10. Can you please help me to get v. 11
Sure Neil, here you go:
Adobe Acrobat XI (11) Direct Download Links
Hello,
I recently got a new computer and need to re-install my programs…
All I want to do in install Adobe Acrobat Pro and am having trouble doing so. Any way you can help?
Greetings Eric, the best we can tell you is to follow our guide here on moving Adobe software between machines or system upgrades.
Interesting that the “office of Acrobat” at Adobe is more interested in being compatible with Microsoft than with the folks down the hall at Photoshop and Illustrator that know how to make keyboard shortcuts. I never knew that this technique would be such a closely-guarded technique even within the corporate company. I would like to see the product improved rather than how compatible and integrated they can be with other programmers. Sham!!!
Good day,
We Urgently need to get the Adobe Acrobat 11 for Dummies (South Africa), all our publications are still on LWP and need to be converted to PDF format, having so much difficulty in the process.
Please can someone help me out here.
Tina
Hi Tina, do you mean the book?? As far as we know, there doesn’t exist a “Dummies” book available for Acrobat XI; they’re much older… However, we can definitely recommend this one instead:
Adobe Acrobat XI Classroom in a Book (Paperback – CD-ROM)
Got the book thanks! Not the same as the dummies range, but thanks anyway.
Sure Tina, glad to help!
If you’re looking for more resources to get started and learn how to best use Acrobat, check these out:
Download Free Books: Adobe Acrobat XI + X Pro How-to Tutorial Guides
Greetings, I own Adobe Acrobat 10.1.15 Pro (from CS6.1) and would like to Upgrade to Stand Alone Adobe Acrobat 11 Pro. Unfortunately CS6 was discontinued for some sort of pay by month plan which is unacceptable as I’m stationed OCONUS and can’t use bandwidth for any sort of ‘Reimagined Creative Cloud’ foolishness. I have owned Standalone Acrobat Pro 9/8 etc but went to CS5/6 bundles for convenience thus screwing myself apparently for regular Acrobat Pro upgrades. Your insight/workarounds would help greatly. V/r
No worries Vic – Adobe no longer sells Acrobat XI, but you can definitely upgrade to the newest standalone Acrobat desktop version, which replaces Acrobat XI…
It’s called Acrobat DC and it came out earlier this year. You can get the free trial here and purchase the perpetual license here.
As an owner of Acrobat X or XI, you would be eligible for the discounted upgrade pricing to Acrobat DC of 56% off the regular/full price.
(As for getting it on disc or in a box, unfortunately Adobe doesn’t sell Acrobat like that anymore so you’ll have to find another solution to initially download the installer as a one-time event.)
Hope that helps!