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Guides & Explainers
Practical, no-fluff guides on PDFs, spreadsheets, and data formats — the kind of thing you search for right before you need to get something done.
September 12, 2026
WCAG Contrast Ratios Explained: How to Actually Pass AA and AAA
Text that looks readable to you can still fail an accessibility audit. Here's how WCAG contrast ratios are actually calculated, and what AA and AAA really require.
September 12, 2026
Trimming, Converting, and Extracting Audio From Video — What FFmpeg.wasm Can Do in Your Browser
FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly can trim, convert, and extract audio from video entirely in your browser tab. Here's what that setup can actually do, and where it's slower than a desktop app.
September 12, 2026
Readability Formulas Explained: What Flesch-Kincaid and Gunning Fog Actually Measure
A readability score is a number, not a verdict — here's what the underlying formulas actually calculate, what they miss, and how to use the result without over-trusting it.
September 12, 2026
JWT Tokens Explained: What's Actually Inside Them (and Why Decoding Isn't Verifying)
A JWT looks like an encrypted blob but isn't one — anyone can read what's inside. Here's what a JWT actually contains, and the real difference between decoding and verifying one.
September 12, 2026
4 Free Spreadsheet Templates: Budget, Task Log, Inventory, and Project Tracker
Four small, ready-to-use CSV templates for tracking a budget, daily tasks, inventory, or a project timeline — what's actually in each one, and how to grow past them.
September 12, 2026
Free NDA Template: Fill It Out and Sign It Online in Minutes
Need to send or sign a non-disclosure agreement quickly? Here's a free, generic NDA template you can fill and sign entirely in your browser, plus what it actually covers.
September 12, 2026
Why Can't I Type Directly on This PDF? Fillable vs. Non-Fillable Forms Explained
Some PDFs let you click and type anywhere. Others don't, no matter what tool you throw at them. Here's the actual technical difference, and what each situation requires.
September 12, 2026
How to Fill Out a W-9 Form Online for Free (No Printing, No Account)
A client asked for a completed W-9 and you don't have a printer. Here's how to get the official IRS form, fill it in, and sign it entirely in your browser.
September 12, 2026
What's Hiding in Your Photos: EXIF Metadata, and Why Compression Isn't Always Lossless
Every photo carries more hidden data than you'd expect, and not every 'compress' button works the same way. Here's what's actually in a photo's metadata and what compression actually changes.
September 12, 2026
Comparing Two Versions of a Document or Code File: How Diff Checking Actually Works
Spotting the one changed line between two drafts by eye is slow. Here's how a line-by-line diff tool actually compares text, and what it does and doesn't catch.
September 12, 2026
Removing a Background Without AI: How Browser-Based Tools Actually Do It
Not every background remover uses a trained AI model. Here's how a chroma-key-style background remover actually works, when it works well, and when it doesn't.
August 19, 2026
PDF Compression Explained: How Much Can You Actually Shrink a File?
PDF compressors can shrink some files by 90% and barely touch others — but only if they actually recompress images. Here's what determines how much a PDF can shrink, and what our own compressor does and doesn't do.
August 19, 2026
How to Merge PDF Files Without Adobe Acrobat
You don't need a paid Adobe subscription to combine PDFs. Here are three free, private ways to merge PDF files in 2026 — including one that never leaves your browser.
August 19, 2026
CSV vs JSON vs XML: Choosing the Right Data Format (and Converting Between Them)
CSV, JSON, and XML each solve different problems. Here's how to pick the right one for your use case, and how to convert cleanly between them without losing data.