How to Protect PDF from Copying, Editing and Printing

Negosentro | How to Protect PDF from Copying, Editing and Printing | Content creation has become a source of income for many of us. Every day, texts, articles, e-books, and guides are created. Often, such materials are shared or sold in PDF format.

If you want to know how to effectively protect your PDF document – against copying, editing or even printing – you’ve come to the right place!

Even though determined individuals may attempt to bypass such protections, it is worth knowing that setting them up is easy and often free of charge. We will describe some most common methods.

What options do you have?

You have various types of security at your disposal that you can add to your file. Importantly, you don’t have to do this while creating the document – you can also add security to an existing PDF file.

• Creating an encrypted, password-protected PDF,
• Password protection against editing and extracting content,
• Limiting the ability to print a document,
• Blocking text copying,
• Protection against adding notes,
• Protection against adding or deleting pages in a PDF document,
• Protection against filling out forms and adding comments,
• Text rasterization, i.e. presenting PDF content as images, which makes it impossible to select text.

Methods of securing PDF documents

     >Online services

There are online services that offer free PDF security tools. Simply upload your file to the site of your choice, specify your preferred security settings, and a short time later, the service will deliver a secured document ready to download.

     >Dedicated PDF protection program – SwifDoo PDF

SwifDoo PDF is an advanced tool for working with PDF documents that, among other things, allows you to secure files. It works similarly to the aforementioned services: you select a file, set security, and then the program creates a secured document.

Moreover, it is important to know that the application also allows you to add a permission password to block editing or printing of the document. You can not just set a general password for the file with opening functions, but also permission to deny the editing, printing, annotating and many others.

     >WPS PDF – a tool for creating and editing PDF documents

The WPS office suite offers a dedicated tool for creating and editing PDF documents. For full access to all the program’s features, a subscription is required. To secure your document, simply go to the “Security” tab and click “Encrypt” and then select the appropriate settings for your document.

WPS PDF allows you to use two different passwords. The first password is for general access to the document, while the second is for protection against editing, printing or copying the content.

     >Setting passwords on PDF

Online Security Advice: It is important to be aware of the risks associated with data security when using free PDF security websites. Not all sites are secure, and some may store copied files on their servers. It is worth choosing sites that guarantee that they do not store uploaded files permanently.

PDF protection against text copying

You can protect against copying text in two ways.

The first is to set up a block using the methods mentioned above.

The second one is text rasterization, which means converting JPG files from PDF and then re-exporting them to PDF. This means that the PDF content is converted to photos. The person reading such text has no possibility to mark or copy the text.

All you need to do in SwifDoo PDF tool is to first use the convert PDF to JPG, PNG option and then insert them to PDF.

Be careful with file quality: When converting PDF files to image format, it is important to maintain the appropriate image quality. Lower quality can make the document unreadable, especially at small font sizes. It is a good idea to pay attention to the conversion parameters and possibly test different settings to get the best result.

PDF print protection

Here the only effective solution is to use free online services (given above) or paid applications, WPS PDF office suite or SwifDoo PDF Pro.

It’s easy to check if the security works. Just run the document and right-click to check if the print option is available.

Watermark Security: Another layer of security can be added by adding a watermark to the PDF pages. This can be a company logo, the text “Working Copy” or other wording that discourages unauthorized printing or distribution of the document. Adding a watermark is available in many PDF editing tools, both online and offline.

Protection against adding or removing pages from PDF

You can apply this protection using free online applications. A PDF that has an edit password set will display an appropriate message requiring a password when trying to delete a page.

Merging PDFs: If you have multiple PDF documents and want to combine them into one file, there are tools that will let you do this. However, when merging files, it is important to maintain the chronological order of the documents or ensure that they are organized in a way that makes sense to the reader.

Secure file storage and sharing

     >Benefits of corporate data clouds

Thanks to advanced cloud encryption protocols, only authorized people have access to stored information. Cloud servers are regularly updated, which minimizes the risk of cyberattacks. Additionally, the ability to create automatic backups increases file security, even in the event of a local system failure.

     >Data access management

Establishing and monitoring access permissions allows you to control who and when can view or modify data. Identity and access management systems allow not only control but also recording of every operation performed on data, which is important in the case of security audits.

File protection against unauthorized access

If you’re looking to further protect your PDF from unauthorized access, you might want to consider two-step verification technology. Many cloud service providers offer this feature as an additional layer of security. After the first step of logging in, the user must enter a code sent to their phone or email, making it even harder for unauthorized people to access the document.

Password Tips: When you password-protect a file, there are a few things to keep in mind.

• First, use strong passwords – a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters.
• Second, change your password regularly.
• Third, don’t share your password in easily accessible places or through unsecured communication channels.

In Summary

PDF file protection is an essential element of data protection. The use of best practices such as encryption, using secure transfer platforms, and access and password management are essential to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of information being transferred. Selecting the right tools and technologies, combined with regular employee training, allows for effective protection against potential threats and data leaks.

It’s important to remember that file protection is an ongoing process that requires constant attention and adaptation to the changing threat landscape. As technology evolves, so must our data protection methods, ensuring that both individual and corporate information remains secure.