Home Forums Mac Software Mac Applications PDF file questions

I may have to send (i.e., email) a PDF file containing private information to a 3rd party.*

How can I delete the last three pages of the PDF file?

How can I ensure that the rest is un-editable, and un-printable?

As an experiment, I made a copy of a PDF and then with Apple-I, made the PDF file Read-Only and then Locked. However, I then found that I couldn't trash it (because it was locked), and that I could unlock it and change permissions at will.

Is this because it's my file on my computer? If no, then there's no point in locking PDF files if any recipient can unlock them, is there?

*For clarity, the file in question is our company annual accounts. The last three pages are not published anywhere and I see no reason to include them in the 3rd party's request for this information. I may have to resort to posting said party a hard copy with last three pages removed, if there is no easy answer. I do not want to spend money on additional applications for a once-off situation.

iMac, OSX 10.4 Tiger, if that helps.

Thanks in advance

are you trying to impose a lock within the PDF itself (a 'no changes flag') or an OS lock to prevent the file itself (regardless of type) from being modified?

If you find a pdf-level lock, it would prevent someone from for example, making a copy of the file and editing the copy, which a file permissions change would be bypassable with.

file level locks can be implemented in other ways besides checking the finder's Locked check box, you can set permissions to read-only for all users for example. That would allow the file to be moved around, and changed, but the changes could not be saved TO THAT FILE. (you could Save As to another file) A pdf-level lock would likely prevent changes regardless of whether you made a copy of the file.

I don't know offhand how to change-lock a PDF file. Not in Preview anyway. Maybe Acrobat Pro etc support that sort of option, I'd imagine they do.

Bensheim,

I have used PDFLab 2.0.3r2 in Mac OS X 10.4.x. It is freeware. See PDFLab Developer's Site for Mac OS X 10.6.x information.

1. launch PDFLab
2. add your file
3. click the triangle to list the pages
4. deselect the pages you do not want
5. select Create PDF
6. add the new file
7. highlight it
8. at the very bottom of the PDFLab window, click the triangle to Show Tools
9. select Encrypt the document
10. make your choices from the authorizations listed

I have not used the application to encrypt a file so I do not know how truly secure the encryption is. Nevertheless, I found the application very useful when using Mac OS X 10.4.x.

Sending hard copy will allow the 3rd party to copy and print your document.

> How can I delete the last three pages of the PDF file?

Open your PDF in Preview, select the pages you want to delete in the "pages sidebar," and hit command-delete. (You can delete as many pages as you like as long as one page remains.)

artie505,

Have you tested your instructions to Bensheim when started up in Mac OS X 10.4?

From my end, there is no Sidebar, only a Drawer in Mac OS X 10.4.x.

In addition, command - delete does not work in a Mac OS X 10.4 drawer.

I think your reply misses the mark.

> Have you tested your instructions to Bensheim when started up in Mac OS X 10.4?

From my end, there is no Sidebar, only a Drawer in Mac OS X 10.4.x.

In addition, command - delete does not work in a Mac OS X 10.4 drawer.

I never ran Tiger and was unaware that command-delete didn't work in medieval times. (Sidebar" is Preview's current word for "Drawer.")

Thanks for all the replies. I ended up (with the Accountant's advice, which is what I'm paying him for) sending them a hard copy instead.

Artie, Tiger is not "medieval times". OS9 is medieval times.