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Lock Security to prevent copy or save

Forum Index > General Acrobat Topics > Lock Security to prevent copy or save
2011-05-24 12:15:50
tomkane1
Registered: May 24 2011
Posts: 2
Answered

I would like to ask if it is possible to lock an Acrobat X PDF file such that
 
1) the file can stream across the Internet for a user to read a file with a reader, view the file, and print it
 
2) the user can neither select and copy the contents nor save the file on the user's computer?
 
Thanks.
 
Tom

tomkane1

My Product Information:
Acrobat Standard 10.0, Windows
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2011-05-24 12:59:48
#1
radzmar
Expert
Registered: Nov 3 2008
Posts: 1202
Accepted Answer
Hi,

you can secure a file with Acrobat to disallow the copying of texts.
In Acrobat X look under Tools > Protection > Encrypt.
But, I don't see a way to prevent users from saving a file.
If they can print them they possibly could print with a PDF printer to generate a loal copy.
But, if you only want use online forms, you shoud check out Adobe FormsCentral.
They mostly offer the functions and limitations your're looking for.

radzmar
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Documents you need:
• LiveCycle Designer ES2 Docs

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2011-05-25 01:10:03
#2
UVSAR
Expert
Registered: Oct 29 2008
Posts: 1357
It is not possible, nor will it ever be possible, to "stream" any file that is capable of being printed. Video and audio can stream because you don't need access to the first tens seconds of data in order to display the next ten seconds - but to print a document you need to access it all at once.

PDF files are also impossible to stream as the information within the file is spread across many regions which need to be accessed in random order (for example to load embedded fonts, images, metadata, etc). It's not like a plain text file where the content "on page three" is all in one block.

Without streaming, it is logically invalid to imagine preventing a user from saving any type of file - by definition if they can't save it, they can't access it at all.
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2011-05-25 06:22:55
#3
tomkane1
Registered: May 24 2011
Posts: 2
Thanks for both replies. I should have put quotes (") around the word "streaming". I had meant to say that I wanted users only to be able to see a web browser view and print my PDF's, but not to be able to select text to copy and paste into another file or to save the PDF on the user's machine. I guess that a determined user can get around most anything. (I will, of course, be using copyright restrictions.)

Thanks again.

tomkane1

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