Security Controls

You can add passwords to PDF files you create in the Create Assistant or integrated applications and prohibit or allow actions, such as printing, extracting content, and editing.

  • Select a security profile on the left, and edit on the right. Click OK to save changes.
  • Click New to name a new standard security control, make the desired settings and click OK.
  • Click Delete to remove a security control.
  • Click Default to return supplied controls to default values and remove user-defined controls.

Set up the PDF security based on the selected encryption.

  • Encryption Strength: Select the encryption level.

 

The following options display regardless of the selected Encryption Strength:

  • Require password to open the document: Select this setting to enable the Open Password text box. Enter the password to require for opening the document. Anyone providing this password can view the PDF it protects. This is sometimes called a user password. Further use of such a PDF depends on which permissions are set.

  • Use a password to restrict printing, editing, and modifying security settings of the document: Select this setting to enable the Permissions Password text box. Enter the password to require for altering the document. Use a permissions password (sometimes called a master or owner password) to view and use a PDF freely, regardless of permissions settings. You can also modify, remove or add permissions settings. Before setting permissions, you must supply and confirm a permissions password and specify the encryption strength: 40-bit, or 128-bit. Encryption strength determines which permissions are available.

 

The following options may depend on the actual Encryption Selection.

  • If you selected 40-bit (standard), you may simply select any of the following settings to block respective functionality:

    • Prevent Printing

    • Prevent Copying or Extracting

    • Prevent Annotating and Editing Form Fields

    • Prevent Altering the Document

  • If you selected 128-bit, then more sophisticated security options appear:

    • Allow Content Access for Visually Impaired: This setting is selected by default. It is enabled only if the "Allow Content Copying and Extraction" setting below is selected.

    • Allow Content Copying and Extraction: This setting is enabled only if the Permissions Password is specified.

    • Changes: Select the level of changes to grant with the Permissions Password.

    • Printing: Select the level of printing to grant with the Permissions Password.

 

Notes

Be sure to note the passwords you assign; without them you will not be able to re-open the PDF files you created. Successful PDF protection depends on good password distribution management.

Not all PDF versions support encryption above 40-bits. See About PDF Versions.

PDF Create usually creates 'Normal' PDF files. That means they can be viewed, printed, searched and modified in a PDF editor. But if some actions are prohibited and a user cannot supply the correct permissions password, the PDF may appear as image-only.