 Redacting
your PDFs
Redaction
is the name given to the process of deleting selected
items (words, paragraphs or graphics) from documents.
In
the past few years, incorrect use of Adobe Acrobat and
Microsoft Word has led to some well publicized incidents
in which PDF files were improperly redacted, resulting
in exposure of classified or otherwise sensitive information.
Adobe
does not provide a redaction capability per se in Acrobat
7. The only "safe" way to redact using Acrobat
alone, as referenced in the article, is rather dramatic
and destructive.
A
new article
by DSI CEO Duff Johnson sheds light on the (apparently)
mysterious subject of redaction in PDF files.
Writing
for AcrobatUsers.com, Duff explains the different approaches
to redaction taken by the various 3rd party software
options on the market today.
 Creating
PDFs for Distribution: Key Considerations
The
Boston chapter of AcrobatUsers.com, met once again on
June 13th at Harvard University. The occasion was a
presentation and Q&A session with DSI CEO Duff Johnson,
hosted by Adobe Systems.
Based
on User Group requests from the previous meeting, Duff's
presentation
covers general best practices when creating PDFs for
electronic distribution.
Included
are (succinct) discussions of every major facet of document
distribution in PDF, from initial creation of the file
to navigation, file-size reduction and "polishing",
among other subjects.
Duff's
presentation to the Boston Acrobat Users Group was entitled
Creating PDFs for Distribution: Key Considerations.
PDF News, Views and Tips subscribers may download it
from here. (Warning: this PDF is not tagged for accessibility)
Download
"Creating
PDFs for Distribution" now! (PDF, 1.5 MB)
 Bridging
the gap between paper and electronic forms
The
very first Postscript file Adobe co-founder John Warnock
wrote was a form - the good old IRS 1040, to be specific.
A
form was chosen as the first challenge for the new technology
because forms (especially IRS forms) must meet exacting
standards for accurate layout, no matter what printer
is used. Adobe's PostScript and PDF fit the bill perfectly.
Today,
PDF forms go far beyond reliable delivery of a printed
page. Since the late 1990's, it's been possible to develop
interactive PDF forms,allowing a user to type directly
in a form, select from a drop-down, use check-boxes
and submit the results to a server, just like HTML forms.
Beyond
"merely" interactive forms, Acrobat Javascript
allows developers to build "smart" forms that
perform validations, calculations and can even update
and change based on information already provided. These
forms can work online or offline, interact with servers,
or operate completely stand-alone as well. In most cases,
end-users need nothing more than the free and ubiquitious
Adobe Reader.
DSI
has led the PDF services industry for over ten years,
and has offered interactive and intelligent PDF forms
services since 1998. Contact us today to learn more
about how our PDF forms expertise can go to work for
your organization.
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