How to Disable Print – Prevent PDF Printing & Disable Print to File
Disable printing of your PDF documents & files
Disabling printing of protected PDF documents provides an extra layer of copy protection since it prevents users photocopying and then scanning printed copies and re-saving them as new PDF files.
A good PDF document security product should allow you to publish protected PDF documents that are print disabled but enable you to provide secure printing (limited copies and watermarked with unique information) for individual users.
Safeguard PDF Security enables you to create a print disabled PDF file that can be changed on-the-fly so that you can enable printing for specific users as and when required.
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Protect PDF files
- Stop unauthorized access and sharing
- Control use – prevent printing, copying, editing, etc.
- Lock PDFs to devices, countries, locations
- User and PDF expiry, revoke files at any time
How to prevent someone from printing a PDF file with Safeguard PDF Security
How to disable print & print to file
Using Locklizard PDF DRM software you can simply and easily create print disabled PDF documents. Safeguard PDF Security lets you disable print in PDF documents – any PDF document you protect will automatically have printing disabled unless you specifically allow it.
To prevent printing of PDF files just protect the PDF document while leaving the ‘allow printing’ checkbox unchecked – there is no ‘disable printing’ option to select.
Apart from being able to prevent a PDF from being printed, Locklizard PDF DRM software provides further printing control mechanisms if you want to allow printing. These include:
- limiting the number of prints.
- preventing document access after print copies have been depleted.
- the ability to disable printing or enable printing of the same document on a per user basis.
- enforcing color documents to print in black & white or grayscale.
- dynamic print watermarks. Watermarks displaying user information on printed documents discourages users from photocopying / scanning and sharing PDFs because they identify the user responsible.
- disable print to file. You must disable print to file if you allow printing, so that users can not readily make a print file copy and then either turn your protected documents into unprotected PDF format or print it as many times as they wish. Disable print to file is always applied if printing is allowed.
- track and log print use.
Why disable printing of PDF documents & files?
It is important to prevent printing of PDF documents (disable printing) to prevent them from being readily photocopied (or scanned) and then shared. If a document is print disabled and has other DRM controls applied to prevent sharing, then it ensures your documents cannot be viewed by unauthorized users.
Disable print in Adobe Acrobat
Although you can prevent someone from printing a PDF file by disabling print in Adobe Acrobat, this protection can be easily removed. There are many password crackers (or password recovery applications) freely available on the Internet to remove the Adobe print protection regardless of how strong the password is you use. In addition, some PDF viewer applications ignore Adobe permissions completely (so they are not enforced) or let you easily remove them. See removing PDF passwords.
So if you are looking to disable printing of your documents or prevent printing from PDF, make sure you use a PDF DRM system that enforces print controls and ensures they cannot be easily removed.
How to Disable Print to File
If you want to allow printing of your protected PDF documents then it is important that you disable print to file otherwise users can print to unprotected PDF files (using a PDF printer) and other file formats to remove the PDF protection.
To disable print to file you must have software installed on the client, such as PDF DRM, to control the print process. You cannot disable print to file in a browser environment for example because there is no software installed on the user’s device to prevent it. This is the downfall of secure data room systems – users can print to PDF and remove all security controls.
Disabling Print to File
If you allow printing in Safeguard PDF Security it automatically disables print to file – there is no additonal option you need to select.
Download PDF DRM software to disable printing / prevent printing of PDF files
Download PDF DRM software that uses digital rights management (DRM) controls to disable printing of your PDF documents, reports, elearning courses, ebooks, etc. Disable printing, copying, and sharing of your content. PDF DRM software that ensures the security and use of your information.
Disabling printing of your documents and information ensures users can not produce photocopies or duplicates for other people. With Locklizard document DRM software you can choose to disable print or limit the number of prints allowed. If you allow prints to be made then Locklizard DRM automatically prevents print to file, PDF, or image printers so that copies cannot be readily made.
Safeguard PDF Security enables you to prevent PDF files from being printed but gives you the flexibility of enabling prints for individual users. A single print disabled PDF file can be distributed to all users (so no one can print it) and then from the Safeguard Admin System you can selectively enable prints on a per user basis.
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