PDF Expiry

PDF Expiry – expire PDF files & revoke PDFs anytime, anywhere

How to expire a PDF file using Safeguard PDF Security

Creating PDF files that epxire with Safeguard is very simple.

Right-click on your PDFs in Windows File Explorer and select the menu option ‘Make Secure PDF’.

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Expire PDF files

Expire on a fixed date or number of days use
Expire after a number of views or prints
Expire user access to one, multiple or all PDFs
Revoke PDF files at any time

Expire PDF documents with Safeguard PDF security

To expire a PDF

In Safeguard Secure PDF Writer, choose the PDF expiry options you want to apply:

Date – PDF expires on the date that you select here.
After n days from first use – PDF expires n days after the user first opens the PDF file.
Views – PDF expires after the PDF has been viewed n times
Prints – PDF expires after the PDF has been printed n times

You can select both a fixed date and a number of days from first use, a number of views and/or prints. Which ever option is reached first will cause the PDF to expire.

Once you have chosen your PDF expiry options, press the Publish button.

PDF Expiry on a user basis

You might want to set a PDF document to never expire but user access to it to cease automatically on a given date.

You can expire PDF files on an individual user basis in the Safeguard Administration System – different users can be given different access periods to the same PDF files.

Why have expiring PDF documents?

Reasons for having PDFs expire

Locklizard PDF DRM offers a number of ways of using expiry to automatically cease access to documents. But why would you want PDFs to expire?

To ensure that only the authorized or current versions of documents are used after publication because obsolete versions can no longer be accessed.
To enable you to share PDF files securely with third parties knowing they will only be accessible for a limited period of time.
So you can sell documents that are accessible for a limited time period at a lower cost, rather than being available forever, enabling you to reach new markets that are price sensitive.

Expire PDF on a given date
The PDF will expire on a fixed date for all users.
1. you are licensing a training courses or academic course which is valid for a period of time (e.g. 3 months or a term).
2. you publish a business report such as market analyses that is only valid for a certain period of time.
3. you want to ensure the legal period of storage has finished.
4. you need to make sure only the latest versions of documents are in use.
Expire PDFs so many days after first use
The PDF will expire at different times for different users.
1. used when documents are offered for evaluation purposes.
2. a different way of controlling training course materials that automatically calculates when the training timetable has finished (e.g. a course that runs for 30 days) rather than having to set a fixed date.
Expire PDF files after so many uses
Used when documents are offered for evaluation purposes (e.g. one view only).

The PDF will expire at different times for different users.
Expire PDFs after a given number of prints
Used when the intention is to allow a fixed number of printed copies to be made (legal documents such as notice to quit or a rental agreement) and use is to cease when the printing has been done.

Changing Document Expiry Dates

Selecting a suitable method of stopping access also has to take into account the potential need to change the method.

For instance you may have selected a fixed or given end date and then find that you need to extend the life of the document because of delays in delivering the document or not updating them in the time planned.

Safeguard’s PDF Expiry Options

There are many reasons to wish to expire both documents and users. Each of them has specific effects and controls. But they are not mutually exclusive and can be used in combination, and some may be changed after publishing the document or adding the user.

Document Expiry

Safeguard’s PDF expiry options enables document publishers to automatically expire PDF files so they can no longer be used after a certain amount of time. The following options are available:

expire documents on a fixed date
expire documents after a number of days
expire documents after a number of views
expire documents after a number of prints

These options can also be used together so that you can enter say a number of days/views/prints and a fixed date and whatever occurs first causes the document to expire. You might for example want a user to be able to use your documents for a 15 day trial period but those documents will expire on a fixed date regardless if the trial period is used or not.

Expiry dates can be changed on the administration system at any time and you can increase the number of views/prints available for each user.

Video: PDF Expiry

User Expiry

Safeguard’s PDF protection gives you total control over when individual user access to your PDF files expire. You might want to set your PDF files to never expire but have user access to them expire.

You can expire user accounts and with it:
- access to all your PDF documents
- access to only newly created documents. You may want to, for example, give users access to documents during a specific time period, and let them be able to view those documents in the future, but not access any new ones you publish.
You can suspend user accounts to stop users from using any documents that require a license check immediately. This might be useful if the user is on holiday, or temporarily in a location which is not deemed secure, or because they have changed their role/responsibilities. It is reversible without changing the user’s rights to any protected documents. You can expire authorized documents while a user is suspended, or grant access to additional documents, just as you wish.
You can alter the user’s end date. This is useful when a user:
- changes job function but there is a continuing requirement for them to be able to access documents they had a right to use in their previous job function.
- has a subscription (access to a publication where they automatically get access to documents in the publication as they are made available). This means that they can use protected documents published before the users end date, but not those published after it.
You can expire individual users access to a document by setting specific start and end dates for each document they have been given access to.

Publication Expiry

Safeguard’s PDF protection enables you to control PDF expiry to groups of documents (publications) on an individual user basis. Different users will often require document access at different times (and for access to expire accordingly) depending on when first purchased a product (say a training course) or when they were first given access to documents.

A user for example, may have subscribed to one of your publications for a year, and all documents in that publication are accessible to them for a year. After a year, they will still be able to view their existing documents, but not any new ones that are published after their subscription period has ended, unless of course they subscribe for an additional period.

Users can be given access to multiple publications, each with their own expiry period.

Revoke PDF access

Being able to revoke PDF files is an important part of any document security solution.

While PDF expiry options happen automatically when a certain time frame is reached, you may want to manually revoke access to PDF files to terminate access to protected PDF documents instantly.

There may be times when:

the wrong document was published
the information in a document is no longer valid or is incorrect
a user has left your company
documents have been provided on credit terms and these have not been met
payment for an ebook or report etc. has had a chargeback made against it
you think a specific document has been compromised

Revoking PDF files with Safeguard PDF Security

Safeguard’s PDF protection enables you to:

revoke PDF files instantly so all users access is terminated
revoke users so all documents they have access to become inaccessible
revoke individual user access to single or multiple PDF files

You can revoke access to PDF files at any time no matter where your PDF files are located.

NOTE: In order to revoke PDF access instantly the document must be set to check with the administration system each time it is opened. If you have created PDF files that only check with the administration system every n days then PDF revocation will only take place once a check has occurred.

Download PDF expiry software

Download PDF expiry software that uses US Government strength encryption and digital rights management controls to expire and revoke PDF documents.

Expire PDF files on a fixed date or number of days use
Expire PDF files after a number of views or prints
Expire user access to one, multiple or all PDFs
Revoke PDF files at any time

Safeguard PDF Security and Enterprise PDF DRM enable you to expire PDF fiiles automatically and revoke PDFs instantly to ensure they remain protected no matter where they reside.

Protect PDF files against copying, printing, editing, and unauthorized distribution. Lock PDF files to individual devices and locations so they cannot be shared. Watermark PDFs and log use.

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