Disable Print Screen & Stop Screen Grabbers – prevent copying
Protect PDF documents from print screen and screen grabs
Safeguard PDF Security stops screen grabber applications from taking screen shots of protected PDF documents. It disables the use of Windows Print Screen and stops screen grabs being made by screen grabbing software.
Safeguard protects PDF files from screen capture – it stops screenshots on Windows, Mac and Android operating systems, preventing users from taking screen grabs from both local and remote locations.
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Protect PDF files from misuse
- Stop unauthorized access and sharing
- Control use – stop printing, copying, editing, etc.
- Lock PDFs to devices, countries, locations
- User and PDF expiry, revoke files at any time
How to stop screenshots of documents with Safeguard PDF Security software
How to stop screenshots & prevent screen grabs of PDF document content
How to stop users taking screenshots:
- Right-click on a PDF file(s) in Windows File Explorer.
- Select the option ‘make secure PDF’.
- Select the ‘Environment controls’ Tab.
- Select the ‘Disallow screen capture’ option (this is the default).
- Optionally check the box to add a screen mask.
- Press the Publish button.
What is a screen mask?
A screen mask is an image that is displayed on top of your document if the mouse focus is moved away from the Viewer window.
Using this option prevents users copying text by typing it into another application (e.g. Notepad) while the Viewer is running.
How to disable print screen
When you ‘disallow screen capture’ Safeguard will automatically disable print screen and prevent screen grabbing of your documents.
Stop print screen & screen grabs – disable print screen & screen grab software
Safeguard Secure PDF Viewers block print screen and screen grabbers from taking screenshots of PDF content
In 2007, we announced a major step forward in anti-piracy controls by adding functionality to prevent print screen and third party screen grabbing tools (such as SnagIt and Windows Snipping Tool) from taking screenshots of protected PDF content on the Windows operating system. This was then extended to prevent screenshots on Mac and Android.
Locklizard was the first company to protect PDF documents with enhanced technical controls that resist all current PC based screen grabbers, stopping one of the commonest methods of IPR theft in its tracks. Stopping screen grabbing is an important step in protecting IPR since it is an easy and simple way for users to obtain high quality screenshots of document content. Many screen grabber applications can automate the screen grabbing process so an entire document can be copied very quickly and without user input.
Safeguard PDF Security can prevent print screen and third party PC screen grabbers from taking screen shots of protected PDF documents. Safeguard secure PDF Viewers block print screen and screen grabbing applications from taking screenshots using a variety of techniques – these including blocking and clearing video memory and the use of image overlays to stop simple copying and pasting. Safeguard stops screen grabbing without monitoring keystrokes or screen grabber applications – system resources are therefore kept to a minimum and it ensures 100% compatibility with anti-spyware systems.
Whle there is a real requirement to prevent print screen and screen grabbing, we recognize that there are genuine reasons to have screen grabbing tools, so our technology has been developed to prevent print screen and the grabbing of screen content only for documents we have protected. The DRM technology we use to prevent print screen and screen grabber tools from taking screenshots is not invasive and does not affect any other programs or the operating system. It takes the printscreen protection that we can offer to a significantly higher level than any of our competitors, some of whom are still unable to disable copy paste or who just prevent print screen functionality by disabling use of the printscreen key. Secure data rooms systems that advertise as PDF DRM solutions for example, cannot stop users from taking screenshots because the browser environment has no control over the Operating System.
Stopping remote screen grabber applications on Windows & Mac
Later updates to Safeguard Secure Viewer provided additional functionality to stop screen grabbing applications on remote computers taking screenshots of protected PDF documents. It prevents users using remote connection screen sharing software such as Web Ex, GoToMyPC, etc. to take screen shots remotely.
If a remote computer connects to a device which has a protected PDF document open in the Viewer then it will prevent screenshots from being taken by masking the document content.
Safeguard Viewer for Mac was also updated with screen grabber prevention functionality, preventing screen grabs on Mac computers from both local and remote connections. If a user remotely connects to a Mac computer the Viewer is open on then a black or grey screen is displayed.
Masking document content
Equally as important as stopping screen grabbing is the ability to mask document content if focus is moved to another window. When dealing with confidential documents for example, you may not want users to be able to view the document while also copying text from it by typing it into another application (Safeguard stops copy/paste so typing text into another application is the only option available to users).
Safeguard PDF Security enables you to add a screen mask to prevent this. When focus is moved away from the Viewer window, an image covers the document so content cannot be viewed.
Online teaching and preventing screen grabbing
When providing online teaching or a training course you probably want users to be able to take notes even if they cannot take screenshots. If this is the case, enabling the screen mask option would not be appropriate.
You would also not want to apply a screen mask if training course instructors are using your documents to teach courses and they are using two windows – one to display the protected document and the other for notes /additional information. If the mouse focus is taken away from the Viewer window then the protected document will be masked.
What happens when users try to screen grab protected PDF documents?
Windows & Mac screenshot prevention
On Windows and Mac when a user takes a screenshot and pastes it into another application then either:
- the last item they copied into the clipboard will be displayed (i.e. not the screenshot)
- a black or grey window will be displayed instead of the screenshot
Android screenshot prevention
When the user tries to take a screenshot of your document they will receive the message “unable to capture screenshot prevented by security policy”.
Can you prevent screenshots using JavaScript?
How to prevent screenshots by disabling Windows print screen
Being able to use print screen is a feature of Windows OS – users can simply press the print screen key on the keyboard to take screenshots.
In a browser environment, you could use JavaScript to disable the prtsc key press or to return a different image or mask – however, users can edit JavaScript in their browser and simply remove this code. In addition, users can still take a screenshot by using the Windows Snipping tool or a screen grabber application such as Snagit.
So while it is possible to use JavaScript to prevent basic print screen capture it is completely useless.
To prevent screenshots from being taken you need to have a dedicated application installed that controls OS functionality and cannot be manipulated by users.
Download Safeguard PDF Security software to prevent screen grabbing
PDF DRM software to disable print screen, stop screen grabs and copy/paste of PDF content
Safeguard PDF Security provides PDF document security with Digital Rights Management (DRM) controls and US Government strength AES encryption. It protects PDF documents from saving, copying, modifying, and unauthorized sharing & distribution. In addition the IPR owner can control whether users can print protected PDF documents, and if so, how many times. Controls check how documents are used, by whom, for how long, and what can be done with them. Revoke access at any time regardless of where documents are located.
Safeguard PDF DRM protects your document content from being easily stolen by preventing Windows Print Screen and screen grabber applications from taking screenshots of your documents. It will prevent printscreen, disable copy paste, stop screen shots, and stop third party screen grabbers from copying screen content.
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