Writing about PDFs

Practical guides to merging, redacting, OCR, compression, signing, Bates numbering and more, from the team that builds the tools.

Why Word to PDF sometimes changes the layout

· 6 minute read

A Word file looks different on another computer, and sometimes in the PDF too. Fonts, page setup and what to check before you convert a document.

How to fill in a PDF form that has no fields

· 5 minute read

Some PDF forms are flat pictures with nothing to click. How to tell, how to type onto the lines anyway, and when to use OCR or build real fields.

How to sign a PDF without printing it

· 6 minute read

Put your signature on a PDF in seconds: draw it or type it, place it on the line, and know when a picture of a signature is enough and when it is not.

How to fix a PDF that won’t open

· 5 minute read

A corrupted or incomplete PDF is often recoverable. The usual causes, quick checks to try first, and how rebuilding a damaged file works.

How to turn photos into a PDF

· 5 minute read

Combine phone photos of documents, receipts or notes into a single PDF: the order, page size, margins, and how to get a readable result.

What metadata is hiding in your PDF?

· 5 minute read

Every PDF carries hidden details: author, software, dates and title. What they reveal, when it matters, and how to check and remove them.

How to redact a PDF properly

· 6 minute read

Drawing a black box over text does not remove it. How real redaction works, the mistakes that have exposed documents, and how to check yours.

How to password-protect a PDF properly

· 6 minute read

What a PDF password does and does not do, why permissions are not a lock, how to choose a strong passphrase, and how to send it safely.

What is PDF/A, and when do you need it?

· 6 minute read

PDF/A is the version of PDF built to last. What it guarantees, the difference between PDF/A-1 and PDF/A-2, and how to convert an ordinary PDF.

How to get a PDF under the email size limit

· 5 minute read

A PDF too big to attach? What makes it large, what to try before compressing, and how to hit a size limit without making the document look worse.

How to make a scanned PDF searchable

· 6 minute read

A scanned PDF is a photograph of text. How OCR reads it, what makes it accurate, and how to turn a scan into a PDF you can search and copy from.

What is Bates numbering, and how do you do it?

· 6 minute read

Bates numbers give every page of a legal production a unique, sortable identifier. What they are, how the prefix and width work, and how to apply them to a PDF.

How to add page numbers to a PDF

· 5 minute read

Number the pages of a PDF you did not write: choose the corner, continue from a previous file, and know when you want Bates numbers or a header instead.

How to extract pages from a PDF

· 5 minute read

Pull a few pages out of a long PDF, remove pages you do not want, or cut a bundle in two. How page ranges work, and the off-by-one mistakes to check for.

How to merge PDF files without uploading them

· 5 minute read

Joining PDFs rarely needs a server. Here is how to merge them in the right order, how to check the seams, and how to tell whether a site is sending your files away.

How to choose an online PDF editor

· 7 minute read

Eight things to check before you trust a website with a document, each with a one-minute test you can run yourself, and when to use nothing online at all.

Why PDF to Word conversions come out wrong

· 6 minute read

A PDF has no paragraphs in it. Understanding that explains almost every bad conversion — text in floating boxes, headings cut off mid-word, grey bars over the text.

How to actually edit the text in a PDF

· 5 minute read

Most "PDF editors" put a text box on top of the page. Editing the real words is a different, harder thing — here is what it involves and what to expect.