Can metadata be traced from a PDF after it has been printed and rescanned?

[thisorthat2]

Hello,

I am wondering if changes to a PDF can be detected if the PDF is printed and then scanned and uploaded to a new computer?

Thank you!

[try67]

Your question is not very clear. Are you referring to metadata, or to something else? Because in that process all metadata will be completely lost. If you're referring to something else then please specify what you mean.

Either way, doing that will result in a completely new file, very different from the original one. If you compare the two files it will probably tell you that there are too many differences to display.

[Bernd Alheit]

What does you mean with metadata?

[Test Screen Name]

While regular metadata might be removed, there may still be stealth methods of identifying metadata, such as digital watermarking.  Changes can of course be detected by a PDF compare, or digital signature.

[thisorthat2]

Hello all and thank you for your replies. I apologize for my question being unclear, perhaps metadata is not the correct word. I would simply like to know if my company would be able to tell if an applicant changed something on a pdf. 

Example: edited the pdf to have new contact details or budget amounts and then printed the changed PDF and then scanned the PDF. Is there software available that could still identify that any changes had been made, even if the individual created a whole new document by printing and scanning the original?

[try67]

The best way to do that is to digitally sign the file. If any changes are made to it after that, the signature will become invalidated.