Known Participant

Question

Canva strips security from any locked PDF file - any solution

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
December 8, 2023
3 replies
6575 views

Background:

We supply PDF files to our client. Sometimes they like to make their own amends to these. The problems are obvious - our projects get re-appropriated for other use, the quality of the images, colours, and design is lost (images become mush, typographic formating lost), and we lose an editable master copy - so whenever we have to make amends which the client cannot, we have to trawl through their Canva edited file to find the amends they have made and apply them. Furthermore, the Canva version looks terrible which makes our work look bad - a business risk.

The problem:

I thought that providing the pdf with editing prohibited - no changes, no copying of text / images / no access for screen readers etc - all denied would fix this problem. However, when we tested this - bringing in this locked pdf into Canva it becomes fully editable.

Solution?

Apart from this being a massive security issue - where seemingly any copy within a locked pdf can be freely changed, is there another solution where the file can be locked down? canva will not import a password protected pdf, however that is not a solution as the files we supply need to be distributed.

Many thanks for help.

N

nosarengonikkitikkitengoAuthor

Known Participant

The solution to the question I asked, is to convert all copy to outlines in the print production tool within Acrobat - the text cannot now be edited in any application other than at source - in InDesign.

MikelKlink

Participating Frequently

The solution to the question I asked, is to convert all copy to outlines in the print production tool within Acrobat - the text cannot now be edited in any application other than at source - in InDesign.

That's overly optimistic.
But it indeed makes sure that edited versions will look even worse... 😉

N

nosarengonikkitikkitengoAuthor

Known Participant

It has been tested and it works. The text can no longer be edited - which was the objective. The result does not look worse. The aim was to prevent the client from editing the pdf using Canva, or anything altogether, which this achieves.

MikelKlink

Participating Frequently

First of all, PDF is a publicly specified file format, so anyone who can view it also can technically manipulate it. The mechanism you mention, the permissions, essentially only are hints to cooperative software. The PDF specification already mentions this, once the document has been opened and decrypted successfully, a PDF reader technically has access to the entire contents of the document. There is nothing inherent in PDF encryption that enforces the document permissions specified in the encryption dictionary.

What you can try, though, is digitally signing the PDFs before giving them to the client, and communicate that you accept only versions of the PDF with the signature still present and valid.

Abambo

Adobe Expert

You should ask this in a Canva forum.

I do not know how you can protect a file from modification, if you can't password protect it.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

N

nosarengonikkitikkitengoAuthor

Known Participant

I am asking here as the subject is about preserving the security of the Adobe PDF file.

I doub't the Canva community would promote and participate in the limitation of their own platform.

Abambo

Adobe Expert

There is no such thing as an Adobe PDF file. Even that Adobe developed the PDF file format, it is now an ISO standard, and Adobe is no more responsible for the format. Whatever Canva does, it is in Canva's interest to follow-up the standards.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

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