How to lock certain elements and allow editing text only

[davis_navickas]

Hi,

I saw someone selling printable invitations and they claim they can lock the graphical elements and certain text

but I would be able to edit the information for myself on the pdf. Would someone be able to help me out with this

and how I would be able to do it for myself at the moment?

I made an invitation with Illustrator and now I want to lock the graphical elements and certain text and only allow

the buyers to edit the information for themselves.

How to do it?

Thank you

[davis_navickas]

This is an example :

[Test Screen Name]

I think you are seeing things that are fillable - form elements. We are careful not to call this "editing" because editing is changing page contents. So look for stuff about forms and fields and filling, not editing and locking.

The page contents are still editable but not in the free Reader. It's a convenience, not a kind of security.

[davis_navickas]

But when you get the printable invitation it says I only have to get the free version of Adobe Reader and I can only change the text in the invitation. Thats what puzzles me. No idea still how they lock the graphics and text but allow changing certain fields.

[Test Screen Name]

They don't lock the graphics. Fields will always be changeable in Reader. Other stuff won't. Compare other PDF files: they aren't "locked", Reader just doesn't do that.

The key thing you need to know is that form fields are a special thing that can be added to a PDF using Acrobat Pro but not using Illustrator.

[davis_navickas]

So I would just have to create the invitation on Illustrator by adding all the elements that wont be editable and the using Acrobat Pro add the text fields which will be editable by others? If so than anyone with Acrobat PRO would be able to edit everything on that pdf file but if I put a password on that would solve that problem?

[Test Screen Name · Accepted solution]

Yes - Illustrator for the static stuff.

Yes - Acrobat to add the form fields

Yes - Acrobat won't edit it if you add security

But - a lot of other apps will.

Expect people with determination or a lucky choice of software to be able to edit the other stuff.

[davis_navickas]

I got the Acrobat pro and I can add the text which will be editable and someone with the Free version of reader will be able to edit the text?  And last question. Wont the security password lock everything including the text and the static stuff on that pdf?

[Test Screen Name]

When you set security you can choose whether or not to allow form filling. Third party apps may not respect this.