Removing Objects from Every Page

[joelw8023616]

I have some federal court documents that have been e-filed. Each, therefore, has text created by their e-filing system that makes the document e-filed with the case number, date, document number, etc. I redacted the case number for privacy purposes but have posted an example. Each is a single text object, because when I click edit PDF the entire text area is contained in a single text box. These need to be removed. I cannot use the "remove headers" option because the text is not marked as a header. So right now I have to go page by page in order to remove them.

Each is the same size and in the exact same coordinates in the document for each page. I thought about just covering them with a white rectangle, but I don't know how to create a macro to add one to every page and am concerned that would increased the file size because the object still exists below the rectangle and the rectangle itself would add to the file size.

Is there a quick, efficient method to remove these text boxes from every page in the PDF, e.g. using macros or something?

[try67]

Do NOT use a white rectangle to do it. It's not a safe way to remove information and can be easily overcome.

You can do it using the built-in Redaction tools. Select the Mark for Redaction tool and draw a box around the first instance of the area you want to remove, and then right-click it and select "Repeat mark across pages", select "All Pages" and then apply the redactions, and you're done!

[joelw8023616]

But redaction would make the text a black box. It needs to be blank--white space. I looked early on to see whether there was a way to change the redaction tool to redact in white, rather than in black. I couldn't find documentation that showed this was possible. Is it? If so, how?

Document security isn't important. The documents with the headers are public records. I just have to file them in a case before the Ninth Circuit as exhibits. When filing with the Ninth Circuit, that text has to be gone because it will be replaced with data in the Ninth Circuit filing. Whether or not the text information covered with a white box is secure isn't a concern, because I just need white space to cover that text so when e-filing in the appellate system, new data can be written.

If I use redaction, it will print it over black redaction marks, it won't be visible, and the pleadings will be rejected.

[Thom Parker · Accepted solution]

Do a redaction test. Add a redaction annot to a page, then look at the properties for the Annot. You'll see there is a color option. Actually, it doesn't have to be any color. It could be text.

[gkaiseril]

Just covering a section of a PDF with a comment object does not remove the underlying item. To remove it one needs to use the Redaction tool. This is available in a GUI in Acrobat Professional or you need to write some code in Acrobat standard to remove the "redact" comment object.

[joelw8023616]

Thanks, in case you did not get notice, please also see my comment below in response to try67.

[joelw8023616]

I can just go page-by-page deleting the text boxes. See below. But some of them are vary long so I just want to see whether there is a way to delete or cover that portion of the page on each and every page, without having to go one by one, page by page.

It seems like you should be able to identify coordinates, or a section of the page, or define a bounding box, and have it delete the contents on each page in that position.

[joelw8023616]

Nevermind. I just discovered that you can change the redaction color to white. With your advice, it worked. Problem solved.