TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
You can create read-only PDF files when you SAVE (or SAVE AS) the PDF file
in Adobe Acrobat. There is a dropdown list (None, Security). Select
Security and click on the Settings button to display the following box.
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Security
Open the Document (enter password)
Change Security Options (enter password)
Do Not Allow
Checkbox Printing
Checkbox Changing the Document
Checkbox Selecting Text and Graphics
Checkbox Adding or Changing Annotations and Form Fields
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You can select the desired Do Not Allow checkboxes. If you select the
Selecting Text and Graphics checkbox, your readers will not be able to
select text and graphics and will not be able to copy it. For even greater
safety, you may choose the Printing and the Changing the Document box also.
Suggest you do NOT check the Adding or Changing Annotations... checkbox.
Readers should be allowed to add annotations!
You should protect your PDF file by entering a password for Change Security
Options (if not anyone else can change it).
BTW, I have a feeling that you already knew this -- and just needed to jog
your memory. (I have written an elaborate answer so that newbies and others
can also benefit.)
