Free desktop PDF redaction tool.

[Rockburner]

Does anyone know of one?

I need to redact a bank statement for registering with a local service, they'll accept documents via email (excellent as I don't have a printer!), but I do need to redact the sensitive information on the statement (for blatantly obvious reasons).

I would not be happy to use a 'cloud-based' PDF editor (what's to stop that service keeping a copy of my original PDF and selling those details on....), so would prefer something on desktop. (Windows PC, or possibly Linux flavoured please. )


Thanks in advance.

[cheb]

Isn't that doable by right click, save as, editing and then resaving the document?

Or possibly with MS paint, based on what people do to photographs of bike number plates.

[Horse]

Print a copy
Black pen
Install Adobe Scan (free) on your phone
Take a picture
Save as PDF

[cheb]

Read part of post about not having a printer
Screen Print a copy
Black pen
Take a picture of screen
Save as PDF

[Rockburner]

Print a copy
Black pen
Install Adobe Scan (free) on your phone
Take a picture
Save as PDF

No printer.

[Rockburner]

Isn't that doable by right click, save as, editing and then resaving the document?

Not managed it so far

Or possibly with MS paint, based on what people do to photographs of bike number plates.

Paint won't open anything other than a bitmap image.

[DefTrap]

Paint won't open anything other than a bitmap image.

Gimp ?

[Horse]

To clarify: you have a pdf?

Open pdf
Screenshot / snip
Paste into Word
Add black box
Save document as pdf

[Horse]

Actually, you can paste a pdf into Word

[Horse]

Paint won't open anything other than a bitmap image.

Gimp ?

No need for that. It's his salary he wants to hide, nit identity.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Nitro PDF should do it. Pro is £100 and can do most of what Acrobat could do a few years ago, the free version can do lots too.

To clarify: you have a pdf?

Open pdf
Screenshot / snip
Paste into Word
Add black box
Save document as pdf

I've tried this sort if thing too and it 'mostly' works. However IME when you open the 'redacted' copy the text pops up first and the black box a fraction of a second later. So if you're quick off the mark you can still read what it says.

Dead give away is that "stuck on black box" file sizes don't change whereas ones that are truly redacted get smaller.

[Horse]

So take a screenshot*, paste that into Word, then save as PDF.

* If greater detail needed, zoom in the scale, take two shots and crop them to look like one. Then pdf.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I doubt you'd really be able to read it fast enough anyway, you get literally a second before the black boxes pop up IME.

I was only concerned about it cause I was dealing with legal documents at work and in theory the redacted text is still there with the black box method....so presumably someone with the right skills could access.

But as above, Nitro PDF should make it very easy.

[Horse]

Yes, completely understand. We were sent some documents where the 'black' went grey, or hatched'. Luckily, we weren't interested in what was visible and the client trusted us!

[Slenver]

Why do you need to have it as PDF? Because you download it as PDF from the bank?

Assuming they don't need the original 'live' text, why not just open in whatever free graphics software you have on your PC and do it as a graphic? If necessary, screenshot it if it won't import the PDF itself.

So take a screenshot*, paste that into Word, then save as PDF.

* If greater detail needed, zoom in the scale, take two shots and crop them to look like one. Then pdf.

Essentially this, but no point at all in exporting as a PDF again when it isn't a text file any more. It's just a way of making the filesize 10x more than is necessary for no benefit