How do I stop someone from printing my PDF document in high quality?

Open your PDF in Acrobat. Go to 'Restrict printing, editing, copying'. Select 'Printing Allowed'. Choose 'None' or 'Low (150 dpi)' to limit print quality. Set an owner password to lock these settings.

What is the difference between 'Printing Allowed: None' and 'Low (150 dpi)'?

Option What it means. None Users cannot print the document at all. Printing is completely blocked. Low (150 dpi) Users can print the document, but only at a low quality (150 dots per inch). This makes high-resolution sharing difficult.

What are 'Changes Allowed' in PDF restrictions?

It defines what changes users can make to your PDF. This includes actions like inserting, deleting, or rotating pages. It also covers filling out form fields and extracting pages from the document.

Control High-Res Sharing in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

1 way to ask · copy any one

DBecome — “help me grow”Staff keep emailing high-resolution archival scans freely and we occasionally discover them on…+

Staff keep emailing high-resolution archival scans freely and we occasionally discover them on commercial sites. This is undermining donor trust. Locate the recurring failure in how we authorize downloads, and recommend one light-touch institutional policy that prevents casual distribution without blocking legitimate research. Say who must approve a download, what technical restriction to apply, and the short notice we should put on the public catalog.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid

1
Open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
2
Select Tools from the left pane.
3
Choose Protect PDF from the available tools.
4
Click Restrict Editing under the Protect PDF options.
5
Check the option to restrict copying of content (text, images, and other content).
CautionUsers may still be able to take screenshots or use third-party tools to extract content.
6
Set a permissions password when prompted to prevent others from changing these restrictions.
RecommendationChoose a strong password and store it securely.
7
Save the PDF to apply the new security settings.

In the appWith the API

After applying restrictions, test the PDF by attempting to copy text or images to ensure the settings are working as intended.

This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.

Glossary

words on this page

Owner PasswordA password that lets you change or remove PDF restrictions.ExampleEntering the owner password allows you to print a document that was previously restricted from printing.

DPI (dots per inch)This number tells you how clear a printed image will be. A higher number means clearer printing.

Access ControlsRules that say who can do what with a document, like printing or editing.ExampleSetting access controls ensures only managers can edit the budget spreadsheet.

The real tasks

the one, listed here

We need a policy so staff stop over-sharing high-res scans with no controls

FAQ

about this task

Open your PDF in Acrobat.
Go to 'Restrict printing, editing, copying'.
Select 'Printing Allowed'.
Choose 'None' or 'Low (150 dpi)' to limit print quality.
Set an owner password to lock these settings.

Option	What it means
None	Users cannot print the document at all. Printing is completely blocked.
Low (150 dpi)	Users can print the document, but only at a low quality (150 dots per inch). This makes high-resolution sharing difficult.

The owner password is very important because it locks the permission settings you choose. Without it, anyone could simply remove your restrictions and print or edit the document as they wish. By setting a strong owner password, you ensure that only you, or someone you trust with the password, can change or remove these security settings, keeping your document safe.

Yes, if you set 'Changes Allowed' to permit form filling, users can still fill out form fields even if other editing is restricted. The 'Changes Allowed' setting has specific options, and you must choose carefully. If you want to prevent form filling, make sure that option is not selected.

It defines what changes users can make to your PDF.
This includes actions like inserting, deleting, or rotating pages.
It also covers filling out form fields and extracting pages from the document.

Control High-Res Sharing

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help