I need to lock the monthly [artwork=promo artwork] so [fields=price and dates] can't be changed before printing but st…
Open the PDF file you want to restrict in Adobe Acrobat.
Select Tools from the main menu.
Choose Protect from the list of available tools.
Click Restrict Editing under the Permissions section.
When prompted, set a permissions password to prevent others from changing these restrictions.
In the permissions dialog, uncheck options for printing, editing, and copying as desired to make the PDF read-only.
Click OK to apply the restrictions.
Save the PDF file to ensure the new permissions are in effect.
Best practiceIf you want to prevent users from removing these restrictions, choose a strong, unique permissions password and do not share it.
After applying restrictions, test the PDF by reopening it to confirm that editing and printing are disabled.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
Setting 'Printing Allowed: None' means no one can print the PDF at all. 'Low (150 dpi)' means people can print it, but only at a very low quality. This is useful if you want people to see the document on screen but not have a clear, high-quality printed copy. Choose 'None' for maximum security against printing.
The owner password is very important because it is the only way to remove the restrictions you set on a PDF. Without it, you cannot change the permissions, edit the document, or even print it if you set those limits. It gives you full control over your document's security settings.
When you set 'Changes Allowed' to 'None', it specifically stops people from inserting, deleting, rotating pages, and filling forms. So, if you choose this option, users will not be able to fill out forms in your PDF. If you need them to fill forms but not change other content, you would need a different security setting or form design.
No, you cannot use the Adobe PDF Services API to remove protection without the owner password. The API specifically requires the owner password in the request body to perform the 'Remove Protection' operation. This is a security measure to ensure that only authorized users can unlock protected documents.