Unbreakable document creation

Deadly Ferret · 15 Jan 2016 at 21:25

Would be very grateful for recommendations. I'm looking for some software which would allow me to create document files which:

a. Can be read and printed by all, but
b. Does not allow content to be copied
c. Cannot be converted in to other file types and then be edited/exploited

Any suggestions please?

lsg1r · 15 Jan 2016 at 22:26

b) is pretty much impossible with any digital media while there is 'print screen' and the ability to print stuff (print and rescan).

pdf would be the obvious one with password and restrictions although even that is possible to get around, I've done it easy enough a few times without cracking the password although it does take a bit of time and effort (basically print to xps lol).

XPS would be another option but that too has the same issues as anything else which is shown on a screen. Also not 100% on how universal that is either.

Caged · 16 Jan 2016 at 01:31

If it can be displayed then it can be copied. You can spend a lot of money trying to make this not the case but it's ultimately a waste.

Deadly Ferret · 17 Jan 2016 at 00:10

Thanks for the advice so far. Just to clarify though, by copy I mean to the pasteboard. I don't mind if people can screenshot it.

lsg1r · 17 Jan 2016 at 00:45

A locked acrobat file is likely ok if you make the pages flat images rather than layered images and text. It should reduce copy/paste approach.

Having said that if the image has text then ocr can likely get it in most cases even from a screen capture.

h4rm0ny · 17 Jan 2016 at 11:58

Deadly Ferret said:
Would be very grateful for recommendations. I'm looking for some software which would allow me to create document files which:

a. Can be read and printed by all, but
b. Does not allow content to be copied
c. Cannot be converted in to other file types and then be edited/exploited

Any suggestions please?

First is more or less easy - a PDF should be pretty much universally accepted by now. Failing that, you could export your documents as HTML which would give you layout and even more portability than PDF. But I would go with PDF.

Two and Three are difficult. The best you could do is probably images. That will certainly give people headaches who try to copy it - along with some big file sizes. Alternately, and this is unlikely to be an option for you but I'll list it - the current Windows Server includes some very sophisticated permissions models and DRM for controlling who can transfer documents, etc. But that's Enterprise level stuff and even in Enterprise hasn't really percolated into common usage yet (they released this stuff a couple of years ago).

I guess the question we need to ask here is what level of opposition are we talking? Idle user or determined tech-head?

Depending on what your motivation is here, watermarking might also be a relevant solution.

Deadly Ferret · 17 Jan 2016 at 12:51

It's to make it as difficult and time-consuming as possible for potential plagiarists to copy our work/intellectual property* - none of whom are likely to be tech-heads. *Which is purely in the form of words. There's no technical or graphical content to be stolen.

I understand and accept it is impossible to prevent it happening, after all it only takes a determined git to sit with a 20 or 25 page printed example of our work, to then word by word type it up...but if possible, I'd like that to be the only way they can do it. I want them to have to work for it, as that will put most of them off.

The idea of using images would achieve what I'm after, but is impractical as it's too time consuming, and would prohibit us emailing the documents to clients due to filesize and/or would result in a poorer quality of document due to blurring, slowness of scrolling etc.

Caged · 17 Jan 2016 at 13:14

You best bet is to try the various options for exporting PDFs from Acrobat and see how you get on with it. In terms of OCR, even something like Google Docs can perform OCR on an image if you feed it a screenshot.

Maybe try watermarking each document with the name of the person/company you supplied the document to in an attempt to scare off people trying to duplicate it.

bledd · 17 Jan 2016 at 13:42

ocr makes what you want impossible.

The most basic protection you can do is save each page as an image and then pdf it.

lsg1r · 17 Jan 2016 at 14:30

Yeah if it's just a text document you're pretty much out of luck because ocr would pick that pretty easily.

You're basically left with the 'locked up' flattened pdf as the best option for universal use because it would likely put off any but the most determined person.