PDF Bench
Redaction guide: covering text is not always enough
A black rectangle drawn over text is not always secure redaction. The underlying text may still exist in the PDF structure, and anyone can copy it out. PDF Bench uses burn-in redaction to actually destroy the text underneath.
How PDF Bench handles this
The Redact tool uses burn-in redaction: it turns each page into an image with your redaction boxes applied, then rebuilds a new PDF from those images. The original text underneath is gone — not just hidden, but destroyed.
Tradeoffs
- The output is usually not searchable or selectable, since pages become images.
- Higher quality settings can make the file larger and take longer to process.
- Text may look slightly different than the original.
Checklist before sharing
- Preview every page and confirm all sensitive info is covered.
- Download the redacted PDF and open it in a separate viewer.
- Try selecting or copying near the redactions to confirm there's no hidden text.
- For extra safety, run Sanitize to strip any leftover metadata before sharing.