Introduction

Before you mark a PDF document for redaction, you should evaluate it to uncover any special situations that might require your attention. For example, the document might contain an unpredictable mix of images and text. Documents that were converted to PDF format after being scanned with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software, can be especially problematic in this regard.

The following sections explain how to find:

• Hidden text. Text can sometimes be hidden behind an image. You need to find hidden text in case it contains words or phrases that require redaction.
• Inline character images. These are pictures of text that the OCR process substitutes for text it cannot decipher. You need to find inline character images, because they must be marked for redaction as images, not as text.
• Paths in vector images. Vector images are made up of paths–mathematically defined lines and curves with specific start and end points. You need to know where the paths in vector images are located, because vector image markup in Redax is path based.

Before You Begin

It is good practice to create a copy of every document you process with Redax, so that you can work with the copy and keep the original, unmarked file for future use.

To create a copy of a document

1. Open the document in Acrobat.
2. Select File > Save As.
3. Enter a file name and directory location for the copy, and then click Save. The copy you created is displayed and ready for processing with Redax.

Finding and Uncovering Hidden Text

This section explains how to find hidden text in a document and uncover it in case it contains information you want to redact.

To find and uncover hidden text

1. Select Redax > Find Areas > Find Text Areas. 

   Redax draws boxes around all text areas (see the figure below) and tells you how many annotations (Redax boxes) have been created.
   




2. Click OK to continue.

3. Examine the document for Redax boxes around images. A Redax box around an image indicates that text is hidden beneath the image.

   Note: If you also see visible text that is not enclosed in a Redax box after you run Find Text Areas, it might be an image, as opposed to actual text. To make sure, see Finding Inline Character Images.

   




4. a. To uncover hidden text, use the Select tool in Acrobat:
   • Acrobat 7:  select Tools > Basic > Select Tool.
   • Acrobat 8 & 9:  select Tools > Select & Zoom > Select Tool.
   • Acrobat X & XI:  select View > Show/Hide > Toolbar Items > Select & Zoom > Select Tool.
      

   b. Move the pointer to the suspect image until it becomes an ‘I-beam’, then click-drag to select the entire image area, including the surrounding Redax box.

   c. Select Edit > Copy to copy the selection to the Clipboard.

   d. In a text editor (e.g., Notepad), paste the selection.

   e. Examine the text that appears in the text editor, and make a note of any words or phrases that should be marked for redaction.

5. When you are finished evaluating the document for hidden text, remove the Redax boxes by selecting Redax > Remove All Redax Boxes.

Finding Inline Character Images

This section explains how to find inline character images, or pictures of text. Inline character images must be marked for redaction as images, not text.

To find inline character images

1. Select Redax > Find Areas > Find Image Areas.

   Redax draws boxes around all bitmap images and tells you how many annotations (Redax boxes) have been created. The figure below shows a sample bitmap image with a Redax box drawn around it.

   




2. Click OK to continue.

3. Examine the document for Redax boxes around text.
    
   A Redax box around text indicates that the text is actually an image of text, or an inline character image.

   Note: If you see any images that are not enclosed in Redax boxes, they are vector images. See Finding Paths in Vector Images, below, for more information.

4. If you see any inline character images that are candidates for redaction, make a note of it.

   When you mark an inline character image for redaction, you must treat it as an image, not text. The only way to mark images is with the Draw Box tool. This tool is described in Manually Drawing a Redax Box.

5. When you are finished evaluating the document for inline character images, remove the Redax boxes by selecting Redax > Remove All Redax Boxes.

Finding Paths in Vector Images

This section explains how to find vector images and their constituent paths. When you mark a vector image for redaction, it is important to know where the paths are.

To find paths in vector images

1. Select Redax > Find Areas > Find Path Areas.

   Redax draws boxes around all of the paths in all vector images and tells you how many annotations (Redax boxes) have been created. The figure below shows a sample vector image with Redax boxes drawn around its paths.
   




2. Click OK to continue.

3. Examine the document and note where the paths are in the vector images you want to redact. When you mark a vector image for redaction, each path that’s included in the markup area will be redacted from start to end, even if you only mark up part of the path.

   Tip! For future reference, print the vector images you plan to redact. See Printing a Document with Redax Markup for instructions.

4. When you are finished evaluating the document for paths in vector images, remove the Redax boxes by selecting Redax > Remove All Redax Boxes.

Check Document Security

To redact any PDF document the file must not be encrypted. To check this, open the document you want to redact and choose File > Document Properties. When the dialog window opens choose the Security tab and make sure the Security Method is set to “No Security.”