Did your boss read the status report that you sent him last night ? If yes, what time did he open that PDF file ? If no, you would like him to skip that file and read a new version which you are working on today. This whole scenario is very easy to accomplish now.Adobe PDF is a very popular format for exchanging information especially in the corporate world since PDF preserves the text layout and the file cannot be modified (easily). And now, there are some more very solid reasons to use PDF over DOC or other formats.
Adobe has introduced a free but extremely powerful Protect a PDF online service that allows PDF document owners to retain complete control over the PDF file.
The service is equivalent to a web analytics package - It lets you track who is accessing your PDF files, what was the time when he read your file, who gets the permission to read/copy/print or put comments on the PDF files and when do the PDF files expire, i.e., they cannot be opened further by anyone.
Use the protect pdf service is simple. Just create a new account on Adobe PDF website and define a policy like a list of authorized users (email), what actions that can perform on the document and the duration until the document remains accessible.
When the recipient attempts to open a policy-protected document, Acrobat or Adobe Reader connects to Protect an Adobe PDF File to authenticate the user. Then, the recipient can proceed to log in with their Adobe ID and password. After Protect an Adobe PDF File determines which document permissions to grant, it manages the decryption of the document. The recipient can then use the document according to the policy access settings.
The service allows document publishers to see who has opened, printed, and modified the document and when such actions were taken.
If you have Adobe Acrobat 7.0 on your desktop, you can directly use the Protect an Adobe PDF service from within the software. Watch Instructions.
Protect an Adobe PDF FAQ | Adobe PDF Online Help
