You're preparing a sample contract for a pitch deck and the original is loaded with the previous client's name, address, and pricing. You black it out in Preview, hit save, and email it across. Forty minutes later someone copies the file into Word and the names pop back out.
Fake redaction is the bug everyone meets once. Here's how to do the real version — and how to do it fast enough that it doesn't bog down a deal.
Why black rectangles aren't enough
When you draw a black shape over text in most PDF readers, the text stays in the file. It's just covered up visually. Anyone with a copy of the PDF can select the hidden text, paste it into another app, or run a search and pull the values straight out. The same goes for image-flattening tricks that look fine on screen but leave the original objects in the file structure underneath.
The proper redaction flow
Open the file in redact PDF, mark the regions to hide, and apply. Flint removes the text and image data inside those regions before exporting. Once you've redacted, save the new file with a different name — never overwrite the original, in case you need to re-run with different choices. Spot-check the output by selecting text in the redacted regions; if nothing copies out, you're clean.
What to redact in a typical contract
Names of individuals (signatories, contacts, witnesses), full addresses, account numbers, registered company numbers where they tie to a private entity, bespoke pricing, and any reference IDs your CRM uses. Don't over-redact — leave the structure of the contract intact so the sample reads. The goal is anonymous, not unintelligible.
After redaction: lock the file
Once redacted, password-protect the file before sharing externally. This isn't because the redactions are reversible — they shouldn't be — but because it stops the file being forwarded ad infinitum without your knowing. Add a footer marking the file as a sample, and if it's going to a prospect, watermark it.
FAQ
Does Flint's redaction remove text from the underlying file?
Yes — the text and image data inside redacted regions is removed before export. Selecting in the redacted area returns nothing.
Can I redact across multiple pages in one go?
Yes — you can mark redactions on every page, and there's a search-and-redact mode for finding all occurrences of a name or number across the whole document.
Should I redact in the original file or a copy?
Always a copy. Save the redacted output under a new filename so you can re-run if the brief changes. Treat the original as the master.
What about file metadata — author, title, comments?
Flatten the file after redacting and remove comments. For especially sensitive matters, export to a clean PDF and re-import to strip residual metadata.
Redaction is the kind of task you only think about when it goes wrong. Get the flow right once, use Flint's redact tool every time, and you'll never be the one apologising for a leak.