How to Distribute a PDF File and ebook Securely Distribution Guide

Transcription

1 How to Distribute a PDF File and ebook Securely Distribution Guide This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DUE

2 Contents Contents... 1 Secure PDF File and ebook Distribution... 2 Summary... 2 Securing a PDF File Using Adobe Acrobat Pro... 4 Securing a PDF Using Digital Rights Management... 9 Third-Party Adobe Content Server for Digital Rights Management... 9 Using EditionGuard... 9 EditionGuard, Woocommerce, and other E-commerce Integrations Adobe Digital Editions Reader Adobe Digital Editions Download and Install Using Adobe Digital Editions Syncing Books Using Adobe Digital Editions on Other Computers and Devices Using Third-Party DRM Other Than EditionGuard DRM E-Commerce Integrations

3 Secure PDF File and ebook Distribution Summary A PDF file is an Adobe Portable Document file. Most document processing programs such as Microsoft Word easily convert to PDF format. ibooks Author, the program used to create ibooks, also allows for a book to be exported as a PDF file. A PDF file is typically opened or read by the Adobe Reader program and edited in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (DC stands for Document Cloud). Adobe Acrobat is needed to edit a PDF document and also to add security to the document. The security settings that can be applied via Adobe Acrobat are limited to passwords that lock permissions such as editing, printing, copying text, and opening/reading the file. The passwords do not disable someone from being able to move, duplicate or copy and paste the file. As a result, regardless of the security applied through Adobe Acrobat Pro, someone could illegitimately distribute the book. For this reason, in terms of mass dissemination of an ebook in PDF format, the standard security applied through Adobe Acrobat may not suffice to eliminate unauthorized distribution, copyright issues, and/or the theft of content. A more secure means of disseminating PDF files is to utilize Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems. Adobe has built a DRM system called Adobe Content Server, which allows for more secure distribution by making the PDF downloadable and accessible only to the person or user who has purchased or requested the book. Adobe Content Server is the DRM server software platform that Adobe has developed that allows other entities to set up a DRM server. Adobe Content Server requires extensive setup, and the subscription to the software through Adobe can be quite expensive. For cost efficiency, ease of use, and support, third-party providers who already have the Adobe Content Server setup can be utilized. Adobe Digital Editions, which is available as a free download for computers, tablets, and mobile phones, is the reader that works with the Adobe Content Server DRM to supply the PDF ebook securely. The purchaser of the secure PDF ebook would use the Adobe Digital Editions program to access, read, and use the product. In order to access and view the book in Adobe Digital Editions, the user needs an Adobe ID so that the Adobe Content Server can authenticate the person using the book upon download and allow initial file access. When users purchase an ebook that has been secured using the method described here, they will receive a.acsm file (Adobe Content Server Manager file) the newly secured Adobe PDF ebook file that will be opened in Adobe Digital Editions for access and use. Using the DRM method for distribution restricts access of the book to one particular Adobe ID or, in other words, one person. The DRM can also allow for the book to be synced and used on any device that has the Adobe Digital Editions reader installed, and users can log in with the Adobe ID they used to initially open the book. Adobe Digital Editions reader is available on Windows, Mac, Android, Kindle (through Android Application Package, or APK side load), and iphone; therefore, users can sync the book from any of these devices as long as they log into Adobe Digital Editions with the Adobe ID initially used to download and access the book. 2

4 This guide will touch on the ways of disseminating a PDF file/pdf ebook securely, with or without Digital Rights Management. It will also introduce how to integrate third-party digital rights management service with e-commerce plugins, extensions, and platforms for selling the PDF ebooks online. 3

5 Securing a PDF File Using Adobe Acrobat Pro To secure a PDF with standard password security settings, you will need Adobe Acrobat Pro. This software requires a subscription through Adobe. There is a 30-day free trial for those who would like to try the software before buying. Adobe Acrobat Pro is not to be confused with the free Adobe Reader. Adobe Reader only allows for PDFs to be viewed and accessed. Adobe Acrobat Pro is for editing purposes. Before continuing, make sure you have Adobe Acrobat Pro installed on your computer. Figure 1 is a screenshot of an example PDF document opened using Adobe Reader that we will use throughout the guide. Notice the right-hand side of the title on the top bar of the program says, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. This is an easy way to determine which program opened the PDF Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat Pro. Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat Pro look very similar, so they can be easily confused. At the moment, this PDF has no security applied and can be opened and edited without entering a password. Figure 1: PDF opened in Adobe Acrobat Reader 4

6 Figure 2: PDF opened in Adobe Acrobat Pro Now, let s open the same PDF using Adobe Acrobat Pro to apply some security settings. This can be done either through Adobe Acrobat Pro by clicking on File > Open, then selecting the PDF file or by right clicking on the file itself and choosing Open with > Adobe Acrobat Pro. Once the PDF has been loaded in Adobe Acrobat Pro, you will see the screen shown in Figure 2. Notice that the Page Thumbnail/Bookmarks panes as well as the Tools pane may be hidden. They can be opened if needed as shown in Figure 3. Figure 3: Adobe Acrobat Pro Page Thumbnails and Tools panes. 5

7 To add security to the PDF, go to File > Properties as shown in Figure 4, then click on the Security tab as shown in Figure 5. Figure 4: Adobe Acrobat - File > Properties Figure 5: Security Tab From the Security Method dropdown, select Password Security; this should open the window shown in Figure 6. 6

8 Figure 6: Password Security Settings To require a password to open the PDF document, check the Require a password to open the document box, then insert the password you would like to use. To make a password required to edit the PDF document, check the Restrict editing and printing of the document box and insert a password. Also notice that with this setting checked, you can Enable or Disable copying of text, images, and other content. Additionally, you can choose to enable or disable text access to screen reader devices for the visually impaired. These options are shown in Figure 7. Figure 7: Password Security Settings Continued Once you have chosen a password, Adobe Acrobat Pro will prompt you to re-insert the password for confirmation. For the security settings to take effect, you need to save the PDF. 7

9 Tip: Save a copy Depending on the security level you select, you may be restricted from making further changes once you save your PDF. It is a best practice to save an archive copy of the PDF file with no security to ensure that you are able to make future edits as needed. Upon reopening the file in Adobe Acrobat Pro, you will be prompted for a password when the file is opened or when someone tries to edit it. Although this method allows for some minimal security, it has many limitations. Any user could easily share the password with another person, and the protections would be rendered useless. Additionally, a number of programs available online are capable of unlocking these documents without the use of the required password. Overall, only minimal security may be obtained using the settings built into Adobe Acrobat Pro. 8

10 Securing a PDF Using Digital Rights Management Third-Party Adobe Content Server for Digital Rights Management Using Digital Rights Management (DRM) is the most secure way of distributing a PDF ebook. The Adobe Content Server is Adobe s DRM server platform. It stores and manages access to the ebook using a person s Adobe ID. This ensures that the only user accessing and using the book is the person or Adobe ID to whom the book is registered. The Adobe Content Server platform itself is quite expensive on its own and requires extensive setup and management. Luckily, there are third-party providers of the Adobe Content Server that offer the DRM as a service, at a lower cost. Here is a list of some third-party Adobe Content Server providers. This list is not exhaustive, but these are the most popular. EditionGuard - LockLizard - Datalogics BlueFireReader FileOpen Webqem To secure the PDF through DRM and also save on cost, you will need to use a third-party provider of the Adobe Content Server. EditionGuard is one of the most popular of these providers. To give an idea of how a third-party Adobe Content Server provider would work, this guide will delve into how to use EditionGuard for secure PDF dissemination. You can use the information in this guide to acquaint yourself with how these third-party Adobe Content Server providers work. Some providers may be slightly different from others in terms of the user interface, but the same Adobe Content Server platform is used by these companies across the board. This means that regardless of which provider you choose, the underlying system is the same; it will require similar steps for setup, and the settings and functionality should be very similar. All third-party Adobe Content Server providers require the final purchaser of the ebook to use the Adobe Digital Editions reader for accessing and viewing the ebook. Using EditionGuard EditionGuard is the most affordable and widely known third-party provider of the Adobe Content Server DRM software. For registration, more information and pricing visit the EditionGuard website at: A 30-day free trial is also available. Once you subscribe to EditionGuard or register for a free trial, you can add a book by logging in to the website. After you log in, you will see the dashboard of the website, where your account information is located, click on the Books link in the top menu. This will take you to the Book Management page shown in Figure 8. This is where you will be able to add, remove, and edit your books. This page is also used to generate the links that the customers will use to download and access the book securely. Note: The example screenshot in Figure 8 already has five books, yours will be blank. 9

11 Figure 8: EditionGuard Book Management In Figure 8, each book appears in alphabetical order. Each has an Edit and Download Link button. Use the Edit button to edit an existing book s title, author, and publisher information or to reupload the PDF for the book. Use the Download Link button to generate secure links for customer download of the book. Once you have generated secure links, you may distribute them to the end users. Upon opening the downloaded file, Adobe Digital Editions will require the book to be registered with an Adobe ID before it appears within the Adobe Digital Editions bookshelf. To add a book to the EditionGuard system, click on the Add Book button at the bottom of the page as shown in Figure 8. The Add Books page shown in Figure 9 will appear. Figure 9: Adding a PDF book to EditonGuard Book Settings This is where the Book Title, Author, Publisher and PDF File upload are inserted into EditionGuard. Click on the tablet icon or the button to upload the PDF file of the book. 10

12 DRM Type Choose between the latest and less backward compatible DRM or the more backwards compatible legacy version. Legacy is default. DRM Settings Display, Printing, and Copy permissions. The default Add book settings do not allow print or copying. Be sure to enable them here if you wish to allow printing and/or copying. Tip: Limiting Usage with Expiration Date Display permissions also allow for access expiration based on a specific date or number of days and hours after initial file was downloaded and accessed. Once you have finished inserting the book information, uploaded the PDF file, and configured the settings, click Done Adding to add the book. After the book has been added, it will be listed on the Book Management page, where it can be accessed and edited whenever necessary. Now that the book is in the EditionGuard system, secure links can be generated to disseminate to customers. To generate a link, make sure you are still on the Book Management page and click Download Link next to the book for which you would like to generate the link. The popup in Figure 10 will appear. Here, you insert the number of links you wish to generate and click Generate. Generated links will appear in the text box pane within this popup. From there, you can copy and paste the links in the textbox into an to send to the customer for secure download and access of the PDF book. Figure 10: Generating Secure Download Links 11

13 EditionGuard, Woocommerce, and other E-commerce Integrations EditionGuard has developed plugins and extensions that work with many existing e-commerce plugins and platforms. With these integrations you will not need to manually generate a link for the user or customer to download and send it via an . EditionGuard enables communication between the EditionGuard server and your e-commerce platform to allow for auto-generated links to appear in the user download or my account page, once the order has been completed in the system. Woocommerce, an e-commerce plugin for WordPress, is free and probably the most user friendly to set up without the knowledge of code and programming. Below are the e-commerce plugins and platforms in which EditionGuard can be integrated. Woocommerce (Wordpress) WP Commerce (Wordpress) VirtueMart (Joomla) Magento Shopify, Paypal, and Zapier There are also integrations for Shopify, Paypal, and Zapier. Documentation and videos on how to set up these integrations are available on the EditionGuard website under Knowledge Base as shown in Figure 11. Figure 11: Edition Guard Help Library For a listing of plugins or extensions available for web/e-commerce platforms view EditionGuard s GitHub listing at the link below. There are also extensions built to work with C#, Java, Python and Ruby based web server platforms. 12

14 Adobe Digital Editions Reader Adobe Digital Editions is the proprietary reader that works with the Adobe Content Server DRM. Once the Adobe Content Server or the third-party DRM server verifies the owner of the book via Adobe ID, the book will be downloaded as a.acsm file. When the file is opened, the book will be synced to Adobe Digital Editions, where the user will be able to use, read, and interact with the book. If the book is set up to allow synchronization between different computers and devices, users can download the Adobe Digital Editions reader on Windows, Mac, Android, or iphone and log in with their Adobe ID. Once they have done this, they can go into the Adobe Digital Editions settings and select Automatically download your synced books to this device. This will allow all books verified or registered to their Adobe ID to be used on any device with Adobe Digital Editions installed (if the DRM settings allow the book to be synced to other devices). Adobe Digital Editions Download and Install If you have not downloaded Adobe Digital Editions reader, you can download the program for various operating systems and devices by following the steps below. Keep in mind that the computer and mobile device versions will have interfaces that look slightly different, but they will still have the same preferences and functionality available. Windows and Mac: For Android: The Adobe Digital Editions Android Application Package (APK) is available through the Google Play Store: For Apple devices: The Adobe Digital Editions app is available through the App Store: For Kindle: Adobe Digital Editions is available through third-party APK distributors. The app must be side loaded onto the Kindle device because it is not available through the Amazon store. Ensure that your Kindle settings allow Apps from unknown sources (other than the Amazon Store) to be installed. To do this, follow the instructions below based on your Kindle s generation. What is Sideloading? Click here for more information. 5th Generation Devices Settings > Security > Apps from Unknown Sources. 3rd and 4th Generation Devices Settings > Applications > Apps From Unknown Sources First and Second Generation Devices Settings > More > Device > Allow Installation of Applications and ensure that it is set to On. Once you have Apps from Unknown sources enabled, you can download the Adobe Digital Editions Android APK from a third-party source and install it on your Kindle device. Since Kindle is an Android OS based system, it can run the same APKs as any other Android device. Amazon s default Kindle settings lock the device for use only with the Amazon store, but enabling Apps from unknown sources bypasses this default setting. 13

15 APKpure is a third-party APK distributor that has Adobe Digital Editions available. Download the APK here: Using Adobe Digital Editions After you have downloaded and installed Adobe Digital Editions, open the program. You should see the screen showing the bookshelf, as shown in Figure 12. If you are using the mobile version see Figure 13. The only thing that should be shown on initial startup is the Getting Started with Adobe Digital Editions guide book that is preloaded on Adobe Digital Editions. Figure 12: Adobe Digital Editions Bookshelf Figure 13: Mobile Adobe Digital Editions Bookshelf The initial screen shown above in Figures 12 and 13 is the bookshelf pane. This is where all Libraries within Adobe Digital Editions will appear. Books that have either been added to Adobe Digital Editions manually or have been registered with your Adobe ID will appear in this window. Upon initial download and opening of the book (.acsm file), users will be prompted to register the book with their Adobe ID. If users do not have an Adobe ID, they may create one a) by clicking on the Create an Adobe ID link in the login window that will appear when the book is first opened or b) by visiting the Adobe website and clicking the Sign In link at the top right of the website then choosing Get an Adobe ID. Registration for an Adobe ID requires First and Last Name, an address, country, date of birth and a password. 14

16 Once the book is registered to the Adobe ID, the book will open within Adobe Digital Editions as shown in Figure 14. If using the mobile version, the screen will look like Figure 15. Figure 14: Adobe Digital Editions Bookshelf Continued Figure 15: Mobile Adobe Digital Editions Bookshelf Continued Now the user can read and access the book from the bookshelf within Adobe Digital Editions. Clicking on the book will open the reader portion of the program shown in Figure 16. For mobile, Figure 17 shows the reader view and Figure 18 shows the dropdown options. This is where the book is read. The book can be navigated using the table of contents, scroll bar, Go to page function, or by swiping within the mobile version of Adobe Digital Editions. Sections and Pages can be bookmarked, and content can be searched. 15

17 Figure 16: Adobe Digital Editions Reader Section Figure 17: Mobile Adobe Digital Editions Reader Section Figure 18: Mobile Adobe Digital Editions Reader Options Tip: Adding Table of Contents to a PDF The table of contents used to navigate the book within the ADE reader can be added in Adobe Acrobat Pro by setting up bookmarks based on titles and headings within the book. 16

18 Syncing Books Using Adobe Digital Editions on Other Computers and Devices For the books registered to your Adobe ID to appear on the Adobe Digital Editions bookshelf on other computers and devices, you will need to authenticate the computer through Adobe Digital Editions. This can be done on the computer version by going to Help -> Authorize Computer... and logging in with the Adobe ID you want to associate with the book as shown in Figures 19 and 20. Figure 19: To authorize the computer go to Help > Authorize Computer Figure 20: Adobe ID Sign In For the mobile version, tap on the drop down menu icon in the top left of the bookshelf view and tap Settings as shown in Figure 21. This will bring you to the settings page shown in Figure 22. Under accounts tap Authorize, which will take you to the page shown in Figure 23; this is where you will log in with your Adobe ID. 17

19 Figure 21: To authorize Mobile device, tap on the dropdown icon within the bookshelf view. Figure 22: Mobile Digital Editions Settings Page Figure 23: Mobile version Authorization page You also want to go to Library > Preferences and make sure that the Automatically download your synced books to this device option is enabled. This will allow any books that are able to be opened on other devices to be synced to Adobe Digital Editions on other computers and devices you are using. The process for computers is shown in Figures 24 and

20 Figure 24: Library > Preferences Tip: Initial Download and Sync of the book requires a Internet Connection Syncing books initially requires an Internet connection. Also, depending on book file size and speed of the Internet connection, it may take a while for the book to sync and appear in the Adobe Digital Editions bookshelf. Figure 25: Enable syncing of books If you are using the mobile version, once you have authorized Adobe Digital Editions with your Adobe ID, the settings page will look like Figure 26. What once was Authorize is now Deauthorize. Use this to log out of Adobe Digital Editions. Right below that, notice there is now an option that says Auto Download is ENABLED. Tap to Disable. If the option is disabled, enable it to allow books to sync to this device. 19

21 Figure 26: Enabling syncing of books in mobile version. Using Third-Party DRM Other Than EditionGuard As mentioned in earlier sections, EditionGuard is not the only third-party service that provides the Adobe Content Server DRM. It is best to research and find one that works best for you and is most affordable. It is also best to ensure that the third-party provider has plugins or extensions that work with the e-commerce platform you choose for the sale of your products. All third-party providers of the Adobe Content Server should work similarly to EditionGuard. DRM E-Commerce Integrations DRM allows for the protection of the content in an ebook, but a separate system is still required to sell the book itself: an e-commerce solution. The three most popular web platforms used today are WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. These platforms have a plethora of plugins that add functionality to improve website capabilities. E- commerce functionality is usually added as a plugin or extension to these platforms for online sales. Some of the most widely-implemented of these e-commerce plugins are Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce. In order to sell a PDF ebook securely with DRM, one of these web platforms with an e-commerce plugin or extension that works with your selected DRM provider will be needed. The e-commerce platform is where orders would be placed and managed; then, the PDF ebook can be disseminated either manually or through plugins and integrations that work with the e-commerce plugin/platform you are using. It is important to plan and assess how the e- commerce system and DRM system will work together to sell and distribute the PDF ebook securely. To simplify the integration of your e-commerce platform and DRM, many of the third-party DRM providers like EditionGuard have plugins that work with popular web/e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, and Woocommerce. With these plugins, the download link provided to the customer is created automatically rather than manually on the DRM website. 20