X-Cart forums

[jimcon]

We have a number of documents that we sell and deliver as hard copies. Currently, these documents are in PDF formats, but the format is not important. We would like to deliver the documents as customer down loads. Yes, I know that this can be done.
Our concern is that the customer could easily make multiple copies on sell or give them away to friends.
Does anyone have any suggestions about limiting the number of times that the document can be printed.

I know that there are several high end products, read that as very high priced, that will do this. We are a small operation can not justify spending more than a years product revenue to protect the product from unauthorized copying.

Thanks, in advance

Jim Conway

[jimcon]

I have found two answers to protecting PDF files
The best one is Multimedia protector
this product allows timed demos and allows you to restrict printing from none to some quantify
http://www.mirage-systems.de/products/multimedia-protector/overview-home/

The other one converts a PDF to a flash file and allows you to prevent copying or printing http://print2flash.com/index.php

[Jean-Yves]

Another option would be to have your PDF stamped with the customer detilas as a watermark (on the fly while they are buying), Since the name of the customer, email (whatever you decide)and so on would be engraved on the documents, it is not as tempting to distribute, and if so, you'll know exactly who is doing it.

Check out

http://www.setasign.de/products/pdf-php-solutions/setapdf-stamper/

Just another suggestion...

[Shamun]

Sorry to say, but trying to protect something you give to a customer is not very cost effective.
If it can be viewed on a computer, I could use the 'Print Screen' button and copy it into photoshop to bypass anything embedded in the PDF. If its a video type, then a screen recorder can be used.

The only decent way to protect your products is to do as Jean says. When you remove the anonymous part of the internet, peoples backbones melt and will either try to blank it out (easily done in photoshop) or just not distribute it.
I would suggest putting their name, email, phone and last four digits of the CC as a stamp across the entire document.

There's also another way of protection, but only really effective if you're willing to take people to court over it. Have some small typos or characters on the pages that are unique to that persons purchase. If your product is pirated, you can match up the characters to see whos copy it is, while the buyer is none the wiser.

[jimcon]

Shane
Thanks for your thoughts
What I am trying to protect is a set of four books in PDF format.
Right now, I think that Multimedia Protectorbis my best bet
It converts the PDF file so that only a special viewer can view or print the content
I plan to offer the books with a five day time out that is ties to the user's
'computer. Until the product is bought, they will not be able to print it
After they they buy it, they can print only one copy

Since these books are sold over a large geographical area, there is no way that I could be aware of a buyer making copies. So watermark types of protect will offer very little protection.

I have one of these PDF documents in a public folder at Dropbox, if you want to take a look
I have no experience with Photoshop, so I would be very interested in finding out if your approach would work.
If you want to try the Photoshop that you mentioned, send me a PM and I will send you the address.