Document Integrity And Preview Mode; Preview Mode And Signing Workflows - Adobe 22002486 User Manual

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Document Integrity and Preview Mode

Since 8.1, Acrobat has defined PDF features that should be avoided when producing a document that has
a deterministic and repeatable visual rendering. Acrobat's preview mode feature is designed to display
that rendering to users during signing and signature validation.
Preview mode analyzes a document for signing best practices and generates a report and messages which
indicate the presence of content that might violate those practices. Preview mode suppresses content that
may alter the document's appearance, thereby allowing you to view, sign, and validate the document in a
static and secure state.
In general, documents that contain no dynamic content (and only recognizable PDF content) are safer to
sign that documents with content that can impair one's ability to see what they are signing and validation.
At a high (and simplistic) level, static documents are good; dynamic documents are risky.
To mitigate the risk associated with signatures in complex documents, preview mode makes the
document as static as possible and also generates a report about what behaviors could and could not be
suppressed. Using this feature involves the following:
Learning when and how to use preview mode during signing or signature validation.
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If preview mode or warnings are reviewed, analyzing the result to determine if a document should be
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trusted.
Tip:

8.1 Preview Mode and Signing Workflows

While preview mode may not be needed in your workflow, using it offers a higher degree of assurance that
signers and signature validators are viewing the same document and that the signed version is unlikely to
change in signing workflows. Users should decide for themselves whether to sign and even trust
signatures in documents that contain dynamic content. Therefore, preview mode is recommended for
both signing and validation.
Preview mode can be invoked during any part of a workflow:
Before or during signing: When the preference View documents in preview document mode when

signing is turned on, preview mode is automatically invoked.
After signing: Right click on any signature and choose View Signed Version.
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Application behavior varies slightly depending on how preview mode was invoked. In general, however,
PDF signature report information can be viewed on the document message bar (DMB) text or by choosing
the View Report button on the DMB.
There is only a loose correlation between signature or document status and the
information displayed in the PDF Signature report. The report is simply a tool designed to
identify the presence of potentially malicious dynamic content that could affect the
integrity of your signing workflow. Therefore, signature status and PDF signature report
information may appear to be contradictory.
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