PdfRedact

A robust PDF redaction library that securely removes sensitive information while preserving document integrity.

Features at a Glance

🔒 Comprehensive Redaction

• Handles both visual content and searchable text layers
• True removal of sensitive information

⚙️ Flexible Configuration

• Adjustable image quality (DPI)
• Configurable text handling (invisible or removed)
• Cross-platform support (Windows & Unix)

🛠️ Professional-Grade Tools

• High-resolution image processing
• Precise coordinate-based redaction
• Document searchability preservation

Installation

pip install pdfredact

Dependencies

• Python 3.10+
• Poppler (PDF to image conversion)
• Pillow (Image processing)
• ReportLab (PDF generation)

Windows Setup

Windows users must install Poppler and either:

• Set the POPPLER_PATH environment variable
• Provide the path explicitly in function calls

How It Works

The redaction process follows a secure two-step approach:

1. Image Layer Redaction 📸

   • Converts PDF pages to high-resolution images
   • Applies black rectangles to specified areas
   • Maintains quality through configurable DPI

2. Text Layer Processing 📝

   • Generates a new searchable text layer
   • Removes or obscures text in redacted regions
   • Preserves document searchability

Usage Example

from pdfredact import redact_pdf_to_images, build_text_redacted_pdf

# Define redaction areas using page coordinates
redactions = [{
    "bounds": {
        "left": 100,
        "right": 200,
        "top": 50,
        "bottom": 75
    },
    "tokensJsons": [...],  # Token information
    "rawText": "sensitive text"
}]

# Step 1: Generate redacted images
redacted_images = redact_pdf_to_images(
    pdf_bytes=pdf_content,
    pawls_pages=page_data,
    page_annotations=[redactions],
    dpi=300
)

# Step 2: Create final PDF with redacted text layer
build_text_redacted_pdf(
    output_pdf="redacted_document.pdf",
    redacted_images=redacted_images,
    pawls_pages=page_data,
    page_redactions=[redactions],
    dpi=300,
    hide_text=True  # Text remains copyable but invisible
)

Best Practices

📋 Quality Assurance

• Use 300+ DPI for optimal output quality
• Verify redactions through:
  • Visual inspection
  • Copy/paste testing
  • Text extraction tool verification

⚠️ Known Limitations

• Processing time scales with DPI and document size
• Large documents require substantial memory
• Image-based PDFs need special handling

Security Advisory

⚠️ Important: Always verify redacted documents thoroughly. The PDF format is complex and support can vary. Multiple verification methods are recommended for sensitive materials.

Disclaimer: We are not liable for consequences arising from improperly redacted PDFs.

License

pdfredact is distributed under the terms of the MIT license.