OS 10.4: Create an Encrypted PDF

Many of us know it’s very easy to create a PDF in OS 10.3 and 10.4.

Open the document you want to save as a PDF file.
Choose File > Print.
Choose a command from the PDF pop-up menu.

To create a PDF file, choose Save as PDF. This creates a digital master PDF file. All graphics are at full resolution, and the file includes each font character it uses.

You can then email the PDF to anyone who has the free Adobe Reader program installed on their computer. Almost everyone has some version of Adobe Reader on their computer; it’s a free download if they don’t have it for some reason.

To create an encrypted PDF file, choose “Encrypt PDF.” You will then be prompted to assign a password to the PDF. Only people who have the password will be able to open the PDF.

To create an encrypted PDF file, choose Encrypt PDF and enter a password. Anyone who wants to open the PDF file will need to enter that password.

Thus, in OS X, any document that can be printed can also be stored as an encrypted PDF file. Pretty cool!