How to Create a Secure PDF Doc with Cloaked, Clickable Links
| by Paula Brett |Some of the most popular questions I see on internet marketing forums involve creating PDF documents
Particularly, many people creating their first eBook want to do so in PDF format but are a little in the dark about how it all works.
How do I turn a document into PDF format?
How do I make clickable links?”
How do I cloak the links so you can click on words like `Click Here’ instead of having to display the full url of a website?
How do I secure my PDF document so it can’t be copy and pasted?
Here’s a short, illustrated tutorial that you might find helpful
- Go to http://www.openoffice.org and download a free copy of this wordprocessing software – it’s quite similar to Word!

- Once you’ve downloaded and installed on your computer, open up a new page

- Alternatively, if you have already typed your content in, say, Word, then copy and paste it to a blank page

N.B. You may find that the formatting is rearranged from Word to Open Office, so you will probably have to spend a few moments sorting out your formatting. However, now that you’ve got Open Office on your computer, you will be able to begin future projects immediately in Open Office.
- To change text into links simply highlight the words

- Then click on the hyperlink icon in the top tool bar

- You will then see a pop-up box which you need to complete

- Insert the url that you wish to link to in the Target box
- Set the frame as _blank in the drop down Frame box – this means that when someone clicks on your link they will still be able to access your PDF underneath, they will not close it when they close the webpage that you have just directed the reader to.
- If the words don’t already appear (sometimes they are there automatically) then type in the words that you wish the reader to see in the Text box e.g. Click Here
- You may also wish to include an image which, when clicked, leads to a website. Simply click on the image and follow the steps above from clicking on the hyperlink icon – you won’t need to fill out the Text box
Once you have created all your links, you will want to convert your document into PDF format.
- Go to your top tool bar and click on File to get a drop down menu, select Export as PDF

- You will now have another box pop up, click on the Security tab and check the restrict permissions box. Choose your restrictions.

- Then click on the set permission password box

- Insert your password, confirm it, click OK
- Click the Export button and you will see a pop up with all your files and directories on your computer. Choose where you want to save your PDF file on your computer from the dropdown menu, name it in the File Name box, click Save

- Go to where you have saved your PDF to view it

Check out your new PDF file to see if everything is how it should be. You can always make amendments by opening the original Open Office document and then creating your PDF again.
If you right click on your PDF document or try to select any text to copy and paste, you will see that this cannot be done.
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19 Responses to “How to Create a Secure PDF Doc with Cloaked, Clickable Links”
By Al (PaPaGrizz) Nelson
on Jul 21, 2008 | | Reply
Paula, Thank you very much for posting this!
The way you explain things make it so easy to understand, I am going to throw out all the Tech manuals I own…
By John Szram
on Jul 21, 2008 | | Reply
Nice guide Paula.
This is the way I do it. I know some who still use Word and then print to cutePDF or similar, but in my experience you get better results using OpenOffice and best of all it’s FREE!
…and not made by Microsoft!
Thank you,
John Szram
By Colin
on Jul 21, 2008 | | Reply
Hi Paula,that’s a great, easy to follow tutorial you’ve put together.
Thanks
Colin
By Paula Brett
on Jul 21, 2008 | Follow me on Twitter | Reply
Thanks, guys, I’m glad that it’s helpful to you. Of course there are various different ways of doing it, but I think this is probably the simplest
Paula
By Stuart Turnbull
on Jul 21, 2008 | Follow me on Twitter | Reply
Paula
Brilliant! Your explanation and screen shots make the process so easy to understand.
Thank you.
Stuart
http://www.printsmakeprofits.com
By Charlie Wildish
on Jul 22, 2008 | | Reply
Hi Paula
I agree with all the above comments. The screenshots really make it easy to follow.
I’ve given you a well deserved “digg”.
Charlie
By Randy Smith
on Jul 22, 2008 | Follow me on Twitter | Reply
Nice one Paula,
I find screen shots always make such a difference…
Instead of wondering whether they’ve clicked the right “box on the top bar” ???
They can see exactly what they were supposed to do!
You might consider making a short report out of this…lol
Randy
http://www.RandolfSmith.com
By Paula Brett
on Jul 22, 2008 | Follow me on Twitter | Reply
Thanks for the digg Charlie, that was kind you.
Randy, yes, I was going to turn it into a PDF, lol, following my own instructions, of course.
Paula
By Derek
on Aug 14, 2008 | | Reply
Dear Paula – I just came from a Google search trying to find out more information about the Boomerang List Builder (the program he supplies does much the same thing) but figured there was an easier way to do it (without spending a dime on it either!) and you came to the rescue.
Many thanks!
Mr D.
By Paula Brett
on Aug 15, 2008 | Follow me on Twitter | Reply
Thanks for stopping by and for taking time to leave a comment, Derek.
I’m a little confused, though, as creating a PDF is nothing to do with Boomerang Listbuilder!
Paula
By Debt Settlement
on Aug 20, 2008 | | Reply
Ive been trying to find out how to do this. Thanks for the info. I finally got it to work. Great post by the way.
By iulian
on Sep 8, 2008 | | Reply
i think it took me longer than usual. why do you have to password the document in order for the copypaste changes to take effect? and when i open it, im not prompted for any pass.. its just me, or thats the way it is.. it took me a while anyway
great work!
By Paula Brett
on Sep 8, 2008 | Follow me on Twitter | Reply
Hi iulian, no, that’s just the way it is. The password protection is just for you, so that readers cannot copy and paste it, it’s not supposed to be for readers to insert a password to read the document.
Glad you got it done in the end, anyway.
Paula
By ja
on Nov 23, 2008 | | Reply
Hi
Very nice information, wander if there is easy
way to change uncklickable pdf links to make them clickable, used pdf to word program, but must be easier way.
By Aj
on Jan 23, 2009 | | Reply
Nice Work Paula. Very simple and easy process.
Thanks a lot.
By Danny Scahill
on Jan 13, 2010 | Follow me on Twitter | Reply
Hi Paula,
I’ve created a PDF file with lots of links in it. They are all fully functional in Word and only some of them are functional in the actual PDF. The ones that are functional in the PDF file have exactly the same text display as the address to go to e.g text: http://www.tapping.com and destination url: http://www.tapping.com
The ones that dont work in the PDF have an affiliate link for dest url and plain text for the text to display! Please help! thanks.
Danny
By Paula Brett
on Feb 12, 2010 | Follow me on Twitter | Reply
The trick, Danny, I think, is to create your document initially in Open Office ( http://www.openoffice.org ).