Don't Email That PDF Before Reading Its Metadata

A PDF contains more than what you see. Before emailing a document, check what's hidden:

1. Author name and edit history
   File → Properties shows who created it, what software was used, and sometimes the edit chain. Your client doesn't need to know you used a cracked copy of Acrobat in 2019.

2. GPS coordinates
   Photos embedded in PDFs often carry EXIF location data. That "confidential proposal" might be broadcasting your office coordinates.

3. Deleted content
   PDFs support incremental saves. Redacted text can sometimes be recovered because the original content is still in the file.Use proper redaction tools, not black rectangles.

4. Embedded fonts and scripts
   Some PDFs ship with JavaScript. Not common, but worth stripping before forwarding.

Quick fix checklist before sending any PDF:

1. Inspect metadata: iamuu.com PDF inspector shows everything in one click
2. Strip metadata: Remove author, software, and timestamps
3. Redact properly: Use actual redaction (content deletion), not annotation overlays
4. Add password: For sensitive documents, encryption is the only real protection

I learned this the hard way — sent a contract proposal to a client and they replied "cool, but why does your PDF say you worked on this at 11:42 PM from Starbucks?"

Five minutes of cleanup before every send. Build it into your workflow.