Practical PDF advice
PDF Checklist Before Sending an Email Attachment
Seven practical checks before emailing a PDF to a colleague, client, or customer.
Check the intended recipient
Confirm the email address before attaching any confidential document. An email sent to the wrong address cannot always be recalled.
Open the final PDF
Make sure the file opens and all pages display properly. Do not rely solely on the PDF filename or preview thumbnail.
Review hidden information
Comments, attachments, document properties, and extra pages can contain information you did not intend to share. A visual cover-up is not secure redaction.
Check readability and size
Large image-heavy PDFs may be difficult to send. Compress a copy when necessary, then inspect the output for blurry text and missing images.
Use a descriptive filename
Prefer an informative filename such as 2026-Project-Proposal.pdf, and avoid including sensitive information in the filename itself.
Confirm signatures when needed
A visible drawn signature is not necessarily a cryptographically validated digital signature. Follow the recipient’s legal and organizational requirements.
Keep the original
Save an untouched original separately and send a copy. For sensitive files, choose an approved sharing method instead of ordinary email.
Use a non-sensitive test document first and verify the exported file before sharing it.
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