The following list describes PDF content that will or will not be accepted by CM/ECF. If you try to upload a PDF with prohibited content, it will be rejected. The simplest way to address most PDF upload rejections is to flatten the PDF and then upload it. Instructions on how to flatten a PDF are provided below.
PDFs with the following content will be rejected:
- Does not comply with PDF format standards
- Encrypted or password-protected
- Contains scripts which can launch an external application
- Contains internal attachments
- Contains audio and video content
- Created with Mac OS X using a fillable form in the Safari browser
- Created with Mac OS X using MS Word and selecting the option, “Best for printing”
PDFs with the following content will be accepted:
- Contains editable forms will be accepted by the system
- Contains hyperlinks to external web sites
- Meets the PDF-A standard
- Contains optical character recognition (OCR) meta-data
- Comprised of scanned documents
- Created with Mac OS X using a fillable form in the Chrome browser
- Created with Mac OS X using MS Word and selecting the option, “Best for Electronic Distribution”
How to Flatten a PDF
The simplest way to address most PDF upload rejections is to flatten the PDF and then upload it.
- Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat or another tool that lets you work with PDF documents.
- Print the PDF file to your PDF printer (File > Print > select Adobe PDF or another PDF printer listed in the drop-down list).
- Save the printed PDF and upload it for filing.