Help for portal-ready PDF prep

How it works

PDF Ready prepares your documents in a simple flow:

1. Import a PDF (from Files, Downloads, Drive, etc.).
2. Choose the profile that best matches your destination portal: GENERAL, CEAC, or IRCC.
3. Enable extra options only if needed (for example, OCR or PDF/A-2b).
4. Tap “Generate PDF” and then export or share the result.

Note: your original PDF is not modified; PDF Ready creates an output copy based on the selected profile and, only when needed, extra options such as OCR or PDF/A-2b.

Practical tip: the easiest way to open, send, or save the generated PDF is usually to use Share directly from the app instead of hunting for the file manually in local storage.

On-device processing: quick airplane-mode check

PDF Ready uses your phone or tablet to prepare the PDF on-device without relying on an external web converter. If you want to check that practical behavior yourself, do this quick test:

1. Save a PDF locally on the device.
2. Switch on airplane mode.
3. Open PDF Ready.
4. Import the local file.
5. Generate a new version.

Note: this test is only about local PDF processing on the device. Removing the watermark requires connectivity for the purchase through Google Play. Sharing the result through email, cloud storage, or any other external service also depends on that service being available.

Related trust guide: Prepare sensitive PDFs without uploading them.

App profiles

Each destination portal usually has typical requirements around size and compatibility. PDF Ready lets you choose the profile that best matches that destination or the target size you need, and the engine manages the output automatically inside that profile. Extra options such as OCR or PDF/A-2b should only be enabled when the portal actually needs them.

Practical rule: if the file is not going to CEAC or IRCC, start with GENERAL and the target size you need.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition): turns text visible in an image into searchable and selectable text. Enable it only when you really need that result. If your priority is meeting a strict size limit, start by getting a version that fits without OCR.

What PDF Ready does in practice

• It creates an output copy and does not modify the original PDF.
• It adapts the result to the selected profile or target size.
• It can add OCR or PDF/A-2b when those options are actually needed.
• It sanitizes or removes JavaScript and other active content when generating the copy.
• It warns you when a file has a digital signature or another limitation that affects processing.
• It should not be used if a digital signature must remain valid.

GENERAL

Flexible profile for any portal that is not specifically CEAC or IRCC.

• Target sizes: supports 1-10 MB, plus 15 MB, 20 MB and 25 MB.
• Automatic output: the engine adjusts resolution and compression automatically inside the profile.
• OCR: enable it only if you need searchable or selectable text.
• PDF/A-2b: enable it only if the portal actually requires it.

CEAC

Profile for CEAC uploads with stricter document requirements and less room for transformation.

• Automatic output: the engine keeps the CEAC-specific output logic and adapts the file without exposing manual output controls.
• OCR: enable it only if you actually need selectable or searchable text.
• PDF/A-2b: enable it only if the portal or document really requires it.

IRCC

Profile aimed at meeting file-size requirements in IRCC workflows.

• Automatic output: to help meet the maximum size, the flow can convert to grayscale automatically when needed.
• OCR: enable it only if you need searchable or selectable text. When the main goal is a strict size limit, try to get a version that fits without OCR first.
• PDF/A-2b: if you enable it, the output is generated as PDF/A-2b. Enable it only when the portal actually requires it.

Limitations and special cases

If a file hits any of these, you will see warnings and suggestions:

Protected PDFs (password / permissions)

A protected PDF is not always a dead end. What matters is whether the file asks for a password and whether the destination portal accepts protected PDFs. This comes up often in stricter upload flows such as CEAC.

• If the PDF asks for a password and you know it, enter it so PDF Ready can unlock and process the file.
• If it opens without asking for a password, try “Unlock” to remove restrictions before generating a new upload-ready copy.
• If the portal rejects protected PDFs, upload the new unlocked/generated copy instead of the still-restricted original.
• If it asks for a password and you do not know it, PDF Ready cannot process that file.

Related portal guidance: CEAC.

JavaScript or active content in PDFs

For safety, PDF Ready sanitizes/removes it when generating the result. Some interactivity may be lost.

Dynamic XFA forms

Dynamic XFA forms are not supported. The practical fix is to open the original in the source app, export a flat PDF or use “Print to PDF”, and then import that flat copy into PDF Ready.

Digital signatures

If you need a digital signature to remain valid, do not process that PDF with PDF Ready. Keep the original signed PDF and submit that version instead.

Final file size

• Final size depends on content (photos, scans, number of pages, etc.).
• The visible watermark adds some size.
• When PDF Ready marks the size goal as met, that assessment already refers to the final watermark-free copy.
• The review version with the visible watermark can look slightly above the requested limit because the watermark itself adds some size.
• That does not necessarily mean the final watermark-free copy will exceed the limit.
• Always review the exact version you plan to upload.

Watermark & purchases

• The free version exports with a visible watermark (diagonal).
• After generating a version, you will see the “Remove watermark” button for that document.
• From the app, you can buy a watermark-free unlock for this document through Google Play.
• If you already unlocked that same original document on this device, new versions generated from it also come out watermark-free.
• This is a per-document unlock, not a subscription and not an unlock for every document.

Support

• Support: [email protected]
• Purchases & refunds: If something fails with a purchase or PDF generation, contact PDF Ready and send an issue report from the Issue report link at the bottom of the Help screen. Google Play handles billing and refunds under its own policies.
• Issue report: in the app help screen, use Issue report to copy or email a diagnostics summary with recent runs, sizes, and applied steps. It does not include PDF contents unless you explicitly share them.

See also: Privacy · Terms

PDF vs PDF/A-2b PDF/A-2b

Use the guide page as the canonical explanation:

• Read the PDF/A-2b guide