Need to flatten a PDF? Or want to embed particular annotations, images or other elements onto your documents? Perhaps you need to mark up and share a PDF and want to prevent unauthorized modifications, edits and deletions or perhaps you simply want to embed text, graphics and other elements into your documents.

Whatever the reason, the ability to flatten a PDF quickly can be incredibly useful to anyone who works with PDFs.

Flattening a PDF refers to the process of converting a PDF document from a layered, editable format into a single, non-editable image-like format. When a PDF is flattened, all the elements of the document, such as text, images, annotations, and graphical elements, are combined into a single layer. 

Here’s how to flatten PDFs and PDF elements using the Drawboard PDF.

Flatten a PDF using Drawboard PDF quick tools: https://www.drawboard.com/tools/flatten-pdf 

With our PDF Quick tools, you can also compress, convert, merge, split PDFs quickly.

For more advanced flattening capabilities, we recommend using the Drawboard PDF Windows app. Flattening is available on all local documents. With the Windows app you can flatten individual annotations or a selection of annotations as well as a whole PDF document. You can download the app here.

Using the Windows app:

To flatten a whole PDF document

1. Tap the 3 dots in the LHS menu from your canvas
2. Tap Annotations
3. Select Flatten Annotations
4. Select Yes

To flatten one annotation

1. Using the Select tool of Pan tool, select the annotation that you would like to flatten
2. The selection menu will appear. Tap Flatten
3. Select Yes

To flatten a few markups in one go

1. Using the select tool drawing and select the annotations that you would like to flatten
2. The selection menu will appear. Tap Flatten
3. Select Yes

The annotation/s will now be flattened and this cannot be reversed. Flattening a PDF is a one-way process. Once flattened, elements on your page are embedded into the PDF and will no longer be editable in any way.

Want to try Drawboard PDF for free? Download the app.