PDF files are a very popular way of sharing formatted documents due to their flexibility and lightweight nature—they work on most devices and operating systems.
In this post, I’ll show you how to use a WordPress PDF plugin to embed and protect PDF files in your WordPress posts and pages.
PDFs can be used by all kinds of business, whether you want to display a catalog for your properties or show menu items for your restaurant.
Some of the advantages of using PDF files are:
When displaying information on your web pages, you should also think about how your users will consume it. While they’re not as accessible as including information directly in HTML, PDF files provide a more friendly experience than other file formats. For example, not everyone will be able to open a Word document!
PDF files provide the ability to deny copying or printing. This is important when you need to protect intellectual property.
A PDF file provides a way for users to interact with a document without changing the content. For example, people can digitally sign the document without being able to change the content.
You can read a PDF from any device and in any language. The original version is always the same, regardless of the number of times it is shared.
Below are some instances when you should use PDF files:
Once you purchase the plugin, you will get a link to the files. Alternatively, you can find them in the download section of your account with your other purchased items.
You will then need to log in to your WordPress site, go to Plugins > Add New, and upload the provided zip files. After uploading, click Install Now, then wait a few seconds and click Activate. You can now start using the plugin.
PDF Viewer for WordPress is the perfect way to display your PDF in WordPress. It is fully responsive and compatible with major browsers. Other features include:
Once you install the PDF viewer, it will appear on the left side of your admin menu as shown below.
We will start by uploading the PDF file we want to display on our page. PDF Viewer for WordPress comes with an upload feature that lets you makes the upload process easy and seamless. You can upload a PDF file from your library or from an external source and then obtain a URL to the document on your server.
Simply follow the following steps:
Paste this link into a post or page to embed your PDF, which should appear as shown below once embedded.
PDF Viewer for WordPress also provides the ability to import a PDF file from any URL. The process is similar to the upload method we looked at above.
PDF Viewer for WordPress also lets you customize the look of your PDFs and viewer. Click on Customize Look and choose a theme or use a custom color as your theme. You can also change the text color on the toolbar as well as style icons.
If you want to protect your files from being downloaded by everyone, there are a few measures you can use to ensure that your content is only accessible to permitted persons.
In this section, I’ll show you how to use password protection to protect your content.
Password-protected pages allow you to hide information from users unless they have the password. It’s easy to set up password protection on posts and pages.
To protect a post or page using a password, simply follow the following steps:
The post or page should now prompt you for a password when you view it.
Apart from private access and password protection to pages and posts, there are other advanced ways in which you can protect your PDFs. These include:
Another alternative for protecting PDFs is setting a document open password. A document open password requires a user to type a password in order to open the PDF. Most financial institutions use this method when sending out statements since each password is unique to each user.
Once your PDF is password protected, you can embed it into any page or post. This ensures another layer of security for your PDFs.
PDFs are very popular on modern websites. Whether you want to display a product catalog, flyer, or invoice, PDFs are the most likely format to be used. They provide a seamless experience for your users, by ensuring every user can read your content regardless of which device, browser or language they are using.
