A black box on a PDF isn’t redaction if the text is still there.
Typical “redact” workflows drop a black rectangle over sensitive lines. Looks done — until someone selects the text underneath and copies the secret. DocBurn permanently burns solid black into the page pixels / export so the content is gone, not just covered.
DocBurn — try free, then unlock lifetime for $2.99
Permanent PDF redaction. Client-side. No upload.
Overlay “redact” vs permanent burn
- Typical PDF black-box overlay — a shape or annotation sitting on top of live text. Recipients can often select-to-copy, search, or peel the layer.
- Highlight / white-out “fixes” — cosmetic cover that still leaves the string in the document structure.
- DocBurn solid burn — redaction is burned into the exported page pixels so the secret isn’t sitting underneath waiting to be copied.
The problem this page is about
Contracts, invoices, and support dumps get shared with account numbers and PII still recoverable. Drawing a black rectangle feels like redaction because humans can’t read it at a glance — machines and a careful reader still can. If the line must not leave your machine as text, it needs to be destroyed in the export, not painted over.
What DocBurn does differently
- Draw solid black redactions over text and regions on PDF pages
- Burns redaction into page pixels so secrets can’t be selected or layered away
- Runs entirely in your browser — PDFs never upload
- Sibling to BlotOut (screenshots) for documents
- Free to try; $2.99 lifetime unlock
Ready to redact for real?
Try DocBurn free in the browser, then buy lifetime if it sticks.
Related
Need the same idea for screenshots? See BlotOut vs screenshot blur — reversible blur/pixelate vs burned solid black. Product landing: Why DocBurn?