[100% Working] Flatten PDF in Adobe Acrobat and Its Alternatives

Cisdem PDFMaster

Simpler and Cheaper Alternative to Adobe Acrobat

Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7

Free Download macOS 11 or later

Assume the following scenarios:

• You are going to print a complicated PDF with multiple markups and interactive elements, however, the document may appear cluttered on different devices when printing.
• You’ve filled out a fillable PDF form and are ready to hand it in, but you are afraid of accidental deletion or unauthorized changes from viewers.
• You have a design that has added a completed stamp, a signature and some essential notes, and you want to make them non-editable before sharing this PDF with others.

......

What should you do in these situations? Flattening your PDF is a game changer. This article will elaborate on 5 100% working ways to flatten PDF in Acrobat and other applications.

Cisdem PDFMaster

Simpler and Cheaper Alternative to Adobe Acrobat

• Flatten a PDF to make interactive elements non-editable.
• Batch flatten PDF documents at one go.
• Make modifications to text and image content before flattening.
• Convert PDF to images and turn them back to PDF.
• Enable to add various form fields, stamps, annotations, comments, etc.
• Protect PDF documents well: set passwords, add watermarks, redact data and sign digitally.
• Have as many and powerful features as Adobe Acrobat.
• Designed with a simple user interface and cost-effective.

Free Download macOS 11 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
Earlier than macOS 11, click here

What Does “Flatten a PDF” Mean?

Flattening a PDF is the process of merging all layers of a PDF document into one single static layer. After flattening, the interactive form fields become non-fillable and the data information you entered before has now become part of the native text. Likewise, other inserted elements like comments, annotations and stamps will also be uneditable and integrated with the original content. 

Therefore, in case you need to modify these additions later, it is recommended that you make a copy of the original PDF before flattening it, or save the flattened PDF as a new file.

How to Flatten a PDF in Acrobat Pro?

Now that you have understood the magic of flattening a PDF, then how should we flatten a PDF? Some users consider Adobe Acrobat Reader to be a good choice for flattening a PDF through its print capability, but actually, in our tests, we found that this method can only preserve part of the content added to the document. To be specific, you can only print one of the following four options: document, document and markups, document and stamps, or form fields only.

To keep the PDF content intact, the real solution is to use Adobe Acrobat Pro, the professional version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. It has a print production feature for flattening PDF documents. Here’s the step-by-step tutorial on how to flatten a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.

1. Start a 7-day free trial of Adobe Acrobat Pro, run the software.
2. Go to File tab at the top left corner to import your PDF file.
3. Choose Print Production tool from Tools menu.
4. Click Flattener Preview on the right panel, a dialog box will appear.
5. In the dialog box, adjust the settings as you need, tick the box next to Convert All Text to Outlines and deselect Clip Complex Regions.
6. Continue with Apply button and print the document.

How to Flatten PDF in Acrobat's Alternative?

The complex interface of Adobe Acrobat is indeed unfriendly to novices. Plentiful options it provides become a confusion, which requires a long learning curve of users. So a simpler alternative to Adobe Acrobat is helpful. 

Cisdem PDFMaster is one of the most effective and fast approaches to flatten a PDF. It is an all-in-one PDF editor where you can perform diverse operations on PDF documents, making you a real PDF master. You can make edits to text content, manipulate PDF pages, create fillable forms, sign electronically and digitally, recognize scans and images, white/black out valuable information, reduce PDF file size, protect PDF documents and so on.

It provides several ways for you to flatten a PDF and even batch flatten PDF documents: save/share the imported PDF as a flattened PDF directly, batch print PDF documents (all content is maintained), batch convert PDF documents into images.

#1. Flatten a PDF Document in Acrobat’s Alternative

1. Install this robust PDF editor on Windows or Mac.
   Free Download macOS 11 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
   Earlier than macOS 11, click here
2. Run the application, drag your PDF document into the Home interface to open it.
3. In the work interface, expand the File drop-down menu and click Save as Flattened PDF. 
4. Choose a directory, type the file name and click Save to get a flattened PDF.

#2. Batch Flatten PDF Documents

1. Open Cisdem PDFMaster app and import a PDF document into the program.
2. Hit the Print icon, or press “Ctrl + P” keys to pop up the Print dialog box.
3. Choose All Content from Print content to keep all the annotations, comments, stamps and form fields intact. 
4. Click on Batch button and import more PDF files, click Print to flatten PDFs in bulk.

How to Flatten a PDF on Mac Preview?

If you are a Mac user, Preview can be your good assistant to flatten a PDF. It is the default program on Mac for viewing images and PDF documents. As a free and built-in viewer, Preview has offered a set of basic features, such as adding passwords, redacting sensitive information, inserting text boxes, managing PDF pages and printing a PDF with multiple settings. 

Flatten a PDF on Mac Free by Printing

1. Right click on your PDF document and open it with Preview.
2. Go ahead to the File tab > Print....
3. In the pop up window, click Show Details and choose Save as PDF from the PDF menu list.
4. Rename the flattened PDF and save it to your desktop.

Flatten PDF Free on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows 

There are times when we don't have a computer with us and need to process documents urgently. In this case, a handy online tool can play a big role. With a stable Internet connection, it can process PDF files easily on any mobile device, including iPhone and Android. 

PDF24 Tools: A Full-Fledged Online Platform 

It contains a wide range of PDF tools to solve various PDF problems, from editing PDF, converting PDF, protecting PDF to printing and flattening PDF. This online site makes flattening PDF an easy and fast thing. All you need to do is to import your PDF and start the processing.

• Step 1. Search “PDF24 Tools” in a browser on your device.
• Step 2. Choose Flatten PDF tool from all tools.
• Step 3. Click Choose files to upload several PDF files.
• Step 4. When PDF documents are uploaded successfully, press Flatten button to start the processing.
• Step 5. Download the zip on your device.

Frequently Asked Questions About Flatten PDF Acrobat

1. How to tell if a PDF is flattened?

You can open this PDF in a PDF viewer such as Preview, and check if you can modify the color of the highlight you drew earlier. Besides, you should also check if you can edit and fill in the form fields. If you can't do either of the above, then the PDF file is flattened. Simply put, a flattened PDF doesn’t contain any interactive elements and is not editable.

2. Does flattening a PDF make it print better?

The answer is definitely yes, flattening a PDF does make it print better. Flattening a PDF will combine all layers of a PDF into a single one and all the content is static. It prevents problems such as inconsistent fonts and misaligned paragraphs when transferring PDF files to different devices for printing.

3. Does flattening a PDF remove metadata?    

Yes, flattening a PDF can remove the hidden metadata. However, if you want to remove the file information like its author, title, creation date and the program it was produced, you are recommended to utilize a metadata editor to delete them without difficulties.