How To Print, Save, and Bypass Sealed PDF (.spdf) Security Restrictions

After purchasing my math book from iChapters.com, I was pissed off to find out that the chapters are in secure pdf format (.spdf). That means that I had to install the Oracle IRM unsealer in order to view my chapters. These .pdf’s cannot be opened without the unsealer program, which authenticates you and unlocks the document. However, you’re not home free once the document is unlocked.

Here are some of the hindrances and restrictions:

• You need to install 3rd party software to view the .spdf
• You must be connected to the internet (no offline viewing)
• You cannot print to a digital file (cannot print to .ps, .pdf, or use Microsoft XPS Document Writer)
• You must remember to “check-in” the .spdf because it can’t be viewed on more than two computers

These restrictions don’t just go for the material on iChapters.com, it also goes for lots of other .spdf distributors as well. What I hate about the whole thing is that I paid for the material, yet I cannot conveniently access it without jumping through hoops. Unless I wanted to print out 1,000 pages, then I can’t take the chapters with me. Even still, if I wanted to view the files, I’ll have to make sure there’s an internet connection and also make sure that I haven’t opened the file on two different computers because that would leave the file license “checked-out” and not viewable on any other machines.

These restrictions are set in place to prevent bad people from redistributing the material, but at what cost? A HUGE cost to the honest user, I’ll tell ya. So, here’s how to get around that nonsense and print the .spdf to a more convenient .pdf file:

• Setup a CUPS print server on a 2nd PC (or use a virtual machine)
• Add and share a PDF printer on the CUPS server
• Connect/add to the CUPS PDF printer to your PC that can view the .spdf
• Print the .spdf to the networked CUPS PDF printer

Basically, this circumvents the digital print security by making the .spdf think that it’s being printed to a real networked printer.

Setting up CUPS

First, you need to setup CUPS. This guide is going to be using Ubuntu 8.10 as the CUPS server.

Install the CUPS-pdf printer by opening a terminal and running “sudo apt-get install cups-pdf”.

IMPORTANT: After you install “cups-pdf”, create a folder named “PDF” in your home folder. For example, my home directory is /home/prochobo so the folder will be /home/prochobo/PDF. If you skip this step, the .pdf’s you print will have no place to be saved!

Then, go to “System -> Administration -> Printing”. Here, you will need to add a new printer.

Make sure “CUPS-PDF” is selected as the device

Then go with the default options from here on.

Share CUPS-PDF Printer

Right click on the CUPS PDF Printer and check the “Sharing” check box. Then, go to “Server -> Settings” and make sure “Publish shared printers connected to this system” and “Allow printing from the Internet” are checked.

Verify CUPS PDF Printer and Get Address

Now that you have the printer shared, you will need to verify your installation and locate the address of the printer.

Open a web browser and browse to “http://youripaddress:631″. Replace “youripaddress” with the private IP address of the Ubuntu (or whatever distro) CUPS server. For example, my private IP is 192.168.37.128, so the URL I need to browse to is “http://192.168.37.128:631″.

Now go to “Manage Printers”, then click on the CUPS-PDF printer we just created.
Once you’re at the CUPS-PDF-Printer page, take note of the URL in your address bar. This is the address that we will use on your Windows PC to connect to the CUPS server. In this example, the URL I would copy and use is “http://192.168.37.128:631/printers/CUPS-PDF-Printer”

Adding CUPS-PDF-Printer to Windows

Now that we’ve verified that the PDF printer is installed and shared, we can now add it to our Windows PC that will be opening/printing the sealed pdfs.

I’m using Windows XP for this example. The process for Windows Vista is slightly different, but the gist is the same.

First, go to “Start -> Printers and Faxes” and click on “Add a printer” in the upper right (or just start the add printer wizard any way you want). You should then see the add printer wizard as shown below.

Click “Next” and choose “A network printer, or printer attached to another computer”. Click “Next” again and you’ll be asked for the address of the printer.

Select “Connect to a printer on the Internet or on a home or office network:” and enter in the address of the CUPS-PDF-Printer you copied earlier. This is the URL from the CUPS web page. For example, the path to my printer is “http://192.168.37.128:631/printers/CUPS-PDF-Printer”. Capitalization does matter. Click “Next” and you’ll be asked to choose a driver for the printer.

I chose to use the HP DeskJet 1200C/PS driver since it supports color printing though any color PS driver should do. Click “OK” to install the driver, then click “Next” through the remaining screens.

Finished!

If you look at your printers, you should see the newly created CUPS PDF Printer.

Now, all you have to do is select the CUPS PDF Printer for whatever you want to print, including sealed PDF files. The document will print to the CUPS server and the .pdf will be saved in your /home/user/PDF folder. These created .pdfs have no security protection and can be opened just like any other .pdf file!

Alternatives:

As suggested by some of my readers, there are alternatives if the process above seems too daunting. Taken right out of the comments below, here are their suggestions:

J -

Paperless Printer

First, let me say that the CUPS server idea is a great solution, and whoever wrote this article is the man. I am however just an engineering student and the task seemed a little daunting. With a little trial and error I was able to find a solution that was easier for me. There is a program called “Paperless Printer”, which for some reason is able to create a non secure PDF from an Oracle spdf file. Just install it, and print. It gives you a “failed to print” error message, but it also gives you a crisp 600dpi copy of your book. Just follow these steps:

-Download and install “Paperless Printer”.
-Open your spdf and click “Print”.
-In the print window choose “Paperless Printer”.
-Click on “Advenced” at the bottom of the page. In the advanced window choose “print image” and selct 600dpi.
-Click print.
-When the first “Paperless Printer” window comes up choose “save as pdf”.
-In the seccond “Paperless Printer” window go to “Images and Shapes” and deselect “Include Shapes”. (If you include shapes an embedded security feature garbles a random section of each printed page.)
-In the same tab select “Include Images”.
-Go to the “Compression” tab and select your desired compression type.
-Click “OK”.
-Smile with satisfaction and take a little victory spin in your swivel chair.

D -

DoPDF

I recommend using DoPDF. No spam, no registration, and free. Also, Paperless Printer lost all of the formatting on my girlfriends iChapter book. When I used DoPDF – no issues. No Watermark. Simple, easy.

Tagged as: hacks, How To, security