Free production check
Check a PDF for production defects
Upload one PDF and get a plain-language result for eight production checks: text layer, Bates gaps, duplicate Bates numbers, extractable stamp text, page size and rotation drift, redaction leakage, and whether the file opens at all. No account or email address is needed, and the uploaded file is checked in a temporary directory and discarded.
Check one PDF
10 MB maximum, 200 pages, 3 checks per day. No email address and no account.
Results are held in memory for about 60 minutes so you can share the link. The PDF itself is not kept and is not used for training or analysis.
What the eight checks cover
- 1 Text layer present A searchable text layer should exist on every page.
- 2 Bates sequence has no gaps Consecutive Bates numbers should not skip values within a file.
- 3 Bates numbers are unique The same Bates number should not appear twice in a file.
- 4 Bates text is not searchable Stamp text left in the text layer can be returned by keyword searches.
- 5 No identical duplicate file A byte-identical copy of the same PDF is usually an accidental duplicate.
- 6 Page size and rotation are consistent Mixed page sizes or rotated pages can signal a scanning or export error.
- 7 Redactions are burned in A black box over selectable text is not a redaction.
- 8 File opens and is not locked The PDF must be readable, non-empty and not password-protected.
The eight checks
Each row is a pass, warn or fail result. A fail means a defect that usually needs fixing before the PDF is served or produced.
| Check | What it catches | A finding is |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Text layer | Scans that were never OCR'd, or only some pages searchable | Fail for no text; warn for partial text |
| 2. Bates gaps | A missing number between consecutive Bates stamps | Fail |
| 3. Bates duplicates | The same Bates number twice in one file | Fail |
| 4. Searchable stamp | Bates-like text left in the extractable text layer | Warn |
| 5. Duplicate file | A byte-identical copy of another file | Warn |
| 6. Page geometry | Mixed page sizes or rotated pages in one file | Warn |
| 7. Redaction | Selectable text still present under a black box | Fail |
| 8. Readability | Empty, damaged, or password-protected PDFs | Fail |
Limits and privacy
The check accepts one PDF within the size and page limits shown in the form, at the daily per-IP limit shown there. Results stay in memory for the short result window so you can share the link; they are not written to the document store.
- No account, email address or payment
- The PDF is copied to a temporary folder for the check and deleted immediately afterwards
- Only the eight checks run; the file is not used for training or analysis
- The result page shows the first three findings, not the complete audit report
How to read the result
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Start with a fail
A failed check is a defect to investigate before the PDF is relied on.
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Review warnings in context
A warning is a fact, not automatically a mistake: a scanned exhibit may intentionally have no text layer.
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Open the sample audit
The sample shows a complete report with seeded defects so you can see the difference between a summary and a full audit.
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Use the full audit for a set
Bates gaps across files, load-file reconciliation and certificates need the paid production audit.
What this check does not do
- It does not fix the PDF or remove a redaction leak
- It does not OCR scans or search inside document images
- It does not compare a Concordance or Opticon load file
- It does not provide legal advice or certify compliance
Frequently asked questions
Is the free PDF check really free?
Yes. There is no account, email address or payment step. The form shows the current size, page and daily limits, and you check one PDF at a time.
What happens to the PDF I upload?
The uploaded bytes are written to a temporary directory, read by the checker, and deleted when the check finishes. The result is held in memory for the short result window; the PDF itself is not added to the document store.
Can the free check find Bates gaps across several files?
No. A single PDF cannot show a gap between files or a duplicated production set. The paid production audit reads a folder, reconciles load files and checks the set as a whole.
Why does a scanned PDF fail the text-layer check?
A scan without OCR has no searchable text. The check reports that as a fail because reviewers and keyword searches cannot reach the page content, even though the image itself may be perfectly readable.
Does a black box always count as a redaction?
No. A properly burned redaction removes the underlying characters. The check looks for text that is still extractable underneath a dark rectangle or redaction annotation, which is the dangerous case.
Can the free checker fix a problem it finds?
No. It reports what it finds and never edits the input. Fix the source document, re-export it, and run the check again; the paid audit can also produce a manifest and certificate for a completed set.