THE FILES.CO JOURNAL
Notes on PDFs, privacy, and standards.
How the tools work, why your files never leave the browser, and the technical detail that matters.
What is OCR, and when do you actually need it?
OCR turns a scanned PDF into searchable, copyable text. Here is what it does, when you need it, and how files.co runs it with Tesseract in your browser.
Jun 27, 2026 · 6 min readGuidesHow to compress a PDF so it fits in an email
Your PDF is too big for Gmail or Outlook? Here's why it's heavy, how to shrink it in your browser by picking a level, and when not to bother.
Jun 26, 2026 · 4 min readSecurityAre online PDF tools safe? What '0 uploads' really means
Most online PDF tools upload your file to a server. Learn what '0 uploads' truly means, the real risks, and how to verify a tool with DevTools.
Jun 25, 2026 · 6 min readGuidesHow to sign a PDF without printing or scanning
Add a handwritten signature to a PDF right in your browser with files.co. No printer, no scanner, no upload. Plus when a simple signature is enough.
Jun 24, 2026 · 5 min readStandardsPDF/A, explained: documents that survive decades
What PDF/A (ISO 19005) is, why it exists for long-term archiving, the difference between PDF/A-1, 2 and 3, and how to convert files locally on files.co.
Jun 23, 2026 · 5 min readGuidesfiles.co vs Adobe Acrobat: when do you really need the paid giant?
Adobe Acrobat is the professional PDF standard, and it costs money. files.co does daily PDF tasks free in your browser, no uploads. Here's how to choose.
Jun 22, 2026 · 8 min readNo spam. Just PDF craft.
Once in a while, a useful note on PDFs and privacy.