Why are my PDF redactions appearing on multiple pages or in wrong locations?

If your PDF redactions are appearing in incorrect locations or being duplicated across multiple pages, this is likely due to background images in your document. This is a common issue when working with documents that have headers, footers, or watermarks implemented as background images.

Why does this happen?

PDF redactions must be applied to all layers of a document. When a document contains background images that repeat across multiple pages, redactions will appear on every instance of that background image. This is a limitation of the PDF format itself and occurs in all PDF editing software.

Solutions

1. Switch to white redaction bars

Since background images sit behind the text layer, white redactions will only be visible on the text while remaining invisible on the background. This is the quickest fix if you've already completed your redactions.

How to change your redaction colour at case level:

1. From inside your case, click Case Settings

   

2. Under Redaction Style, change the Fill colour to white

   

3. Click Update

4. Go back to the document and apply your redactions

5. Finalize the document

6. Go back to Case Settings, and change your redaction style back to default

2. Remove background images before uploading

Remove any background images, headers, or footers from the Word document before uploading to Phaselaw. This requires redoing your redactions but allows you to use standard black redaction bars without any display issues.