What Is PDF Provenance?

Portable Document Format, the universal standard for document exchange. PDF provenance protects contracts, reports, legal filings, research papers, and ebooks.

With Encypher, PDF files carry their own cryptographic proof of origin. A C2PA manifest is embedded directly into the file, recording who created it, when, and whether it has been modified. Anyone can verify a signed PDF file for free, without authentication.

How C2PA Manifests Are Embedded in PDF Files

The C2PA manifest contains a JUMBF (JPEG Universal Metadata Box Format) store with COSE-signed claims. For PDF files, the manifest is stored using custom jumbf/cose structural embedding with two-pass manifest insertion (c2pa-python does not yet natively support pdf embedding). The signing process does not alter the document content itself. The manifest is metadata, not a modification of the content.

Use Cases for PDF Provenance

• Legal documents
• Research papers
• Financial reports
• Contracts
• Regulatory filings
• Ebooks

How to Sign PDF Content with Encypher

PDF signing is available at the Enterprise tier through the unified /sign/media API endpoint. Upload your PDF file, and the API returns a signed copy with an embedded C2PA manifest.

curl -X POST https://api.encypher.com/api/v1/sign/media \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@example.pdf" \
  -F "title=My PDF Content" \
  -F "action=c2pa.created" \
  -o signed.pdf

Verify PDF Provenance (Free)

Verification is free and requires no authentication. Any third party can verify a signed PDF file to confirm its origin, check for tampering, and read the embedded rights information.

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